There’s a multitude of towering elements that could make Blades of the Guardians an epic bound for platitudes. It’s based on a manga, boasts a cameo from Jet Li, and features grand sets and elaborate fight choreography. Yet, director Yuen Woo-ping, famed for his choreography on films like The Matrix, has a strong hand when it comes to staging compelling characters wielding swords, slinging arrows, and bound by revenge and power. The result is a martial arts adventure with a mesmerizing momentum that doesn’t fall back on the mere spectacle of the hero wielding a flaming sword (though that is still pretty cool).

From the first scene with the bounty hunter Dao Ma (Wu Jing), there’s great charm in how he confronts his latest target in the desert with his young companion Xiao Qi (Charles Ju) innocently tagging along. As Dao reveals, he asserts himself as an independent swordsman, shedding his past military life for one he can shape for himself. He doesn’t so much crave a fight as a way to make a living, happily taking bribes from his bounties to look the other way. Of course, some smug fugitives don’t want to do business, leading to some exciting scenes of Dao beating down thugs, piercing torsos, and slicing limbs.

After becoming a target himself, Dao Ma agrees on an escort mission as a favor to the wise and warm tribe leader Chief Mo (Tony Leung Ka-fai). In need of escort is Zhi Shi Lang (Sun Yizhou), the leader of a rebellion who might have a firm philosophy in freedom, but is a bit more frantic when blades are being swung. Joining Dao on his quest through the ruthless desert is Mo’s archery daughter Ayuya (Chen Lijun), along with a handful of unpredictable figures. There’s Di Ting (Nicholas Tse), a former soldier who is still bitter about knowing the truth about Dao’s past within the cavalry. There’s the rival bounty hunter Shu (Yu Shi), a stoic swordsman whose stern nature perfectly plays off his feisty sex worker fugitive, whom he drags along in chains that she constantly tries to break.

For a film by a masterful choreographer like Woo-ping, the many fights that follow are fantastic. There’s a sparing use of the wirework to make the few leaps through the air as shocking as the handful of scenes involving cut-off limbs and blood spray. From the first scene, I expected Dao Ma to pull off some clever moments of him punching and kicking his opponents, an operatic showcase of violence. I did not, however, expect him to bury a blade in an enemy’s neck and then deliver a kick so hard he launches the head like a football. Moments like that make it clear that Dao isn’t messing around and that he’s willing to take on an entire army to accomplish his goals. The fights only grow grander as the journey continues with a heavy use of fire. There are scenes of Dao and Shu battling amid oil, where their swords are consumed in flames. Later, Dao will force his way through a huddle of shields by setting them on fire. The climactic battle uses even more flaming weapons set in a burning village. I can’t imagine how intoxicating this film will be for those who prefer their martial arts extra flaming hot.

Of course, none of these fast-paced fights would be as engaging if you didn’t care about the people behind the blades and bows. There’s just enough time spent with all the characters to make them compelling, beyond simply spitting out their entire backstories through tedious flashbacks and monologues about honor. The characters don’t speak like mythical legends; they talk in a direct, unpoetic way. In a comparatively quieter moment, Ayuya questions why Dao chose such a life of danger, and the short answer is that he essentially loves being his own boss. There’s more to his story, as well as his relationship with Xiao Qi, but the truth comes out when it feels right in conversations rather than an obligatory dump of expositional background. There are also plenty of quirks to the characters, where it’s fun to watch Shu’s straight-faced seriousness mocked and his bounty’s attempts to either seduce or spit her way towards freedom. All of these colorful players prevent the story’s intricate web of ranks and roles from being too dense to keep track of. You don’t need to know the full Chinese history of the Gobi Desert to appreciate the fireworks between sword-wielding allies and foes, as well as the literal fireworks that grace their duels.

Blades of the Guardians boasts stellar wuxia fights with enough personality to be swept up in the intoxicating theatrics. There’s just as much surprise in Dao Ma’s ability to decapitate with his foot as there is in Ayuya’s bitterness over her pursuing suitor and Shu’s questioning of what’s worth more in life. Rarely does the film touch on deeper truths about revenge and loyalty, but it never lingers too long on the many characters struggling with whom they will fight and whom they won’t. In the same way that Yuen Woo-ping knows how to perfectly time a sword fight, he also has perfect timing for characters to be compelling enough before they teeter into cliche platitudes. There’s just enough time to know and like Dao Ma before he performs an incredibly cool duel inside a sandstorm.

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