The Legend of the Swordsman (1992)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Don't Believe the Hype

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The color is dark sometimes, the plot is odd to some extent, but the movie is great after you understand the meaning of every scene. This movie is much better than the original novel in which "Asia the invincible" is a man. This movie keeps saying she used to be a man just for showing respect to the author of the novel. In fact, it's nonsense for the whole plot. She is a woman falling in love with Jet Li when they met the first time. Soon, she knows he will be her enemy. But her real enemy is the rules of power game. The lovers meet again in the battlefield where they do not have time to explain to each other. They have to flight until one of them is dead. He is a hero while she is a heroine. He is fighting for his friends while she is fighting for her clan and her ambition. There is no solution for them. Before death, her last words are that I ask you to remember me forever. Let Li's character is a cute and happy man who wants to leave the power game with his friends but failed again and again. His fantastic martial art means the power he owns. It's beautiful but dangerous. How can a powerful body works with a peaceful mind?It's a movie designed for Chinese or East-Asian culture. I will not recommend it to western people since they can't understand it. Power is a barrier, culture is too.

Beautiful kung fu and good story. This is one of a kind and belongs up there with "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" This is one movie I recommend. One of Jet Li`s best performances.

I won't throw out any spoilers, just assure you that this is a great classic of fantasy martial arts films. If you find yourself unable to follow the story or action, just rewatch it a few times. It only gets better and better.I would highly recommend watching swordsman one first though. There are many links in the story and it is nearly as good as part two. The only regrettable thing is that different actors play the same characters (Only Blue Phoenix is played by the same actor in both films).If you enjoy complex plots, scheming factions, dreamlike landscapes and outrageous martial arts all tied together in a whimsical Daoist song about the transient comedy of life, the Swordsman series is for you.

I'll probably get a bunch of death threats for making this comment, but frankly, I think this movie is overrated. Now don't get me wrong, I've seen much of Ching Siu Tung's work before. I'm not biased by his hyper-use of wires in his films (although I wished more of his action scenes would be like Blacksheep Affair). There are a lot of great visual ideas in this film, but they are shown in one scene, and that's it. I thought the snake-fu and the ninjas riding giant shurikens were cool, but underused. As with most Ching Siu Tung movies, the action scenes are too short. I thought the final showdown was especially disappointing: more verbal jousting then sword jousting. There was better flying swordplay in Butterfly and Sword. I won't comment on the acting and characters, as the version I watched was (horribly) dubbed in Hmong. However, overall this film is a disappointment.