Before Ethan Ruan went off to enlist in Taiwan’s mandatory service, he filmed a big-budgeted wuxia movie that will shortly be released. The Guillotines is based on a Qing dynasty urban legend weapon called the Xue Di Zi that supposedly could sever a head from its body from a thousand steps away. In wuxia lore this mythical weapon was never fully described and has since been conjured to resemble both a net with knives inside or a sharp-edged boomerang. Ethan plays the leader of a government trained group of assassins wielding this legendary weapon to help rid the Qing dynasty of its enemies covertly. This operation was started by Emperor Yongzhing but by the time his son Emperor Qianlong took over, he wanted to eliminate this task force to avoid future scrutiny of its cruel tactics. In the movie, Ethan leads his band of merry guillotine warriors to oust the rebel leader Sky Wolf played by Huang Xiaoming, only to realize it might be a set up mission where Emperor Qianlong wants to get rid of both groups at the same time. Huang Xiaoming is no stranger to period dramas but this will be Ethan’s first period role and I’m looking forward to how he fares. The movie will be released around Christmas time and since the Taiwan military service has been shortened in recent years, Ethan should be discharged shortly thereafter in the beginning of next year. Check out the action-packed trailer below and get ready for The Guillotines plus a flew of action wuxia movies to hit the big screen by the end of the year. Continue reading →