Directed by King Hu and Tsui Hark • 1990 • Hong Kong
Starring Sam Hui, Cecilia Yip, Jacky Cheung
Initiated by legendary filmmaker King Hu though ultimately completed by a team of directors led by producer Tsui Hark, this dizzying wuxia whirlwind revived the genre for the 1990s and paved the way for a new wave of high-flying swordplay spectaculars (including two sequels). Crammed with incident even by the standards of the genre, the breathless plot follows the fortunes of a good-natured young warrior (Sam Hui) who finds himself drawn into the intrigue surrounding a stolen scroll containing supernatural secrets. Despite its tumultuous production history, SWORDSMAN proves an intoxicating blend of Hark’s kinetic style and Hu’s touch of zen.
Up Next in Directed by Tsui Hark
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Once Upon a Time in China
Directed by Tsui Hark • 1991 • Hong Kong
Starring Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung Hok YauWriter-producer-director Tsui Hark’s sprawling vision of a changing nineteenth-century China begins with this riotously entertaining epic, a blockbuster hit that cemented Jet Li’s status as the greatest mar...
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Once Upon a Time in China II
Directed by Tsui Hark • 1992 • Hong Kong
Starring Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Max Mok Siu-chungHaving chronicled the social upheaval wrought by Western influence in the opening chapter of the ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA series, Tsui Hark turned his attention to the perils of unchecked nationalism in h...
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Once Upon a Time in China III
Directed by Tsui Hark • 1993 • Hong Kong
Starring Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Max Mok Siu-chungJet Li’s third outing as the storied martial-arts hero Wong Fei-hung is an exhilarating celebration of Chinese culture peppered with a dash of international espionage. This time around, Wong travels to Bei...
