Coming out today on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack from FUNimation Entertainment is Herman Yau’s latest biographical martial arts flick, The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake, which is his second historical drama following The Legend is Born: Ip Man.
The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake chronicles the life of the distinguished poet, feminist, and revolutionary Chinese leader, Qui Jin (Huang Yi), during the late 19th century. Giving up her life as a mother, Qui Jin wanted to restore China to its former glory by ridding her land of foreign powers, eliminating the Qing dynasty and fighting for women’s rights so that men and women could live as equals in a land where men traditionally dominate. Determined and fearless, she never let anyone get in the way of her values and did what she had to in order to see her vision realized. The film chronicles her life by starting at the end, with her set for execution, and then going back and forth in time to bring us up to speed as to why she is kneeling on the ground.
Even if I wasn’t a huge fan of Huang Yi’s acting, she manages to hold her own, rather well actually, during some pretty impressive fight scenes, especially when she goes up against Xiong Xin Xin, the main villain so to speak. Alongside these two performers are some of the most well known character actors in Hong Kong, Suet Lam whose mission is to convict and execute Qui Jin while Anthony Wong delivers a small but well delivered performance as a local official who sympathizes with Jin’s cause but must obey his government.
At times I found myself getting a little frustrated because of how hardcore she portrayed her feminist ways, particularly when she decides it is necessary to abandon her family for the sake of her cause, which I understand to an extent (safety reasons). Also, because of Yi’s acting, I just never felt emotionally invested in the character which is why, by the end, it didn’t matter to me if she lived or died. This may have been a result of the way the film was presented but I just stopped caring.
The movie comes in at 115 minutes, which is a little too long, but for the most part it isn’t boring. Yau seems to have stepped his game up even further with the production value because there are a few fight sequences, particularly one that takes place in a dirt courtyard between
Xiong Xin Xin and Yau alum Yu-Hang To, that will impress the hell out of you. The action is the real draw of the film and the main reason any fans of Yau should consider seeing it. He doesn’t skimp on it and it is, for the most part, very good.
Despite my minor pet peeves, I actually enjoyed this film more than The Legend is Born. For a guy that’s been making films since the late 80s and has found a way to continue to improve his craft then I’ll be happy to eagerly await his next picture. The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake isn’t the best film out there but it is a solid action movie that’s based in reality and kicks some serious ass.
Disc:
As for the Blu-ray combo pack, the film looks great particularly because of the variety of bright colors that Yau uses throughout giving us some beautiful and vivid imagery. There are 23 minutes worth of special features which is half behind the scenes footage and about 10 minutes worth of interviews from a majority of the cast, which I found surprising. FUNimation has put together a pretty good disc, it’s not the best but there is enough BTS footage in there for you to enjoy.
Movie Rating: A solid, female empowered action flick (6.2/10)
Disc Rating: 6/10
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