The last wuxia film Yen starred in was “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” (2016), since, although he was in “New Kung Fu Cult Master Part One” (2022) it was only a cameo. Now he is back as the leading man, producer and director in “Sakra”, a wuxia epic which is adapted from Jin Yong's (Louis Cha) novel “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils” which deals with the Eight Races of Buddhist deities of the Buddhist cosmology. The Chinese title is loosely translated as “The Eight Books of the Heavenly Dragon: Qiao Feng Legacy.”
“Sakra” will debut on Blu-ray and DVD starting June 13 from Well Go USA.
Set during the time in which the Han Chinese dominated and the Song Dynasty is at war with the Liao Empire led by the Khitan race, Jin Yong's complex and long story involves three main protagonists plus a huge collection of flamboyant characters and their explorations in the wulin (martial arts community), but Qiao Feng is the only one Yen concentrates on. Left at the door step of a Song couple as a baby and gifted with a leadership quality, the charismatic Qiao Feng grows up and eventually becomes the head of the Beggars Sect. Furthermore, he is a powerful martial arts expert highly skilled in Chi Kung (inner energy ability) and Ching Kung, a form of weightless skill which empowers him to spring to great heights and distances.
However not everyone in wulin is happy with his leadership and before long he is being framed for the murder of both his adoptive parents and the deputy leader of the Beggars' Sect. Furthemore, after they accuse him of being a Khitan he has to fight his way out of wulin since just about every sect member wants him dead. Accompanied by Ah Zhu, a young woman whom he unintentionally injures, they set out to find his true identity and the party responsible for the murders.
During his exile and further investigations later on, he realizes that swordsman Duan Zheng Chun is the man accountable for the killings. Unfortunately, this leads to the death of Ah Zhu because the wrongly accused Duan is actually her father and she dies in his place hoping that Qiao will stop carrying on his killing spree. Though devastated, he continues his investigations which leads him to the Shaolin Temple where he finally discovers the truth.
Let's face it; no one goes into a Donnie Yen film to see him mopping around in some slow drama or rom-com, the audience wants to see him in action and in that regard, he delivers. Besides the standard quick-paced sword fights and the heavy use of wires, the main focus here is on the delivery of inner chi or energy force in combat. These fantastical outbursts might seem comical and unbelievable at times, they are, however, the bread and butter of the wuxia novels. Still it is reasonably satisfying to see Qiao letting loose his signature “Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms” technique which sends his enemies flying besides flattening down half a building.
While Yen really shines in those action sequences, his romantic scenes with love interest Ah Zhu (Chen Yuqi) are less convincing and underdeveloped, even though they do share some screen chemistry. In contrast, Chen plays her parts well as both a tragic daughter figure and a woman torn between duty and love. Unfortunately, Shaw Brother veteran Kara Hui though memorable in her brief role is a little underused but we get to see her flexing her sword fighting skill which is a plus. Cya Liu who plays the impulsive and stubborn Ah Zi, the sister of Ah Zhu who wields a pair of deadly swords is a stand out who later ends up travelling with Qiao during his quest.
The amazingly detailed huge sets used throughout the film are worth mentioning as they look lived in and authentic right down to the beautiful rugged mountain ranges and little villages in the background. In addition, the great hall where all the different sects' members gather and the huge temple which doubles as the Shaolin Temple are all very impressive looking architecturally.
Overall, taking its 130 minutes of running time into consideration, “Sakra” is a reasonably decent and fateful though much condensed adaption of Jin Yong's classic novel. The fights are thrilling to watch thanks to the creative work of action director, stunt coordinator Kenji Tanigaki (“Rurouni Kenshin” series, “Enter the Fat Dragon”, “Raging Fire”) and Donnie Yen. It may not be perfect but it is certainly an entertaining wuxia epic and a visual treat.
