Judge Archer (2012)

Judge Archer is a peculiar beast, it drops you into the story with minimal explanation and retains an aura of inscrutability... drip feeding narrative crumbs and leaving the viewer to piece together the larger picture themselves.

It's an interesting stylistic choice, though it would perhaps pay off more if the story it slowly uncovers was more substantial... perhaps it is, and I just missed it.

As opaque as the narrative is it is never less than engaging, thanks to sharp cinematography and bursts of compelling action featuring a novel style - fast and complex but unostentatious and grounded.

The soundtrack features some unusual musical choices that add a lot to the film's atmosphere. Audio design is interesting, generally, with the classic exaggerated sounds from martial arts movies often accompanying moves that are quite minimal and restrained.

The result is a film with a strong identity, resembling classic wuxia on the surface but moulded by stylistic choices into a unique form where others settle for homage. As such it sometimes denies the viewer the familiar pleasures of the genre, but offers fresh experiences in return.