The setting is 1920s China where warlords are running the countryside. In an isolated village landscape, Yoyo (Zhang Yu, also producer) lives in poverty with her husband Tianyo (Gao Qiang), things being so bad that she is fainting in the street out of hunger. Lieutenant Pan Hao (You Yong) enters the life of Yoyo, forcing the husband to give her up for a short period of time. However when the agreement has run its course, Pan isn't letting go and nor is Yoyo...

Yim Ho directs this story where hurt and torn are keywords running through the often low-key narrative. With a certain connection to Red Dust therefore, even without knowing your history, Yim Ho will easily let in anyone who wants to. Yoyo at center is presented as a woman flowing with the so called prosperous options before you, whether it's wealth or an actual injection of passion into your life. There's a sense of doom over the film though and more often than not, Yoyo's action generates some kind of painful effect. Yim Ho has a firm grip on his atmosphere, where even slight motions and sounds are tension-filled. Few choices seem upbeat here by design and an obvious frustration is put forth as well, not just having to do with the Chinese history that the film is part of. While absorbing throughout, Yim Ho doesn't seem to develop his statements as much during the last 20 minutes, even if proceedings do get closure. A minor niggle in yet another atmospheric movie that benefits from fine cinematography and a score by Otomo Yoshihide (The Blue Kite, Summer Snow).

At the Berlin International Film Festival, Yim Ho ended up sharing the Silver Berlin Bear Award for Best Director together with Richard Loncraine (Richard III).

To Sun Valley comes a lone swordsman (Zhang Fengyi - Farewell My Concubine), one the villagers name the Avenger as that seems to be his agenda. He stays at an inn run by Hong Liu (Yuan Kuei-Mei) whose husband Hei Niu (Wang Xueqi) only occasionally comes home from his extended trips as a horse merchant. The Avenger carries with him hidden secrets though, being haunted by the sight of slaughter courtesy of a red hooded swordsman and a fear of blood, resulting in him taking the lives of several villagers in his confused state. His prolonged stay at the inn with Hong Liu creates an unexpected bond between the two subsequently but she carries with her secrets and agendas of her own...

He Ping's (The Swordsman In Double-Flag Town, Warriors Of Heaven And Earth) movie is slow but a rewarding drama that couldn't be farther removed from what Hong Kong cinema fans perceive as a swordsman movie. He Ping may break out from the mundane and held back into stylish bloodshed but it's violence, not action and even though Sun Valley may have a distant cousin in Tsui Hark's The Blade, the portrayal of a world with less and less swordsmen is a welcome perspective as it's from a Mainland filmmaker. The narrative is of course a large puzzle which may frustrate but in the end He Ping has hit a stride and given us a compelling character journey, one with a humanistic outlook, without ever condescending his audience. It's not particularly complex but the film does require your attention and perhaps, depending on the viewer, a good chunk of your patience. Rewarding is the key word though. Shaw Brother's veteran Ku Feng appears in support.

Produced by John Woo for Cinema City, this Taiwan set drama sets out to feel rather uneventful but slips badly into it so no memorable cinema here. Lee Shi-Xiang is looking for his sister in Taipei and he befriends various what you might call eccentric characters, ranging from regular kids, petty criminals and aimless street girls. Lee is the face of innocence and possibly the super citizen of the rather poor English title but he finds out along with others that life is filled with loneliness (and some grave darkness). Pinch me, I'm sleeping and while director Wan Jen employs cinematic language that can work, he is in fact novice at walking that tightrope.

Phillip Ko was still directing cheap action films into the new millennium and long after a golden of era of that particular genre, it's no surprise there's no creative juice left. Doubt there ever was any substantial amount in Ko to be honest.

Shot in Korea and Hong Kong, Ko wastes no time, launching us right into an ultra-serious narrative consisting of SDU training, the step into crime fighting uniform and supposed personal drama resides in the film as well. Ko seems to want to have a fast pace to his narrative yet displays awful skill at it. This then continues throughout as the story and characters are unimaginative, to put it nicely. All that's left is to let the girls kick some butt then, something he refuses to do until the final reel. There any potential skills left in Cynthia Khan and company is obscured by more lack of imagination in the choreography and editing. Anthony Wong phones in a heartless performance where he literally is yawning and sleeping through scenes. I won't knock Anthony or Cynthia for that matter as their given direction really seems nonexistent. Also with Johnny Wang, Ken Lo and Angela Tong.

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Back for more of the same routines, only outside of The Inspectors Wears Skirts series for Wellson Chin. With a female terminator-esque character (Cynthia Khan) and a bumbling idiot of a cop (Alex Man furthering his lack of talent as a comedian), Chin basically has the outline to make up a script as he goes along. It's a seriously unfunny one created with the only redeeming feature being the concept of the amnesia gun and Athena Chu is easily forgiven just because she's Athena Chu.

With the casting of Khan and Yuen Wah, some type of action workout obviously will be injected and echoing style of the Street Fighter video games creates an at times mildly spectacular ride. The finale even takes a few detours into graphic violence so viewer attention is easily maintained. Speaking of Street Fighter, there's clearly a sequence during the climax lifted from the Hong Kong edit of the film where Khan turns into the character of Chuan Li and reports seems to suggest this transformation was in other versions such as the one in Taiwan. As it stands now, the Hong Kong edit may not be cut as such but I'll tell you, you don't need to lose sleep over finding any version of Super Lady Cop. Really.

TROY'S REVIEW: This is undoubtedly one of the very best and most entertaining ninja-fests ever made! This movie literally has it all; dubbing that seems to be perpetually about two seconds out of sync with the characters flapping mouths, one of, if not THE most un erotic lovemaking scene ever committed to celluloid, a ninja surfing on a piece of bamboo, a sequence wherein our hero does a take on Rambo, some superbly choreographed fight scenes throughout and finally a soundtrack that liberally borrows, i.e. steals snippets from various famous movie scores such as Star Wars and Psycho! Also known as Killers Invincible.

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All evidence, despite sketchy information, points towards the fact that this Taiwan produced Kamen Rider-movie combines footage from the Japanese feature Kamen Rider Vs. Shocker (1972) but almost all footage of actors outside of costumes was re-shot with Taiwan leads Lee I-Min (7 Grandmasters, Mystery Of Chess Boxing) and Man Kong-Lung. Therefore plotted along the same path as the 1972 movie, with the leads portraying the mutant cyborgs Kamen Rider 1 and 2 respectively and trying to prevent the Brotherhood Of Satan (POSSIBLY led by Dracula essentially) from obtaining the GX Device on their way to world domination, the Taiwan crew does well in echoing the endearing cheap sci-fi design of the franchise. Actors in a variety of monster disguises (looking like anything from frogs, insects to skeletons and possessing killer gadgets such as teleportation-foam) doesn't equal a scary time and it certainly takes a certain mindset to enjoy the live cartoon. Because the plentiful bouts aren't exactly well-paced, possessing a flow or even exciting but the costume ball on display (coupled with a short running time) is a definite charmer despite. The same crew has the 1975 movie Super V3 in their filmographies as well which presumably could've been made along the same lines as Superriders Against The Devils. Available on German dvd (German dub only, English subtitles), you can pick it up at German Amazon.

Ko (Frankie Chan) is a barber who was previously married into the family headed by stern father played by Ku Feng. The daughter Youth (Shirley Lui), and therefore Ko's sister in-law, is free spirited and begins taking a liking to Ko. Naturally them hanging out as much as they do leads to romance. A tricky notion considering their relation and status in the family...

Believe it or not, Frankie Chan takes at least two thirds of the movie to make this simple plot coherent! Before that, there's evidence of an unfocused 80s experience, only lacking the CHARMING, unfocused 80s charms. Hanging out with Youth, Youth's extensive circle of very eclectic friends, going go-carting...it all sounds like mindless fun but faced with close to a 100 minute running time (at least 10 minutes too much), thankfully director Chan begins injecting slight bearable cinema towards the end. He has veterans Ku Feng and Sek Kin to thank for that. The themes surrounding family comes to life and the Ku Feng character has his self-realizations, which is wonderfully, albeit in a standard way, handled by the veteran. Melodrama seems naturally unavoidable but at least we understand it and are even entertained by the minor stunt component of the flick as well. Sweet Surrender could've been much more though if Chan had been a charismatic lead and if Shirley Lui had been geared towards being peppy, free and compelling in an actual way throughout. Paul Chun is the dopey, detective brother with a gun, Lee Heung-Kam the mother while Charlie Cho, Wu Fung and Shum Wai also turn up. Someone named Wong Kar-Wai co-wrote the script.

Part of Crash Cinema's Unearthed Classic range, Poon Lui (a Shaw Brother's director before and since) creates a stunning piece of independent Wuxia, worthy of all the reputation it has worked up, especially in the light of this 2007 dvd release. Reportedly preparing the film for over a year, The Sword is meticulously created, pushing the limited indie budget well with sets and costumes being of the highest order. At heart also, it's not even about the action solely but an uncommonly (for the genre) complex portrayal of the consequences of obsession, embodied by Jimmy Wang Yu's Hsio Ho Wei. Son of a general, he stands in the way of his family crossing over to join the new empire. All he cares for are his swords however...

Jimmy logs perhaps his finest performance alongside the outcast Fang Kang in One-Armed Swordsman here, being in the shoes of a man rebelling in his own way but utilizing his position as part of the wealthy elite. However it's a tricky character who IS seeing things one-sided and perhaps will do less so via lessons learned along the way, be it philosophical ones or in battle. Perhaps is the key mystery word and Poon Lui neatly captures interest of those of us willing to listen as the piece revolves greatly around dialogue passages. With atmosphere oozing grandeur as we move through every set (the snow covered finale is particularly striking), The Sword truly involves all the way and is a splendid example of a director breaking down the walled boundaries of independent cinema to compete with movie making empire Shaw Brother's. Even though the action is stagy, there's more than enough story driven intensity behind it to forgive the lack of fluidity in the swordplay. Forgiving genre/Wang Yu staples such as a fighting tournament and the appearance of his trademark beard is easy too.

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Behind its stock plot about swordsmen on their quest to acquire a legendary sword lies a calm and measured Wuxia from first time director Patrick Tam (Nomad, My Heart Is That Eternal Rose and editor on Ashes Of Time). He invests his images in the needed storytelling yes but it's the highly exquisite atmosphere and camerawork that makes The Sword a terrific standout amongst the Golden Harvest efforts of the era. Ching Siu-Tung's action directing is also given a spotlight to thoroughly shine, combining winning doses of swordplay and Wuxia trickery, something he would expand on even more when directing his own classic Duel To The Death a few years later. With Adam Cheng, Norman Tsui, Eddy Ko, Lee Hoi Sang, Lau Siu-Ming and Tien Feng among others.

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Well shot and atmospheric Wuxia that taps into the tradition of a plot containing multiple characters, twists, hidden agendas and you need to be accustomed (and certainly a bit forgiving) to this storytelling in order to give A Sword Named Revenge a felt pat on the back. With a main character disappearing into madness, a dreamy and sometimes bizarre nature resides in the flick, the impotent dwarf chief among the bizarre aspects. All while the usual supremacy of the martial arts world is on top of the agenda of many, many characters. Possessing a technical polish and standard but enjoyable Wuxia techniques (otherwise the action is often quite slow), A Sword Named Revenge is overlong material that can be endured. It's also serious dedication wasted thanks to the usual muddled storytelling.

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Finally something by the Mak Brothers and director Poon Man-Kit that ISN'T a gangster epic taking us through the political changes of Hong Kong as a particular character rises through the ranks. No, The Sword Of Many Loves jumps on the 90s Wuxia wagon and although a bit too long, its above average production values, creativity and star chemistry gets the filmmakers a long way. Structured around the love triangle between swordsman Wu Fei (Leon Lai), kung fu fighter Purple Yuen (Sharla Cheung) and witch Ching (Michalle Reis), in between you also have some personal revenge, dynasty- and clan feuds... probably. The story outside of the trio isn't even half as interesting but the stars do interact rather well while Poon Man-Kit gives us some wicked, mad sights. Ranging from the scorpion eating dwarf to Ching's various, creative ways of poisoning people (faces get fatter, butts get fatter etc via her various tricks), the movie doesn't go particularly broad either (despite mentioned poison effects) when the love triangle goes into the feud territory we expect. The ladies look incredible, Leon Lai is suitably dopey as he tries to decide which one to truly pursue and the high flying action (by Yuen Cheung-Yan and Ma Yuk-Sing) is high on energy and excitement (in particular the sandstorm finale). It's not the second coming of the genre from the time but a lot more ambition translates into engagement by the cast and viewer. Elvis Tsui plays the main villain.

While not 100% certain on this, The Swordsman Of All Swordsmen is at least Joseph Kuo's big breakthrough in the Wuxia genre 10 years into his directorial career. As with subsequent efforts the next year such as King Of Kings, via this film Kuo joins the ranks of King Hu and Chang Cheh as thoughtful, stylish storytellers in combination with conveyers of exciting, creative action. Swordsman Tsai Ying-Chieh (Tin Yau) is on a killing spree in the name of revenge. Having witnessed his family being killed, no one and nothing will stand in his way. Meeting the mysterious Black Dragon, who wants a piece of the notorious swordsman, and swordswoman Swallow (Polly Kuan), it's the latter that tries to talk Tsai out of pursuing violent revenge. Even after being nursed to health by Swallow, Tsai is hellbent on getting the last one on his list...

Without breaking new ground, Joseph Kuo translates Tyrone Hsu's intelligent script well. It's straightforward revenge stuff that is intercepted by common but human questions about the notion of revenge. Is there something valid in bloodthirst and can you re-evalutate along the way in order to possibly achieve growth as a swordsman in a very violent world? With marvellous cinematography and a violent edge to the action, Kuo and crew essentially creates sword-brawls that brings the intensity up a considerable notch. The experimenting with undercranking isn't always successful though but The Swordsman Of All Swordsmen is still a classic piece of Wuxia CINEMA that manages to pack valid depth (minus points for a tad too much melodramatic acting though) in a short package.

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A classic scenario of two childhood friends (Andy Lau & Cheung Kwok Keung) on opposite sides of the law but bound by loyalty to each other becomes a starting point for David Lai (Saviour Of The Soul, Runaway Blues) to excise some really, really dark inner demons that takes form in the shape of extreme brutal violence (supervised by Sammo Hung). Sworn Brothers is no film school example of storytelling but packs not only the punch on a violent level but fairly emotionally as well. Much due to Andy Lau's very competent and relaxed performance, a bit of a rarity at this point in his career. Melodrama goes way too high however and not all viewers may find the unsympathetic nature to characters worthy of their time but Sworn Brothers is exhilarating in its expert execution of violence. In a twisted way, that's enough. Siu Hung Mooi, Chin Ka-Lok, Eddy Ko and Bill Tung also appear.

An alternate ending was shot for the Mainland market and once available on the dvd release from WA.

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