Originally released as Blocking the Horse, Nine-Ring Golden Dagger takes place during the Northern Expedition of Yongxi in the early Song Dynasty, where we are quickly introduced to the courageous General Yang Ye (Wu Yue) who heroically sacrifices himself during a deadly battle. For his courage, the general is posthumously awarded the Nine-Ring Golden Dagger.
This great reward eventually finds itself lost in Liao territory, with the plot moving forward a decade where we are introduced to the general’s daughters Yang Baba (Zhang Xintong) and Yang Jiumei (Liu Xinlei), both of whom set out to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Although they succeed, they now have to face off against countless enemies on their return home. Their journey finds them seeking sanctuary in an inn run by Jiao Guangpu (Song Tianshuo), an ex-soldier who once fought alongside their father. The three of them join forces to face off against an assortment of foes to make sure the dagger (technically a sword) is returned to where it belongs.
Being a fan of Hong Kong cinema growing up, I came across my fair share of wuxia and period actioners. The golden period of HK cinema for me was the 80’s and 90’s, where there was an abundance of this type of material, legendary tales of derring do with fantastical action scenes and over the top characters.
Still, as much as I became a fan of these types of films, it seems that not a week goes past before another made for streaming wuxia crosses our paths, proving the old adage that there is such a thing as having too much of a good thing. I use the term “good” in a general sense, as many of these recent releases are in no way comparable to those 80’s and 90’s classics I fondly remember.
Even so, the recent release of Nine-Ring Golden Dagger still had me intrigued, as this looked like a more promising affair, with decent looking production design and some quality action. While this is certainly true, it is seriously lacking in the plot and character department that makes Nine-Ring Golden Dagger hard to recommend.
First to the positives. First time director Xiaojun Feng has certainly made a handsome looking film, with some lovely looking cinematography which beautifully shows off the excellent costumes and sets. Obviously this was a lower budgeted affair, but Feng makes sure all the money is on the screen. The majority of the film takes place in and around an Inn which gives the film a nice claustrophobic setting for the action. Unfortunately, on some occasions it becomes too claustrophobic, with Nine-Ring Golden Dagger feeling more like a filmed play than an action film.
The action does in some way make up for the film’s poorer aspects, with it never being long until you’re treated to another fight scene. While the editing can be somewhat sloppy at points, for the most part the fight choreography is on point, even if there is an overuse of wire-work. However, this aspect wasn’t exactly surprising. If you were turned off by the use of wire-work you’d probably miss out on 75% of wuxia releases. One thing I was thankful for was the limited use of CGI. There has been an over reliance on sub par CGI in a great deal of Chinese streaming releases, so it’s somewhat a breath of fresh air to see a film limit its use.
Speaking of the action, the Opening scene where General Yang Ye takes on all comers all the while being bombarded with arrows certainly makes you take notice. It helps that he is played by the increasingly underrated Wu Yue. To be honest, I honestly thought he would be appearing in more prolific features than this. Still, his presence is welcome, even if his screen time is short lived.
If only the remainder of the film was able to match this intensity of the opening and we could have been on to a winner. While there is certainly the promise of an interesting tale, the lack of memorable characters, an uneven pace and illogical plot points ultimately tested my patience.
A film like Nine-Ring Golden Dagger can live or die by its lead character. No offense to Song Tianshuo who plays his part well, but there is only so much he can do with such a thinly written character as Jiao Guangpu. For the most part his character comes off bland rather than engaging. It doesn’t help that he is seriously overshadowed by the film’s villain who makes much more of an impression.
In fact, the majority of the supporting characters appear to be more interesting, just that they aren’t afforded the screen time to properly grow. Considering how central they are to the story, I did expect Zhang Xintong and Liu Xinlei to stand out more. Better writing and more focus would certainly have helped as both of them apply themselves well, just that the material lets them down. This ends up dampening the film’s emotional stakes, as we don’t really get an opportunity to get to know them in a great deal, or at least as much as we should, meaning that it’s hard to care what happens to them during the film.
I must admit, I was pleased with the inclusion of some goofy humor, as it brought me back to the kind of wuxia films you would see Wong Jing put his stamp of approval on in the 90’s. I know this may not be for everyone, with the laughs being at odds with the more violent action, but it at least made events more varied.
Nine-Ring Golden Dagger isn’t a must see, but coming in at just over 90 minutes it never overstays its welcome. I can’t see it becoming anything more than a one time watch, but it still has more than enough martial arts action to keep you reasonably entertained during its runtime.
The film is currently available digitally from the good people at Well Go USA. For those more interested in physical media, both a Blu-ray and DVD will be available exclusively through Amazon.
Plot: 2/5
Acting: 2.5/5
Action:3/5
Overall: 2.5/5