The Blade
1995
Based on THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), which is widely regarded as launching the craze for swordfighting movies in Hong Kong, BLADE is a violent epic employing fast edits and a dynamic camera, instead of the panoramic shots of the original. With half a name, half a sword, and half of a martial arts textbook, a martial arts .. Read more
| Starring | Chiu Cheuk, Xin Xin Xiong, Song Nei |
|---|---|
| Director | Tsui Hark |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema |
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The Blade
Based on THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), which is widely regarded as launching the craze for swordfighting movies in Hong Kong, BLADE is a violent epic employing fast edits and a dynamic camera, instead of the panoramic shots of the original. With half a name, half a sword, and half of a martial arts textbook, a martial arts protege with one arm transforms himself into a whirling dervish of a swordsman--more an anarchic force, rather than the graceful flying swordsmen of Hark's martial arts fantasies. An atmosphere of suffocation, repressed eroticism, and abject suffering dominates the film, which culminates in a climactic battle that martial arts cineastes will enjoy. There is very little that is heroic about the film; more often than not, people with good intentions are brutally slaughtered, while those who prey on the weak seem to constitute an endless horde. The bleakness of the film recalls the mood of A BETTER TOMORROW, which Hark produced. Like ASHES OF TIME, which was released just one year before Hark's film, THE BLADE verges on the philosophical, with an untrustworthy narrator who is not quite sure what is happening around her.
| Starring | Chiu Cheuk, Xin Xin Xiong, Song Nei |
|---|---|
| Director | Tsui Hark |
| Studio | MIA VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT LTD |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 40 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 17 Apr 2000 Production year: 1995 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews
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Nominally a remake of the old Shaw Brothers/Wang Yu One-Armed Boxer, this is actually a (not very) original story: a... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Brilliant!
Good story, the fight scenes are excellent and compelling. Really fast sword fighting.
A fighter loses his arm in escape and trains in the art of the one armed swordsman in order to get revenge on his fathers death.
I also recommend Moon Warriors if you like this title! -
Most recent members' review
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A solid effort
This film is a revamp of the Shaw Brothers film, 'The one armed swordsman' and another entertaining film from Tsui Hark. The plot is what you'd expect from most martial arts films and centered around a man seeking revenge for his father's murder. There are some decent action scenes but many are filmed close up, in the dark and with fast moving camera work, which makes them difficult to follow. However, the final fight scene is superb, with all the trade mark choreography you'd expect from a Tsui Hark film. Well worth watching if your a fan of this type of thing, but not quite up to the same standard as Hark's other works such as 'Once upon a time in China'.
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The Blade
Based on THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), which is widely regarded as launching the craze for swordfighting movies in Hong Kong, BLADE is a violent epic employing fast edits and a dynamic camera, instead of the panoramic shots of the original. With half a name, half a sword, and half of a martial ...
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