Well, that is about to change with Chinese director Tsui Hark’s (The Blade) brand new film Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants. There is little wonder why in just a few weeks this has become the highest grossing Chinese Wuxia movie of all time. The simple reason is because it is so remarkable, so imaginative and so epic that it needs to be mentioned alongside films like Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings.
Based on a part of Jin Yong’s classic novel The Legend Of The Condor Heroes, the film is set in ancient times during the Southern Song Dynasty and centres around a young martial arts warrior named Guo Jing (Zhan Xiao – Jade Dynasty).
The adopted son of Ghengis Khan (Bayaertu – Creation Of The Gods) Guo Jing’s life changes forever while during his journeys to learn more martial arts skills and magic he meets the mysterious Huang Rhong (Zhuang Dafei – I Don’t Want To Be Friends With You).
Not only does he quickly fall in love with Huang Rhong but she also leads him to a powerful new Marital Arts Master, Beggar North (Hu Jun – Red Cliff), who teaches him skills that lead to him becoming a powerful warrior himself.
However, there relationship sours when he blames her father for murdering his Masters but after leaving her he realises his mistake. Soon he begins a journey searching for across the lands just as the Mongols and the Jin Dynasty go to war.
The war divides Guo Jing who it is expected will fight with the Mongols but he is torn when Ghengis Khan decides to attack Guo Jing’s very own people. To add more confusion the woman who is in love with Guo Jing, the Mongol Princess Huajin (newcomer Wenxin Zhang) announces she is going to hunt down the ‘woman that Guo Jing loves’ and cut her head off, unaware that she is already friends with Huang Rhong. Then there is also the fact that the evil Venom West (Tony Leung Ka-fai – Cold War) is hellbent on finding both Guo Jing and Hunag Rhong and destroying them.
OUT OF THIS WORLD
Screenwriter/director Tsui Hark could have been forgiven for turning Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants into a film that just consisted of epic battle sequence after epic battle sequence. After all he has the skills to do that and make a film look amazing and his audience probably would have lapped it up, but what makes this film so special is that Tsui Hark decides to concentrate on characterisation in this film while just using battle sequences when they are really needed.
The characterisation that Tsui Hark gives both Guo Jing and Huang Rhong is nothing short of phenomenal. For once we have action heroes where we actually get to see the emotions that they are going through and what actually makes them tick. The result is a film with real heart and also memorable scenes such as the ones shared between Guo Jing and his mother Li Ping (Ada Choi – Rebellion).
Such is the power of the screenplay when it comes to making these characters come to life that the audience even gets to see the human side of Ghengis Khan here. And while we may not always agree with his actions it is shown why he is making the decisions that he is making. Again one of the most powerful scenes in this film is when Ghengis Khan is pleading with Guo Jing as his adopted son to come and fight with his army. That great screenplay also allows Bayaertu to put in a brilliant performance that should be long remembered.
I should also point out that when this film does need action Tsui Hark delivers scenes that are out of this world. The epic final battle between Guo Jing, Venom West and the Mongol Army is one of the best battle sequences that you will ever see on the big screen. And while many directors would probably lose control of where each character is at this point Tsui Hark certainly does not – in fact he even remembers to bring characterisation to this scene despite its epic scene and also allows the film to keep one of its morals at the fore – that war is a waste of human life.
Somehow even with the magical element throughout this battle sequence there is also a strange believability that is ever present. Yes, a small part of you will walk away from this film wondering whether or not magical warriors have ever roamed this Earth.
Credit must also be paid to the acting performances of Xiao Zhan, Zhuang Dafei and Wenxin Zhang. Xiao Zhan carries most of this film and he puts in a performance of a lifetime. He is well supported by Zhuang Dafei and every time they appear on screen together is something special. Then there is Wenxin Zhang – it is an immense surprise to learn that this is her debut acting performance… she certainly has a huge career ahead of her as she steals every scene that she is in.
Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants is a true Asian cinematic masterpiece. Not only is it one of the best of films of 2025 but the way it manages to incorporate epic battle sequences with magical elements while still focussing on the character’s emotions and humanity is nothing short of spectacular.
Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘13’
5/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.