# Sakra (2023) Review: Donnie Yen's Wuxia Epic in a Hurry > Sakra stars and is co-directed by Donnie Yen as Qiao Feng, the exiled hero of Jin Yong's wuxia saga, in a film with fierce fights and a badly compressed story. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/sakra-2023-review/ Published: 2026-07-23 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 3/5 ## Verdict It depends. Wuxia and Donnie Yen fans will enjoy the martial-arts set pieces, but viewers wanting a coherent, emotionally rich adaptation may find it rushed. ## Is Sakra worth watching? **It depends. Sakra is a handsome, action-packed wuxia film with several excellent fight scenes, but it squeezes a sprawling story into two hours and loses much of its emotional weight along the way.** Donnie Yen brings gravitas and physical power to one of Chinese literature's most beloved heroes, and the martial-arts choreography is often thrilling. The reservation is that the plot races through major events, and heavy digital effects sometimes undercut the physical craft that Yen's films are known for. ## What is Sakra about? Qiao Feng (Donnie Yen) is the admired leader of the Beggars' Sect, one of the most powerful clans in the martial-arts world of ancient China. When he is accused of murder and a secret about his origins comes to light, he is cast out by the very people who revered him. Now a fugitive, he sets out to clear his name and uncover the truth about his past, while enemies he cannot see work to destroy him. Along the way he meets A'Zhu (Chen Yuqi), a resourceful young woman who becomes his closest ally. [Sakra](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/sakra-2023/) is directed by Donnie Yen and Kam Ka-wai, adapted from Jin Yong's classic novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. Kara Hui, Liu Yase, Wu Yue and Ray Lui co-star. It is a Chinese-language production in Mandarin and runs 130 minutes. ## Yen's fights still land hard [Donnie Yen](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/asia/hong-kong/donnie-yen/) has spent decades as one of the world's great martial-arts performers, and Sakra shows that his command of screen combat remains formidable. The film's best sequence, in which Qiao Feng confronts an entire gathering of martial-arts clans, is a showcase of shifting tactics and escalating stakes, blending wire-assisted leaps with punishing close-quarters fighting. His signature style, the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, is rendered with visual flair that captures its legendary power. Yen also brings a weathered dignity to Qiao Feng, a hero whose honour is tested by betrayal. His performance works best in quieter moments, when the character's loyalty and confusion show through. ## A novel squeezed into two hours Jin Yong's novel is vast, with multiple protagonists, interwoven storylines and decades of history, and Sakra focuses on only one of its threads. Even so, the film moves at a breathless pace. Major revelations arrive in rapid succession, supporting characters are introduced and discarded quickly, and key relationships get little time to develop. Viewers unfamiliar with the source may struggle to follow who is allied with whom and why. The romance with A'Zhu is the most affected. Chen Yuqi brings charm and warmth to the role, and the relationship is central to Qiao Feng's story, but the film rushes it so much that its emotional impact is blunted. ## Digital effects against physical craft Yen's best films have relied on the reality of human bodies in motion. Sakra adds a lot of computer-generated imagery, from enhanced palm strikes to digital backdrops, and while some of it is striking, it often makes the action feel lighter and less dangerous. Some of the digital landscapes look artificial beside the real locations. It is not enough to ruin the action, but it separates Sakra from the grittier, more grounded fighting of Yen's modern films. ## Who should watch Sakra? It is best for fans of wuxia, admirers of Donnie Yen and readers of Jin Yong curious to see Qiao Feng brought to the screen. Newcomers may want to read a short summary of the story first. It runs a little over two hours. The violence is frequent but mostly stylised martial-arts combat, with some bloodshed, making it suitable for teenagers and adults. If you want more martial-arts cinema: - [Hero](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/hero-2002-review/), Zhang Yimou's visually stunning wuxia film, which handles legend with far greater elegance. - [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-2000-review/), the modern wuxia benchmark for romance and swordplay. - [Raging Fire](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/raging-fire-2021-review/), for Donnie Yen's more grounded, bruising contemporary action. ## The verdict Sakra has strong action and a committed lead performance from Donnie Yen, but its compressed storytelling and heavy effects keep it from matching the depth of its source. How much you enjoy it depends on whether the fights are enough to make up for the rush. **Rating: 3/5** ## Related title - [Sakra (2023)](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/sakra-2023/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)