by Jacob Walker
Donnie Yen produces only his second film as a director (after 1997’s Legend of The Wolf) in what is an enjoyable but cookie-cutter wuxia film designed to entertain but not enthral you.
Based on the famous Chinese novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Jin Yong, Sakra stars Donnie as orphan Qiao Feng, whose role as leader of the Beggars Sect (the equivalent of Robin Hood’s Merry Men) is thrown into question when he is framed for the murder of a prominent member and then his adopted parents. He saves master-of-disguise Azhu (Chen Yuqi) when she is injured in battle, and the two develop a relationship while he tries to find the real perpetrators. As is traditional in such stories, Qiao Feng is extraordinarily powerful and heroic. We know this as his name is repeated multiple times, and he can perform superhuman feats, as well as defeating countless enemies at once. The film’s strength lies within Yen keeping things grounded when he can, utilising loads of great martial arts techniques to counterbalance the wire work and CG. The disc only features a very short ‘making of feature’, in which Donnie explains this was a conscious choice, which is interesting.
Unlike the best films within this genre, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the film isn’t interesting to look at, opting for computer-generated backgrounds rather than real locations. It is directed competently but with no flair or style (unsurprising given Donnie Yen’s inexperience in the chair) and does commit cinema sin by having to tie up loose ends after the end credits have rolled. Despite this, the characters are fun, the action decent, and the plot serviceable. A standard but pleasant foray into the ‘martial world’.
