It's been nearly two decades since action legend Donnie Yen last stepped behind the camera with 2003's Protégé de la Rose Noire, aka Black Rose Academy. Known for his stellar fight scenes in the Ip Man franchise among many other classics, he's mostly stuck to acting in recent years with the most notable of his roles being in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. This year, however, he'll finally release his latest directorial effort, the Chinese action-epic Sakra, to North American audiences on April 14. Ahead of the premiere, Collider can exclusively reveal the trailer for the film which sees Yen taking part in some chaotic and stylish fight scenes as the tragic hero and martial arts specialist Qiao Feng.

Sakra is an adaptation of the classic wuxia novel Demi-Gods And Semi-Devils by Louis Cha, better known as Jin Yong, and follows Feng on a quest for answers. Accused of murdering his parents, he looks to find out more about himself and the killers that framed him from the shadows. The trailer also shows that the murder created unrest, threatening the integrity of the Song Dynasty. Although he vows to find answers, "everyone in the world" wants Feng's head for his alleged actions leaving him no room to mourn his loss. All he can do is fight to clear his name and honor his father's wishes.

Though the setup is compelling, the action shown in the footage is to die for. Given he has so many enemies, many of the scenes see Yen taking on multiple enemies at once, though he flies through with grace and ease, bouncing off the walls and deflecting blows as if they're nothing with a smile on his face. It's a feast for the eyes as he cuts through his foes, blocks a volley of arrows, and takes down enemies in one-on-one fistfights, but it only gets better when he introduces elemental powers to the mix. While John Wick has him restricted to gun-fu fighting in its trailer, here, fireballs are thrown and Yen commands the wind itself to empower his blows and blast all around him away in a whirlwind.

sakra
Image via Well Go USA

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Who Else Joins Yen in the Insane Action of Sakra?

Alongside Yen, Heavenly Sword And Dragon Slaying Sabre star Chen Yuqi and Limbo's Cya Liu lead Sakra with Ray Lui, Tsui Siu Ming Wai Ying Hung, Wu Yue, Cheung Siu Fai, Wong Kwan Hing, Du Yuming, and Lui Leung Wai also on board. Yen's action team was also on board to help with the wild fight sequences alongside veteran action directors Kenji Tanigaki (Snake Eyes) and Yan Hua (xXx: Return of Xander Cage). Wong Jing, who previously worked with Yen and the action directors on other films like Enter the Fat Dragon and Ip Man 3, produced the film with Yen. The writing team features Sheng Lingzhi, Zhu Wei, He Ben, Chen Li, Shen Lejing, and Xu Yifan.

Yen's having a bit of a moment right now thanks to John Wick: Chapter 4. Not only does he get to fight another legend in Keanu Reeves, all while stunning director Chad Stahelski, but he'll also fight iconic Japanese star Hiroyuki Sanada in the film. For Sanada's part, dueling with the martial arts star was a fun and collaborative experience that ultimately elevated the scene in the final product.

Fans will get to see Yen in John Wick: Chapter 4 on Friday, March 24. For those that want to see the martial arts master dice through more enemies and fly across the screen, Sakra will come to theaters in North America on April 14 and on digital on April 18. Check out the exclusive trailer below: