Film

The Thousand Faces of Dunjia

Name: The Thousand Faces of Dunjia
Genre: Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Released: 2017
Cast: Dong Chengpeng, Ni Ni, Aarif Rahman, Zhou Dongyu, Wu Bai

Martial arts action

A 2017 Chinese fantasy-action film about a secret martial arts organization battling demons in a chaotic age. It's a dizzy, effects-heavy adventure with a large ensemble cast, shifting tones, and ambitious set pieces that don't always land. For viewers who love elaborate Hong Kong action cinema and don't mind uneven storytelling in service of spectacle.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy fantasy action built on mythic bookkeeping, where lore, secret factions and a cast of odd specialists matter as much as the fights, in the manner of a Chinese wuxia-fantasy romp.

Skip it if you want a tightly controlled story, since this one is busy, episodic and loose, with a lot of characters and mythology to juggle in a single 113-minute run.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a brisk, colourful ride of about two hours that keeps shifting gear, asking you to track a crowded roster and tolerate a fair amount of invented lore.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Kung Fu Hustle2004

A Hong Kong action-comedy that mixes slapstick, kung fu, and genuine emotion with the same gleeful aesthetic energy. Chow's direction pulls off tonal whiplash that actually works.

But If you want grounded martial arts drama, this deliberately silly tone will feel cheap. It's operatic, not realistic.

The Forbidden Kingdom2008

Jackie Chan and Jet Li in a fantasy wuxia adventure with elaborate set pieces, mystical martial arts, and an ensemble of quirky fighters. Similar sprawl and ambition, similarly messy execution.

But The American lead character is clunky, and the film tries to do too much at once. You'll feel it straining.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame2010

Tsui Hark's maximalist mystery-action hybrid with wild CGI, costume drama, and a detective uncovering supernatural threats. Shares the baroque visual ambition and ensemble-based plot.

But It's genuinely hard to follow, and the tone swings wildly. Coherence is sacrificed for visual excess.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Thousand Faces of Dunjia

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Hidden Sword2017

Both use ensemble casts to explore how ordinary people become entangled with secret martial arts worlds; both treat the fantastic as procedural and lived-in rather than transcendent.

A Japanese-Taiwanese coproduction blending noir detective work with martial arts mythology. Same fantasy-action machinery, but filtered through Japanese restraint and moral ambiguity rather than Chinese exuberance.

But It's a slow burn with a melancholy mood. The action is sparse and graceful rather than kinetic; you won't get the sensory overload.

Zhu Xian2022

A recent Chinese fantasy-action series adapting a beloved novel, with sect rivalries, magical combat, and a large rotating cast. Same source material ecosystem, similar visual vocabulary.

But TV sprawl means pacing is loose and subplots meander. You need patience and must accept filler.

The Great Wall2016

Zhang Yimou's massive fantasy-action collaboration with Matt Damon, featuring colour-coded armies, elaborate battle choreography, and a mysterious ancient threat. Similar scale and earnest spectacle.

But The English-language casting is distracting and the plot is thin. It's less a story than a series of beautiful action set pieces.

Shadow2018

Zhang Yimou's monochromatic wuxia masterpiece about power, duty, and deception. Shows what ambitious Chinese action cinema can achieve when craft and story align.

But It's slow, meditative, and deeply concerned with moral philosophy. Nothing like the kinetic excess you're looking for.

The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity2020

A supernatural fantasy action film with a large ensemble cast, demon-fighting missions, and elaborate costumes. Very similar energy: plot as an excuse for setpieces and character moments.

But The editing is choppy and the emotional beats land unevenly. It feels like it's fighting itself.

The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity poster

League of Gods2016

A Chinese fantasy-action epic with multiple characters, celestial warfare, and ambitious special effects. For committed viewers of maximalist Asian action cinema.

But It's nearly incomprehensible, with nonsensical plotting and effects that look cheap from the wrong angle. Patience required.

Kubo and the Two Strings2016

Both are expensive fantasies about young people discovering their place in a world of secret magical systems; both centre on mentorship and the cost of power.

A stop-motion fantasy adventure with Japanese mythology, a young hero against supernatural forces, and a deeply committed visual style. The spectacle comes from artistry rather than CGI, but the ambition is equally uncompromising.

But It's a children's film, and some will find that limiting. The pace is deliberate and the emotional core is grief, not excitement.