Chivalrous (2020)

Average on all fronts

Watch it when you want something predictable, doesn't require you to think and has enough pace to get through it. I'm guessing the dubbing has been done for the accent, because it doesn't enhance the acting quality - it remains flat. The various villainous laughs are especially cringing, but it also made the chemistry between the male and female lead disappear if there was any to begin with.

The story involves a token named the Xuanwu Order, passed down from the God of War, many many years ago. It should give access to riches beyond a man's dream, yet we never see that treasure and so it's value becomes merely a token of authority. What's somewhat believable is the real plotter behind the scenes - even though it becomes obvious about half way through to the viewer- he does make good use of the various character flaws and the long time feuds between martial families, that he can't be uncovered easily by the characters.
There are some nice visuals during the fights, but the explosions seem to come straight from a 1980's war movie. In fact, they reminded me of Platoon (1986) for some reason.

Overall, everything is average and nothing impresses with few cringe worthy moments (not in a good way). But, after a long day with a beer on the couch and nothing better to do, it's a good way to pass the time.

P.S.: If you want to watch this for Derek Kwok, fair warning: he's only in there for 5 minutes tops of screen time.

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