Martial arts movie buffs can get their kicks at cinemas

Highly anticipated martial arts film “The Wild Blade of Stranger” opened in cinemas on Saturday.

On March 8, it will also be released online at streaming platform iQiyi’s Cloud Cinema.

Directed by Li Wei, the film stars kung fu expert Zhang Jin and actor Geng Le who showcase exciting action scenes and Oriental martial arts aesthetics on the big screen.

Set against the backdrop of a chaotic era of dynastic changes, the film centers on a heroic charcoal seller who escorts the prince’s widow safely out of a city.

Zhang has amazed audiences with his superb martial arts skills in an array of movies like “The Grandmaster,” “S.P.L. 2,” “Ip Man 3” and “PacificRim: Uprising.”

The young talented director used to serve as the deputy director for Zhang Yimou's acclaimed movies “Impasse,” “One Second” and “Under the Light.” Screenwriter Li Meng also wrote the script for the box office sensation “Article 20.”

Yang Xianghua, an official from iQiyi, noted that martial arts film is a unique genre of Chinese cinema, and it once represented the glories of Chinese films.

“But in recent years, the number of homegrown action movies has been decreasing,” said Yang. “Therefore, iQiyi has been engaged in producing and distributing high-quality action films.”

In the future, they will release more action movies at cinemas and online for movie buffs.