High-Octane
Summary
The Butcher’s Blade is an entertaining wuxia tale with plentiful fight scenes and brutal violence; at times the action is a little too fast and I don’t love wirework, but it’s still well worth a watch.
Plot: The Butcher’s Blade (original title: Shou zhe tian), a 2026 Chinese action-wuxia film directed by Liu Wenpu, stars Liu Fengchao as Xue Buyi, a marginalized constable framed for theft who fights back against corrupt officials. The film is set for a digital release on May 12, 2026, with a Blu-ray release by Well Go USA on Amazon on July 7, 2026.
Review: Although I’m not the biggest fan of wuxia films (mostly due to the wirework), I thought The Butcher’s Blade looked interesting from the trailer. It does indeed have some wirework and the fights are at times a little too fast, but this is still a rapidly paced and brutally entertaining movie.
Liu Fengchao is well cast as Xue Buyi, an outcast seen as a coward, but when corrupt officials frame him for a robbery he turns the tables and learns you don’t get anywhere by being nice. He begins to lose the kindness he once had, but when he realizes, will it be too late?
I won’t say anything else to avoid spoilers, but at 90 minutes this rockets along rarely going more than a few minutes without a fight scene, and for the most part, despite the odd bit of wirework they are impressive.
The movie doesn’t skimp on violence with a particularly painful looking torture scene but when a movie is called The Butcher’s Blade you’re not exactly expecting Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan to show up… but wouldn’t it be cool if they did?
The score is rather generic with little that makes it stand out, but it works in making the action scenes more exciting.
Overall, The Butcher’s Blade mostly lives up to its title with plenty of fight scenes and a relentless pace. There is some wirework and at times the fights are a little too fast, but this is still hugely entertaining.