The Swordsman (1990)
"Xiao ao jiang hu" (original title)

TV-14  |   |  Action, History, Romance  |  27 January 1990 (Taiwan)
7.1
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When a scroll containing valuable martial arts secrets is stolen from the Emperor, an army detachment is sent to recover it. Blademaster, a young martial arts expert, accidentally ends up ... See full summary »

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(novel), , 5 more credits »
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Cast

Credited cast:
Samuel Hui ...
Cecilia Yip ...
...
Sharla Cheung ...
Fennie Yuen ...
Blue Phoenix (as Fanny Yuen)
...
Ngok (as Siu Ming Lau)
Ma Wu ...
Lau (as Ma Wo)
Ching-Ying Lam ...
Kuk (as Ching Ying Lam)
...
Zhor
Shun Lau ...
The Eunuch
Ming Man Cheung ...
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yiu-Sing Cheung
Sing Kwong Lai
Chi Ming Lau ...
(as Chi Ming Liu)
Edit

Storyline

When a scroll containing valuable martial arts secrets is stolen from the Emperor, an army detachment is sent to recover it. Blademaster, a young martial arts expert, accidentally ends up in possession, but the plot grows complex as Japanese samurai, an illegal Chinese sect, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors, a rival martial arts school and the leader of his own martial arts school vie for the scroll. Romantic complications also ensue, involving him with his longtime chum, daughter of the leader of his school, a Japanese woman, and two of the snake- wielding tribeswomen (Blue Phoenix and their leader, Princess Yin-Yin). Written by Reid Gagle

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis


Certificate:

TV-14 | See all certifications »
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Details

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Release Date:

27 January 1990 (Taiwan)  »

Also Known As:

Swordsman  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

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Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

King Hu was credited as the director but he allegedly left the project midway, and the film was completed by a team led by producer Hark Tsui. See more »

Connections

Version of Laughing in the Wind (2001) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Assume Movie Enjoyment Stance!!!
2 April 2000 | by (Bellevue, Washington, USA) – See all my reviews

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.


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