Period Film Reviews

Superlative - everyone should see this

Great, a must-see if you like the genre

Good, a decent example of the genre

Watchable, but only for serious genre fans

Unwatchable

Half stars could have gone either way depending on mood.

Movie Name / Release Year	Summary	Date	Reviewer
The Wild Blade of Strangers (2024)	Pretty good mainland wuxia	2024-04-17	Simon
Full River Red (2023)	Weak by Zhang Yimou standards	2023-04-30	Simon
New Kung Fu Cult Master (2022)	New but not necessarily improved	2022-12-06	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)	A strange film to end the series on	2021-07-30	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021)	The legend returns	2021-06-19	Simon
Taoist Priest (2021)	It's the 21st century mainland friendly Mr. Vampire	2021-03-08	Simon
The Swordsman (2020)	Straightforward but satisfying entertainment	2021-03-02	Simon
Punk Samurai Slash Down (2018)	The most bonkers film I've seen in a while	2021-09-18	Simon
Padmaavat (2018)	Looks pretty but weak in most other respects	2021-06-28	Simon
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018)	Some creative fight choreography	2020-06-16	Simon
Hanagatami (2017)	If war is worth dying for, so is a festival	2021-05-14	Simon
A Taxi Driver (2017)	Powerful	2020-09-05	Simon
Call of Heroes (2016)	Justice only exists if it is maintained	2020-08-24	Simon
The Assassin (2015)	Pretentious arthouse yawnfest	2023-12-28	Simon
The Ninja War of Torakage (2015)	Fun and stylish ninja silliness	2023-03-25	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014)	Good if not quite great conclusion	2021-06-17	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2014)	Just as enjoyable and well made as the first film	2016-01-31	Simon
Once Upon A Time In Vietnam (2013)	Nice looking film but all been done before	2020-08-08	Simon
The Grandmaster (2013)	Incoherent and overblown	2013-04-07	Simon
Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)	Extraordinary	2022-08-19	Simon
Rurouni Kenshin (2012)	A slick and fresh take on the martial arts genre	2021-06-06	Simon
The Bullet Vanishes (2012)	Sherlock Holmes in Tiancheng?	2020-02-23	Simon
Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012)	Beautiful, tragic fantasy	2013-04-21	Simon
War Of The Arrows (2011)	Nice looking period action film	2012-11-09	Simon
Wu Xia (2011)	Fresh and well executed	2012-01-06	Simon
Shaolin (2011)	nicely made	2011-12-19	Simon
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)	Looks good, but lacks substance	2012-04-21	Simon
White Vengeance (2011)	Gorgeous production with interesting characters and plot	2012-04-23	Simon
Ong Bak 3 (2010)	Reduced in scale and ambition, but brings closure	2021-07-26	Simon
Let The Bullets Fly (2010)	Action comedy that's smart and funny	2013-02-09	Simon