Swordsman

A sword manual is stolen from the court during the Ming period. Everyone is after it: eunuchs, sects, clans and two swordsmen who think of nothing but drinking. As the book changes hands, who is on whose side keeps changing. The production is remembered more for how it was made. King Hu began directing, left after failing to agree with the producer Tsui Hark, and the film was completed by several directors; more than one name appears in the credits. The result is a collision of two styles: Hu's classical, measured wuxia and Tsui Hark's fast, heavily cut, exaggerated cinema sit in the same film. Even so it was a major success in Hong Kong and set off the nineties revival of wuxia; two sequels followed. The fights are built on wirework and undercranked editing; realism is never the aim. The source is Jin Yong's novel, among the most frequently adapted texts in Chinese literature. Who it is for: viewers who like wuxia and the energy of nineties Hong Kong cinema. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a followable plot; the film is crowded and confusing.