Movie review - The Butcher's Blade

The Butcher’s Blade *** (out of 5) This martial arts flick from China is set in ancient times – before guns. That makes the numerous fight scenes heavy on swordplay (Of course. Blade is right there in the title.), with a few novelty weapons for variety. The plot centers on Buyi (Fengchao Liu), an honest, but timid constable, who’s been cowed from using his considerable skills in the face of rampant oppression and corruption among the rich and powerful – including officials of the law above his rank. Why arrest those who will quickly buy their way out of consequences, and resume their evil deeds without skipping a beat?

When he’s framed for a major theft by his sleazy bosses, and about to be executed, his former mentor intervenes and sends him and his old colleague, Li Zhen (Fufu Yuan), off to catch the real thieves and recover the large cache of silver they’d swiped. That would be the only way to prove his innocence to those higher in the ranks.

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The plot is something of a bummer, as corruption is so pervasive at all levels of the culture. Local landowners gouge the poor, while coopted authorities are paid to turn a blind eye. Buyi’s integrity has kept him at the lowest level of the constabulary, and just about as lonely as Jesse White’s Maytag repairman in those old TV commercials. By declining all the opportunities for graft, he’s made himself something of a pariah, and definitely not the honchos’ idea of a “team player”. This frame-up and reunion with Zhen give him the chance to grow a pair, and start nailing the bad guys, some of whom had bullied him before; others who were part of the frame-up. The two work their way up the food chain of responsibility for the robbery. But all the good guys may not be as good as they seem, giving the plot more twists.

All of that is fairly par for these courses. One watches such films mainly for the fight scenes, which are plentiful and expertly choreographed. One-on-ones and hero vs. hordes are generously presented throughout. The clashes are mostly gritty and realistic in scale, with only moderate amounts of wire work. No soaring to the rooftops; just longer hang-times in many of the moves. There are several displays of stunning acrobatics, and even a showy bit of parkour in one chase.

Those looking for plot and character development can do better elsewhere. Genre fans who groove on the action will be highly satisfied with the amount and quality of what they’ll find here. And stick around for the credits, which are accompanied by numerous clips of the fight choreography and practices.

(The Butcher’s Blade, mostly in Mandarin with subtitles, debuts on digital formats as of 5/12/26 from Well Go USA)