Wu Xia (2011)

I went into this movie hoping for spectacular action scenes, and while it delivered on that front, I wound up getting a whole lot more as well. Wu Xia combines martial arts with film noir and elements of Sherlock Holmes, and it comes together beautifully, elevated by some stunning visuals.

I'm a sucker for a good intellectual stand-off, and I got that here. Donnie Yen is one of the greatest action stars working today, but he also has some acting talent, and gives his best performance to date here. My only real complaint is that the movie's a bit unoriginal, but I don't need a film to reinvent the wheel when it's as entertaining as this one.

4.5 one-armed swordsmen out of 5.