Sentimental Swordsman

More than any other filmmaker in the 70s, director Chu Yuan was churning out intricate adaptations from wuxia novels by Gu Long and a few by Jin Yong. Gu Long is a unique author who combines mystery, sex, and conspiracies in his novels. That is also what you will find in Chu Yuan's movies. Having seen many movies like Magic Blade, Pursuit of Vengeance, and Spirit of the Sword, I personally get tired of the same conspiracies and plot twists. They have become overused and lame. However, the Sentimental Swordsman is a unique success in all respects.

The plot centres around a mysterious killer named Mei Hua Dao, who has reappeared after 10 years of absence. Dagger Lee (Ti Lung) has retired from the martial world since his lover married his sworn brother (Yueh Hua), but Lee has decided to help annihilate Mei. At the same time, the world's #1 beauty (Ching Li) announces that she will give herself to anyone who defeats Mei, which is every martial arts pugilist's dream. The tricky Mei manages to make everyone think Dagger Lee is the real Mei, and to prove his innocence, Lee embarks on a journey to Shaolin. Obviously Mei does not want any of the crew to live, so he sets out all kinds of traps for them to fall in. The pugilistic world is dangerous, but the mind is more dangerous! And just who is the real Mei?

Make no mistake, I am a BIG fan of wuxia fiction. I love fast-paced action, but the reason I like this movie is solely because of the intricate plot. The action is dreadfully slow for me, and I was truly disappointed, but I accept it as how choreography was in the 70s. The beginning was a little slow, but it doesn't take long to get you hooked on the story. Once you get hooked, it only gets better. As usual, the main villain is the person you would LEAST expect, and that is true in every Gu Long novel I can think of.

In comparison to other Chu Yuan movies, I find Sentimental Swordsman superior in most aspects. Story-wise, it does an excellent job getting the viewer's attention. Action-wise, it's not bad in comparison. Acting-wise, it may still be the best. If you liked the Magic Blade (which looked like a piece of crap on the 8th generation tape), definitely give Sentimental Swordsman a try. A sequel can also be found.

One other thing about adaptations: two movies adapted from the same novel may or may not have any similarity. For example, Legend of the Flying Swordsman (2000) is also adapted from the same novel as Sentimental Swordsman, and I doubt they have anything in common besides the main character Dagger Lee.