The multi-award winning martial arts star Donnie Yen appeared in some of the greatest martial arts films of all time, and after his iconic performance in John Wick: Chapter 4he is busier than ever. Donnie Yen has five action films lined up, but he’s also returned to the director’s chair after a 19-year break. In 2023, Yen directed and starred in the martial arts film, Sakra. Sakra is about a martial arts expert, Qiao Feng, played by Yen, who is accused of the murder of his adoptive parents and goes on the run while trying to clear his name.
Many of Yen’s best films became instant hits and martial arts classics, such as Hero with its 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Sakra was less well-received than many of Yen’s other films, earning a 67% critical rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found the plot overwrought and a bit confusing, but it appears that Sakra it is being more valued lately and may even become a success over time. Public reviews were more positive, including in Southeast Asia and Mainland China. Like Yen’s film shares many elements with classic martial arts films, Sakra will probably become one of them.
Why Donnie Yen’s Sakra Is Destined to Become a Future Classic of the Martial Arts Genre
Sakra is Donnie Yen at his best and hits all the notes of an action classic
The best martial arts films are defined by their stunning fight choreography and make even the bloodiest fights look beautiful. Donnie Yen’s best fight scenes often pit him against multiple opponents at once, and Sakra sees him at his best. Sakra was nominated for Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards. The film has a talented martial arts cast in addition to Yen, excellent choreography and fits into the very popular Chinese narrative genre,”Wuxia,”giving Sakra the hallmarks of a future martial arts classic.
|
Film |
Rotten Tomatoes critic score |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
|---|---|---|
|
Sakra |
67% |
71% |
Sakra is a typical story of the wuxia genre, and the word can be translated as “martial arts and chivalry.“Fights in wuxia films often have a fantasy element, like the iconic fights in classic wuxia Crouching TigerHidden Dragon, with characters flying through the air or shooting lightning from their hands. ​Yen’s character in Sakra is a typical wuxia archetypeand the fights are a mix of bizarre wuxia style, combined with some brutal moments. Sakra appears to be a solid wuxia story, so Yen may have been surprised when its reviews weren’t stellar.
Why Sakra Reviews Were Good But Not Great After Its 2023 Release
Sakra left open the possibility of a sequel, also starring Donnie Yen
Sakra had the potential to be a martial arts classic, with Yen delivering a strong performance and excellent fight scenes. Reviewers praised these aspects of the film, but one possible reason for its overall middling reviews is the source material. Sakra is based on the wuxia novel, Demigods and Demi-Demonsby Jin Yong, which features several separate but intertwined stories. The “overstuffed“The plot is probably the result of trying to adapt such a complex story into a film. A better approach might have been to adapt smaller parts of Qiao’s story, which Yen could still do.
Sakra contains two post-credits scenes that suggest that Yen is not yet finished telling Qiao’s story. In a mid-credits scene, the antagonist is revived by his father, and it is implied that he will live to fight another day. Another mid-credits scene reveals a potential new antagonist for future Qiao films. Sakra was one of the most streamed films in mainland China in 2023then can get at least one sequence. If Donnie Yen goes on to adapt smaller pieces of the story of Qiao, the underrated Sakra it could still become a martial arts classic.