I take half a star off only because I feel that the female character stories could have been explored further. The cast of side characters are also worth mentioning, with memorable performances from all of the actors. He excels at playing a character whose inner turmoil is silently repressed. Wang Yibo does a fantastic job of portraying this complex character with mysterious motives, who seems to hide much more than he lets on behind his cool and composed appearance. Ye is a compelling character who is mesmerizing, perplexing, suave, and incredibly human at the same time.

Wang Yibo delivers a phenomenal performance to match. Tony Leung does not disappoint as the veteran actor that he is, as the man who can tell stories with just his eyes or a slight smile, and he delivers a charismatic performance that reaffirms why he is such a revered actor. Ye, a rootless man who does not shy away from violence. He, the charming man who hides intimidation behind a pleasant smile, and Mr. Ye (Wang Yibo), are both enigmatic and morally ambiguous. Cheng Er uses a non-linear narrative approach to reveal the stories of these characters. Hidden Blade tells a story about these individuals.Įven without knowing the historical context, Hidden Blade presents a visual feast of vivid characters and imagery. Many cities were bombed during these years, including Guangzhou, which experienced bombings for 14 months in 1937-1938.ĭuring this era of war, which is also called the War of Resistance in China, espionage networks were established to try to undermine the enemy. After Pearl Harbor in 1941, the entirety of Shanghai became occupied by Japan. Many people fled to this area to live at that time. The Axis powers recognized the Wang Jingwei regime, while the Allied powers still recognized Jiang Jieshi as the leader of the Republic of China.įrom 1937-1941, Japan had left a few neighbourhoods in Shanghai unoccupied, because that was where the American-British joint settlement and French Concession were located. They established their capital in Nanjing and used the Kuomintang flag. They claimed to be the leadership of the Republic of China, when in fact they were a puppet government of Japan, overseeing the Japanese-occupied territory in eastern China, under Japan's control. In 1940, Wang Jingwei, who was once a member of the Kuomintang but had always been in opposition against Jiang Jieshi, collaborated with Japan to establish the Wang Jingwei regime. During this time, the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang formed a temporary alliance, suspending the years of civil conflict between them, although their vie for power continued. After the fall of Nanjing, which had been the capital of the Republic of China at that time, the Kuomintang moved the capital west to Chongqing, under Jiang Jieshi's leadership. The Nanjing Massacre occurred at this time. In 1937, after many years of conflict, Japan occupied Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. It was here where they hoped to establish a base from where they would continue their expansion into Asia. Imperial Japan invaded Manchuria (located in northeastern China) in the early 1930s and established the puppet state of Manchukuo. There are several powers in play at this time: the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, and Imperial Japan.

The film is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII. An incredibly intense espionage thriller Before getting into the review, here is some historical background for the film:

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