1990 · wuxia · action · fantasy
The Swordsman
Directed by King Hu, Tsui Hark, Tony Ching Siu-Tung, Raymond Lee Wai-Man2h 0m1990
A kung-fu manual known as the Sacred Scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.
Our read: The Swordsman (1990) reads as a neutral, breathless, inventive wuxia · action · fantasy entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.
Neutral, breathless, measured wuxia / action, inventive in texture. Ambivalent, mid-stakes, measured.
- kinetic
- intense
- inventive
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How The Swordsman feels to watch.
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What watching it is actually like.
“You want manic wire-fu wuxia chaos over a stolen kung-fu scroll.”
Skip it tonight — You dislike dense plots or stylized bloody sword fights.
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