14 Blades seeks a slice of the new year box office

The new year season is the busiest time for China's film industry and competition among flicks is fierce. The costume drama 14 Blades -- the story of fourteen bodyguards in the Ming dynasty -- is expected to be one of the big competitors in the upcoming new year battle. Here's a sneak preview and have a guess.

The editing of the first version has been finished in Hong Kong and the filmmakers are polishing effects and adding music. 14 Blades released a 90 second trailer at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, followed recently by a two minute and fifty second trailer.

The story is set in the Ming Dynasty, when the China's emperor had a group of 14 elite assassins -- his imperial guards. With unique martial arts skills they devoted their lives to serving the emperor above the law. Action star Donnie Yen plays the team leader, Blue Dragon, who escapes and becomes the most wanted criminal in the territory.

Early in the film, Yen presents a muscular tough guy with a ruthless expression. It's also his first screen role with a mustache. But his character has both light and dark sides.

Donnie Yen, actor of 14 Blades, said, "First I haven't portrayed such a villain. I played a villain in "Dragon's Inn", but that villain is very typical. But this one is different. The look is a breakthrough. And his inner world is complicated too."

Wu Zun is cast as a gang lead in the desert. His dissolute image stands in contrast to Yen's masculine, valiant appearance. The two come to blows when they first meet. Wu's legs are his strength and his kung fu kicks are skillful, making it hard for Yen to fight back.