Director – Yuen Woo-Ping – 2026 – China – Cert. 15 – 126m
*****
In ancient China, a bounty hunter with his small nephew in tow must transport a man across a desert to Chang’an – out in UK and Ireland cinemas on Friday, April 17th
The synopsis opening this review might make it sound like a bad film. It’s not. Humour me.
China’s Sui Dynasty (581 to 618 AD). Bounty hunter Dau Ma (Wu Jing from Ride On, Larry Yang, 2023; The Battle at Lake Changjin, Chen Kaige, Dante Lam, Tsui Hark, 2021; The Wandering Earth, Frant Gwo, 2019; Wolf Warrior, Wu Jing, 2015) travels with his small nephew Xiao Qi (child actor unknown) in tow. At an incident at a village inn he demonstrates his considerable fighting skill against a mark and his thugs to force the man to pay Dau Ma triple the price on his head to leave him alone.
Dau Ma is summoned before the town’s Governor Chang (Jet Li from Hero, Zhang Yimou, 2002; Black Mask, Daniel Lee, 1996); Once Upon a Time in China, Tsui Hark, 1991), who wants him to sign on to train Chang’s cavalry – an offer Dau refuses because as an ex-cavalry officer he has long since decided he is better off outside than inside the military system.… Read the rest