Siu ngo gong woo

Since Swordsman 2 is one of my favorites, I was delighted to find part one finally released on DVD. It is nearly as good, even better in some ways.

If you have not seen either, start with this one and get ready to enjoy 4 hours of primo wuxia.

Too bad that the cast completely changed between the 2 films (except for the excellent Fennie Yuen as Blue Phoenix) Most of the players in part one are as good, and I even preferred Cheung Man as Chief Ying to Rosamund Kwan who takes over in part two. I do think Jet Li in 2 is far better than Sam Hui in this one. Jet copies Sam Hui's style and character well, but is far more athletic and intense which really helps the action scenes in part 2. Sam sings well at least, which is important considering how much singing of "Hero of heroes" there is in part one!

A note about the cast list above: Michelle Reis and Rosamund Kwan are NOT in this film. Kiddo is played by Cecilia Yip and Ying by Cheung Man.

A classic pair of films then. Too bad part 3, "The East is Red" was such a letdown. The first two films stand on their own though, so no real loss.

One warning, if you are new to wuxia or Hong Kong films in general you may find the action in these films often too fast and incomprehensible. Repeated viewing will accustom you to the pacing, as well as allowing you to savor all the rich density of the storyline and its numerous characters.

The first part of the Swordsman trilogy can be compared to a wuxiapian version of "Star Wars": it boasts paladins of the sword and virtue, leaders of sects being deranged by thirst of power and ambition, plus a musical score no less epic than the Lucas movie soundtrack. The story centers on the theft of the "Sacred Book of Power", a scroll which can bestow invincibility on the bearer and which everyone wants to attain for themselves. The only one unaffected by the hypocrisy and egotism that such search generate seems protagonist Lin "of the Wah Mountain", who regards swordsmanship as an art rather than as a means of dominating the rivals and who would prefer a quiet life of wine and singing, but unwittingly is thrown into the turmoil of the clash between sects. Besides the epic tone, a couple of other factors contribute to the success of the movie:

• the richness of the people who, friends or foes, surround Lin. Much attention is put to their characterization: as they have different age, background, culture and social status, every one has his/her own distinct way of speaking, of acting and harbors different desires, in accordance to their position. In particular, the character "Blue Phoenix" is full of surprises! while Sharla Cheung donates charisma, regalia and beauty to her role.

• the awkwardness of the "hero": he and his pupil don't exactly "aid" their ally in the beginning of the movie and in general are quite fun to watch! 8/10

This movie has all the ingredients needed for a great martial arts movie: The base for this movie is that a powerful martial arts scroll has gone missing and everyone and their eunuch is out to find it.

Throw in several clans, each with their own unique martial arts style.

Stir in a shifty official with an even shiftier underling.

Add several dashes of mistaken identity.

Several betrayals and double crosses add a touch of spice to the film.

Quickly add an old martial arts master, snake throwing poisoners, and a mysterious birthmark.

To top off add a song bellowed by two old men that will never leave your head, and you have the best movie in all the Five Ranges!

If none of these things made sense, then watch the movie as soon as you can, it will all be very clear.

The above title will make no sense to you until you see this wildly entertaining movie. There's no point in summarizing the plot, since it's so convoluted that it's futile to try to follow it. The film takes place in the past, and involves a scroll which describes how to obtain secret powers. Not surprisingly, various martial arts clans vie for its ownership. This sets up various great martial arts sequences, cheesy jokes, and the codesong (as opposed to codeword) which will get stuck in your head no matter how much you try to fight it.

Besides the fact that it's just plain fun, I appreciated the fact that the film includes several strong female characters. It would be great if Hollywood could learn from this and other martial arts films that women who can kick serious butt can still be feminine and smart.

If you enjoy this film, check out its sequel (Swordsman II), and also check out "The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk," with Jet Li. You'll enjoy them as well.

Having watched this movie for 2 hours, it felt like 3 - not that it was boring for a minute, it's simply that so much was happening! Action and drama, comedy and violence, treachery and bravery - anything you can expect from a good Wuxia movie is in here. The basic story is not complicated: a rare script describing a lost art of fighting is stolen. Some try and hide it, some want to get it back, others get in the way or mind their own career most of all. It is especially the well explained characters who make it interesting. The variety of the action may not have been intended from the start - director King Hu who created masterpieces like "Come Drink With Me", "A Touch of Zen" and "Dragon Gate Inn" left early on, so that Ching Siu Tung and others finished the shooting - but it works well. That is best illustrated in the scene on the river (33rd - 40th minute) where everybody sits together, singing a song when the ship is suddenly attacked and fights break out while the ship sinks, then one of the masters gets a "viking funeral". Happiness, action, tragedy condensed within 7 minutes, I thought I couldn't leave for a moment without missing something important. The 2 sequels take even a step further in the over-the-top action and glowing colors, but the first "Swordsman" already is very enjoyable during the whole running time.