The Storm Riders

Cast

Aaron Kwok as Striding Cloud
Ekin Cheng as Whispering Wind
Sonny Chiba as Conquer
Kristy Yang as Charity
Shu Qi as Muse
Michael Tse as Frost
Lai Yiu Cheung as Mud Buddha
Ray Cheung as Shaolin Monk
Anthony Wong as Sword Saint

Summary

Directed by Lau Wai Keung, "The Storm Riders" was the highest-grossing box office film in Hong Kong during 1998. The story is based on the best-selling comics by Ma Wing Shing.

The film opens with the blacksmith, Striding Sky, forging the ?Best Ever Sword?. His young son, Striding Cloud (adult version played by Aaron Kwok), asks him whether a sword or martial arts skills are better in order to dominate wulin. Striding Sky advises his son that a sword can make a novice an elite fighter and turn an elite fighter to invincible. What matters most is the skills of the one who wields the sword.

Meanwhile, the Mud Buddha (played by Lai Yiu Cheung) pays his good friend Conquer (played by Sonny Chiba) a visit. Mud Buddha is gifted with foresight, so Conquer sought his advice as to whether he would win the upcoming duel against the Sword Saint (played by Anthony Wong). The Mud Buddha advises him that the duel will not take place until a further 10 years. The reason is that the timing for the duel is not right. He leaves Conquer with a prophecy: that he'll be invincible in the first half of his life upon accepting the two apprentices with the names of ?Wind? and ?Cloud?. Conquer also wishes to learn about the second half of his life from the Mud Buddha. But he refuses to tell Conquer, leaving him with a celestial puzzle to solve instead. Conquer is confident of his own abilities to solve the puzzle and allows the Mud Buddha to leave.

Conquer's right hand man, Jester, is left with the task of finding Wind and Cloud. Notices are placed all over China with a declaration from Conquer that he'll accept all of the children with the two birth charts left behind by the Mud Buddha. The two birth charts of course were of Wind and Cloud. Striding Sky refuses to give his son up and is thus murdered by Conquer's men. When Striding Sky dies, his son does not even grieve for him. So no one knows that Striding Cloud is Striding Sky's son. Conquer also wished to obtain the ?Best Ever Sword? from Striding Sky. Before his death Striding Sky stated that he had already hidden the sword, and that Conquer could never find it without the blood of his son. Conquer's men take all of the kids with them, so Striding Cloud would be accepted by Conquer as an apprentice in any case.

Meanwhile Whispering Prince takes his young son, Whispering Wind (adult version played by Ekin Cheng) along with him to a duel with Conquer on top of the large statute of Buddha above the Cirrus Cave. Prior to the duel, Whispering Prince recounts his previous duel with Conquer. It was 2 years ago, and took place in the bamboo forest. He had already retired and was living a secluded life with his wife when Conquer sought him for a duel. So he agreed to fight using bamboo poles as swords. He lost as a result. Conquer decided to take Whispering Prince's wife with him. Before leaving, Conquer advised Whispering Prince that he would need to bring his "Blizzard Blade" and defeat him at the Cirrus Cave in order to reclaim his wife. It was now time for their duel.

Upon meeting up with Conquer, Whispering Prince is told by his own wife that she has been extremely happy with Conquer the past 2 years and that she hated living a secluded life. This angers Whispering Prince. To add further insult, Conquer reveals that he does not love Whispering Prince's wife at all. He took her with him as an act of revenge, and to drive Whispering Prince out of retirement. Whispering Prince's wife runs off to commit suicide upon being shamed. Whispering Prince and Conquer then engage in a heated battle. It is breakeven, until the Fire Beast storms out from the Cirrus Cave and claimed Whispering Prince's life. As a prior agreement, Conquer agrees to look after and accept Whispering Wind as an apprentice following the death of Whispering Prince. From that day forth Conquer's clan becomes very powerful. He also receives a message from the Sword Saint delaying their duel until another 10 years. So it is all going in accordance with Mud Buddha's prediction. Conquer would go on to name his three personal apprentices, Frost (played by Michael Tse), Striding Cloud, and Whispering Wind as his potential heirs.

10 years pass. An adult Striding Cloud is practising his cloud palms by the waterfall. He is attacked by Bat but easily evades his attacks. Hawk then arrives to inform Striding Cloud that Conquer wishes to speak with him and Whispering Wind. Striding Cloud then asks Bat and Hawk to deliver the colourful rocks by the waterfall to Conquer's daughter Charity (played by Kristy Yang). It is obvious that he loves Charity. Meanwhile, Charity, Frost and Whispering Wind visit her father's sword grave before going to the meeting. It is also obvious that Whispering Wind and Frost love Charity as well. Mud Buddha's prophecy was fulfilled during the 10 years that passed, as Conquer managed to dominate wulin and his clan stretches throughout every region of China, with the assistance of Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind.

One day Conquer calls Frost, Striding Cloud, and Whispering Wind into another meeting. He has been unable to solve the celestial puzzle for the past 10 years and Mud Buddha has also vanished without a trace during this time. Eager to learn the second half of the prophecy, Conquer sends Frost and Whispering Prince to find the Mud Buddha. The only clue they have is a legend which states that they must first catch the Fire Monkey in order to meet the Mud Buddha. Striding Cloud on the other hand is instructed to murder Master Dugu of the Unchallenged City and to take possession of the ?Unchallenged Sword?. Before embarking on his journey, Striding Cloud enters Charity's room and makes passionate love with her.

On their journey, Frost and Whispering Wind stumbles across a battle between Dugu Ming, the son of the master of the Unchallenged City, and a Shaolin Monk (played by Ray Cheung) over the Fire Monkey. Frost and Whispering Wind immediately intervene to assist the Shaolin Monk. Despite this the Shaolin Monk refuses to hand them the Fire Monkey, so Whispering Wind decides to fight with the Shaolin Monk and manages to drive him into the ground. During the battle, Dugu Ming captures the Fire Monkey and races off with it to return to the Unchallenged City. Just when Whispering Wind is going to pursue after Dugu Ming, Frost stretches out a hand. He has already located the Mud Buddha who is watching the battle to the side disguised as an old man.

The Mud Buddha agrees to go with Frost and Whispering Wind to see Conquer. His face and skin have boils as a result of some poison. He needs the Fire Monkey who could suck the poison from his body to relieve him of the pain. He was apparently cursed as a result of revealing too many secrets of heaven during his lifetime. During the journey, the Mud Buddha fears for his own safety, and requests Frost and Whispering Wind to find foster parents for his young niece when they cross the river. Frost and Whispering Wind comply with the request. But sure enough, just when they locate a foster parent for Mud Buddha's niece, a masked man attacks them. He is too powerful for them and Mud Buddha is captured as a result.

Striding Cloud, with the assistance of Hawk and Bat, manage to catch Master Dugu and the rest of the Unchallenged City off guard. Striding Cloud kills Master Dugu in the evening and takes possession of the Unchallenged Sword. As they are leaving, Striding Cloud notices a kid crying. The kid is the son of one of the murdered men. He immediately asks Bat to murder the kid.

The masked man who snatched Mud Buddha away from Frost and Whispering Wind, is none other than Conquer himself. Mud Buddha manages to find the right combination to open the celestial puzzle. Two sentences are written in the air. Mud Buddha reveals to Conquer that his luck has taken a turn for the worse and that the second half of his life will be controlled by Wind and Cloud. When asked by Conquer whether this meant that his two apprentices Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind are the ones who will control his life, Mud Buddha replies that it was obvious that the apprentices would uproot the master. Conquer immediately goes into a state of self-denial, stating that he does not believe in fate. He tells Mud Buddha that he will use his hands to alter fate. Mud Buddha calls him a hypocrite, believing only in good prophecies and not bad ones. Conquer is angered, but decides to lock the Mud Buddha up rather than kill him.

Striding Cloud is the first of his three personal apprentices to return after a successful mission. He presents Conquer with the Unchallenged Sword. Conquer is pleased upon having obtained another rare and precious sword in his collection. Having heard of the second half of the prophecy from Mud Buddha, Conquer decides to work on a plan to eliminate Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind. Noticing that Striding Cloud and Charity have feelings for each other, Conquer decides to use her as a ?pawn? to turn Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind against each other.

When Frost and Whispering Wind return and seek forgiveness for failing to accomplish their mission, Conquer lets both of them off the hook. Neither Frost nor Whispering Wind knows that it was actually Conquer who snatched Mud Buddha away from them. Conquer takes this opportunity to make an announcement. He advises them that he is going to meditate and hone his skills for his upcoming duel with the Sword Saint. But before he does so, he will betroth Charity to Whispering Wind. Seeing the stunned look on Whispering Wind's face, Conquer goes on to explain that it was a prior arrangement agreed between himself and Whispering Wind's father. Whispering Wind is pleased. Charity loves both Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind equally, so doesn't mind marrying either of them. Frost also loves Charity. Though a little sad, Frost is happy that Charity will marry a kind and honorable person like Whispering Wind.

Striding Cloud is angered upon hearing that Charity has been betrothed to Whispering Wind. He confronts Conquer. But nothing could make Conquer change his decision. Striding Cloud storms out in total rage. He returns on the day of the wedding to snatch Charity away from Whispering Wind. Whispering Wind decides to attack Striding Cloud in an attempt to snatch Charity back. They immediately exchange a series of blows. Striding Cloud is an expert at using palms. Whispering Wind on the other hand is an expert at using kicks. So the two fight to a standstill.

Conquer attempts to launch an ambush strike at Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind from behind when the battle reachs its peak. Charity catches her father in the act, and jumps out to block the blow and protect both of her lovers. Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind immediately stop fighting upon noticing that Charity has sacrificed her life to save them both. Striding Cloud advises Whispering Wind to back off and states that Charity was already his woman. He then storms off with her body, while Conquer, Frost, and Whispering Wind are left to mourn over her death.

Later Striding Cloud raids a rival clan headed by Phoenix and Dragon for an Ice Vigor to preserve Charity's body. He then takes her to the desert to bury her body in an underground cave. That's when Conquer reveals himself and informs Striding Cloud that he has been tracking him throughout the journey. As Striding Cloud relies on water for his cloud palms, Conquer approached him in the desert, where he would be easily overpowered. Striding Cloud is no match for Conquer and his right arm is broken in the process. Knowing that he'd die if he can't escape, Striding Cloud takes the drastic decision to rip off his arm. Using his own blood, Striding Cloud launches a powerful palm towards Conquer. It catches Conquer off guard and forces him backwards. Striding Cloud takes this opportunity to escape. He passes out by a river.

Luckily for Striding Cloud, he is saved by a local hero and medical expert named Summit Yu and his daughter Muse (played by Shu Qi). Both Summit Yu and Muse saw Striding Cloud at Conquer's clan during the wedding ceremony. Summit Yu has a rogue Fire Beast arm that was virtually uncontrollable. So he decides to do an arm transplant, giving Striding Cloud his Fire Beast arm. His arm suits Striding Cloud well and he manages to recover after many days. Revenge on Conquer is at the forefront of his mind. But he bides his time and waits for the right moment to attack.

Meanwhile, the depressed Whispering Wind is sent on a mission to fetch his father's "Blizzard Blade" and the blood Buddha fruit from the Cirrus Cave. Bat and Hawk go with him. At the Cirrus Cave, Whispering Wind discovers that he has been poisoned by Bat and Hawk, who are under orders from Conquer. He is saved when the Fire Beast guarding the blood Buddha fruit arrives and kills both Bat and Hawk. Whispering Wind eats the blood Buddha fruit that increases one's inner energy and cures all poisons to save himself. Remembering that his father, Whispering Prince, was killed by the Fire Beast many years ago, he immediately grabbs the Blizzard Blade to seek vengeance. He and the Fire Beast battle throughout the cave. After many rounds, Whispering Wind finally lures the Fire Beast and drowns him in a lake in the cave.

Prior to his duel with Sword Saint, Conquer advises Frost that he'll become the heir of the Conquer clan and assume its leadership after he retires. He then asks Frost to kill Jester. Frost then learns from the Jester that he has been used all along. He then seeks Whispering Wind, and together they go and see the Mud Buddha, who reveals to them all of Conquer's secrets. Mud Buddha then advises Whispering Wind that Conquer was the one responsible for the death of his father, Whispering Prince, and Striding Cloud's father, Striding Sky. The prophecy was just a trick from Mud Buddha to get Conquer to spare both Whispering Wind's and Striding Cloud's lives. Only at that moment does the naive Frost realise how evil Conquer is.

Frost immediately confronts a jubilant Conquer, who has just defeated the Sword Saint in dubious circumstances. Conquer would have actually lost the duel, had Muse not poked Sword Saint's body on the steps of Conquer clan, when she arrived with Striding Cloud. Conquer immediately slains Frost upon learning that he knew the entire truth. Just as Frost dies, Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind arrive at the main hall to confront Conquer. They immediately battle. After several heated exchanges the battle shifts from the main hall to sword grave. There we uncover that Conquer excels most in swordplay, and that he only taught his three apprentices in fists, palms, and kicks. That way he would always be more powerful than his apprentices.

Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind both suffer heavy injuries. Striding Cloud begins to bleed and a miracle occurs. The ?Best Ever Sword? reveals itself in front of Striding Cloud. He immediately grabs it. Whispering Wind and Striding Cloud then finally unite as one. They create a storm, which is too powerful for Conquer to handle. Conquer is defeated and becomes insane as a result. Striding Cloud leaps forward, but Whispering Wind prevents him from taking Conquer's life. Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind emerge triumph on the steps of Conquer's clan. They acknowledge each other as friends.

Rating: 3/5

The most common reaction from fans after watching this film is that they either love it to bits or they despise and absolutely hate it. The majority of fans who actually like this film are ones who are not familiar with the comics and therefore the actual story on which this film is based. As a stand-alone film, "The Storm Riders" manages to deliver above and beyond most wuxia films produced in Hong Kong. However, this film fails to please the fans of the comic books. It was too short a film to fit to the level of detail, character development, adventure, and the excitement generated through the comic books. Besides, this film cuts out a lot of the best action and stories prior to Conquer's defeat.

The film also made numerous changes to the characters loved by so many, and at times the action sequences also changed. For example in the comic books, it was actually Whispering Prince who was sent to murder Master Dugu of the Unchallenged City and not Striding Cloud as shown in the movie. It's been a while since I've read the comics, but if memory serves me correctly, Charity was not Conquer's daughter but just a maid at the Conquer clan. She was actually betrothed to Striding Cloud and loved Whispering Wind, and not the other way around. Many other interesting characters are missing from the film. Overall a 2-hour film is just too short to capture the entire story set out in the comics.

Given the popularity of the comics, the film producers should have given careful consideration to committing to making a trilogy or even five movies (like the Japanese Samurai series), before commencing the project. It is just too damn hard to reset "The Storm Riders" franchise in my mind, once Conquer was defeated. Sure the comic books continued for a little while after Conquer was defeated by Striding Cloud and Whispering Wind, but most of those stories would be hard to carry forward to make a film interesting. That's why, I think the initial talks of "The Storm Riders 2" sequel featuring Andy Lau as Striding Cloud, and Louis Koo as Whispering Wind were cut short.

This film consisted of an all-star cast, and featured the legendary wuxia actor Sonny Chiba. He definitely has a commanding presence and stature suitable for the role of Conquer. In fact I really enjoyed his performance. Aaron Kwok just passed as Striding Cloud. As Hong Kong actors go, Aaron Kwok is one of the few with the right build and look for Striding Cloud. Ekin Cheng was a nice fit for Whispering Wind, although unlike Aaron Kwok I think a number of other actors could have been chosen for this role. To be fair to Ekin Cheng, it was the lack of character development rather than his acting skills that made Whispering Wind a really puzzling character in this movie. Some would say that he and Striding Cloud had identical personalities, whereas their characters are supposed to be different.

I felt sorry for Kristy Yang in her role as Charity. The film producers made this into a really dull role. Also what's with the scene where Charity has those two silk pieces with the words of ?Cloud? and ?Wind? written separately on them? Doesn't make Charity a very likable character at all in this film. She looked very much like na? young girl who did not know the meaning of true love between a man and a woman. Yet in the comics you really felt sad when Charity died, for she had a very sad and tragic life.

This film relied too much on computer graphics for its action sequences and throughout the film. As such there's not one memorable and well-choreographed fighting scene in this film in my mind. Just a lot of sword, fist, palm, and kicks pointing here and there, and the computer takes care of the rest. The sets used looked really fake, but I guess the advantage of this is that it looked and felt like a you were watching a live 3D comic on screen. This technique was liked by some and loathed by others.

Overall, this film was enjoyable enough for me to recommend to other people to watch it. Despite everything said, "The Storm Riders" is actually one of the best films in the wuxia genre ever produced in Hong Kong. Most of the others are just a joke as they try to be humorous and fail. But as a fan of the comic books, the film fails to deliver on many levels. It was too short, and I don't think the producers had given it enough thought prior to launching the project.