14 Blades is a 2010 wuxia film directed by Daniel Lee,
starring Donnie Yen, Zhao Wei, Wu Chun, Kate Tsui and Qi Yuwu. The film was
released on 4 February 2010 in China and on 11 February 2010 in Hong Kong. It
received mixed reviews with critics focusing on their praise on Yen and Zhao.Story:
During the late Ming Dynasty, the imperial court is plagued
by corruption and the reigning emperor is incompetent. The Jinyiwei are the
government's secret police, trained in clandestine combat since childhood. They
are in charge of conducting missions to ensure peace and stability within the
empire. They have the authority to prosecute anyone deemed an enemy of the
state and they devote their lives and lethal prowess to serving the emperor
only. The Jinyiwei chief, Jia Jingzhong, is plotting to rebel with the
emperor's uncle, Prince Qing, who was exiled and had his legs cut off for an
unsuccessful rebellion many years ago. Jia Jingzhong orders Qinglong, a
Jinyiwei commander, to retrieve a safe box in the possession of the imperial
councillor Zhao Shenyan, who is supposedly planning to revolt. Qinglong is told
that the box contains proof of the councillor's treason.
However, Qinglong discovers later that he had been used, as
the safebox contains the Imperial Seal, a symbol of the emperor's authority,
and Jia Jingzhong wants to use it to legitimise Prince Qing's actions when the
rebellion begins. Qinglong is betrayed by his fellow Jinyiwei and becomes a
fugitive when Jia Jingzhong denounces him as a traitor and orders his arrest.
Qinglong escapes and joins the Justice Escort Agency, where he strikes up a
romantic relationship with Qiao Hua, the daughter of the agency's leader.
Qinglong is determined to fulfil his loyalty to the emperor and he continues to
search for evidence of Prince Qing's plot while undermining the prince's plans
concurrently. He is joined by the Heaven Eagles Gang, a group of bandits led by
the Judge of the Desert. Standing in Qinglong's way are Jia Jingzhong's
henchmen and his former Jinyiwei fellows, as well as Prince Qing's adoptive
daughter Tuotuo, a highly skilled female warrior.
The Judge of the Desert fights Tuotuo, but is killed while
saving Qiao Hua. After defeating the Jinyiwei and their allies, Qinglong gives
the Imperial Seal to Qiao Hua and instructs her to bring it to the authorities
to alert them of Prince Qing's conspiracy. Qinglong then challenges Tuotuo to a
fight to the death, in which both of them die after being pierced through by a
golden sword intended for a Jinyiwei to use to commit suicide if he fails his
mission.
Prince Qing kills himself before being brought to trial for
his conspiracy while Qiao Hua becomes the new leader of the Justice Escort
Agency.
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