Reviews (6)

Great !
This is a classic Stephen Chow movie and one of the funniest. No doubt he is the king of comedy. He is great in the role of the hapless but cool guy (just watch the castration scene...). He is really skillful and has a vast range of expressions (well, I think you can compare him to Jim Carrey... in some ways but not in total). Though the movie has lots of sexual spoof, I think is not insulting; I read that Cantonese comicality is difficult to understand to foreign... well, I don't find it so different from the Italian one!

Some unavoidable presences in the movie: Ng Man Tat (Hoi Tai Fu) that is (I think) in 90% of SC's movies (and this is good, they are GREAT together) - Chingmy Yau (Princess Kim Ning) - Sandra Ng Kwan Yue (Sister Bond) - Man Cheung (Empress Dowanger/Lone-er).

And remember: always watch a SC's movie in the ORIGINAL language or you'll miss the best...

A parody that is a lot better than most Hong Kong films
Visually stunning parody of Hong Kong swordplay epics. Stephen Chow is a smart aleck, fast-thinking lowlife named Wilson Bond (really) who gets caught up in an incredibly tangled court intrigue. Bond starts out working for Chan (Damian Lau), Master of the Heaven & Earth Society and then he ends up on the side of Chan's target, Prince Ning (Siu-Lun Wan). Basically, in the great tradition of "Yojimbo" and "A Fistful of Dollars," Bond swears loyalty to whoever is threatening him at the moment and ends up playing everyone against everyone else while trying to figure out how to save his neck. This parody is more fun than a lot of the "serious" movies it is taking on. The DVD is letterboxed, which is great, but the English subtitles to the Mandarian language washes out from time to time. Then again, the dialogue in this 1991 film directed by Wong Jing is not exactly the strong set of "Royal Tramp." The fun continues in "Royal Tramp II" so be sure you watch both parts or you will be missing half the fun.

Stephen Chow's Best - don't forget the sequel, or the book!
This was one of the first DVDs I bought for my collection after getting a DVD player. The plot is engaging and extermely well-written, and the brilliant physical comic performances of Stephen Chow and Ng Man Tat work wonderfully even for someone like myself who needs the subtitles to follow the story.

Be aware, though, that "Royal Tramp" and "Royal Tramp 2" are a single story split into two parts, rather than just a movie and its sequel. Be sure to get both.

Also, this movie is based in the only story by Louis Cha that is currently available in translation. The title of the book is usually translated as "The Duke of Deer Mountain", but the English translation (in 3 volumes) is called "The Deer and the Cauldron", Volumes 1 (ASIN 0195903234) and 2 (ASIN 0195903250) have just recently been reprinted, and Volume 3 (ASIN 0195903277) is due out in September 2001.

Great fun!
An extremely funny rendition of the Duke of Mount Deer story. Stephen Chow is just hilarious! I got this DVD because it's classic.

Royal fun
This movie was loose based upon the 80'HK tv series starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung. This is probably Chow Sing Chi best movie. I've seen some of his film's including the sequel. But this one is better. Royal Tramp is about Wai Siew Po, a nobody who tell stories in a whorehouse where his sister works. He becomes a member of the royal staff and is appointed to Hoi Kong Kong, while he still remains a rebel against the Chings. The story is redecules, but that's what we aspect from a Chow Sing Chi movie. The action is marvelous, with lots of wire works. The kung fu is absolutely fantastic. My favorite is the Fa Kwat Yu Mien Teung. Which means as much as "bone-melting-palm". ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

This popular and beloved film, produced by Tsui Hark anddirected by Ching Siu Tung, is a standout in the Hong Kong supernatural-action genre and spawned many sequels and copycats. A Chinese Ghost Story stars Leslie Cheung as Ning Tsei-Shen, a timid and likable tax collector. Looking for a place to stay the night, he comes upon a spooky abandoned temple occupied by a tough Taoist swordsman (Ma Wu).Despite hiswarnings, Tsei-Shen stays anyway.Later he encounters a beautiful maiden (JoeyWang) who he quickly falls in love with.Unfortunately, she is a ghost whois being forced to trap men for an evil spirit who feeds on their souls. A Chinese Ghost Story has been widely praised for infusing the genrewith humor, action, romance, and inventive special effects. Memorable images include an attacking mile-long tongue and a cloak opening to dozens of ghastly decapitated heads. The final battle in hell is said to have inspired scenes in Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.And the filmhas its share of homage: A group of crusty zombies are reminiscent of the skeletons in special-effects guru Ray Harryhausen's 7th Voyage of Sinbad--and they are eliminated by Tsei-Shen in comedic slapstick fashion, not unlike the style of Charlie Chaplin. Cheung and Wang are a likeable romantic pair, and Ma Wu creates a hilarious character whobreaks out into song and a martial arts dance when drunk. The DVD transfer istopnotch, with the film's misty mood lighting and fluttering gowns appearing layered and crisp. It's a must-see for Hong Kong action film fans. --Shannon Gee ... Read more

Reviews (32)

1987 - great visuals, action, story, everything
This film started the "mortal meets ghost" trend in the late 80s, and as we all know, originals are the best.

The plot in a nutshell-a tax collector screws up during a collection run, and with nowhere to stay, decides he'll take his chances and stay in the deserted monastery on the outskirts of town. He meets a beautiful woman and a mad Taoist swordsman. When he discovers the woman is a ghost trapped by the Tree Demon he enlists the help of the Taoist in order to save her.

There are great performances from Leslie Cheung and Wu Ma-they both seemed to be born to play their roles. Joey Wong, thankfully, doesn't really have to act, so we don't have to cringe at her rather...limited...acting range This film is beautifully filmed, with some etheral scenes, such as the underwater kissing scene, and the special effects compliment, rather than detract, from the storyline. The characters are well-formed and I could definitely sympathize with the lover's plight. Well-written and highly recommended. - ew

A Love Stronger Than Death
Movie Summary: A young tax collector named Tsei-Shen is forced to stay in the old almost abandoned Lan Ro temple while making his rounds. There he meets a Taoist monk/master swordsman/ghost buster who is the only other human staying at the temple. He also meets a very beautiful young woman, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing, whom he falls in love with. Although she resists at first, the woman falls in love with Tsei-Shen as well. This complicates things because she is a ghost and has been ordered to delete Tsei-Shen and take his soul.

My Opinion: At first I had a hard time with the poor English subtitles and strange story. But then I was pulled into the love story and began to understand what was going on. Some of the small things that happen in the beginning are a bit confusing but I think this is mostly due to the cultural differences and poor subtitles. I ended up liking the movie very much. It has horror, action, and romance all very well mixed up into an entertaining package. The special effects are quite good. The plot is very filled out as well. The Taoist monk is a very cool character and you can’t help but fall in love with the maiden ghost Nieh Hsiao-Tsing.

DVD Quality: Non anamorphic, no English language sound track, poor English subtitles

What You Should Do: Rent it. Don’t buy this edition, wait for a new version that has an anamorphic transfer. This movie is what I would consider a fairly hard core Hong Kong film. You need to be into this type of film to enjoy it. If you are into this genre you should definitely see it and also check out The Bride With The White Hair.

Colorful, Original and Farout!!
This is such a cool film! The magic is felt when you watch it. The moves of the actors, the music, the sets, the storyline and especially the visuals. The effects are natural and unique in this film. There is a transexual tree monster who rules the beautiful dead ghost, who has to be a vampire in order to survive in the ghost world. They are all living in a temple with a possible ghost or warrior, wasn't quite clear. The warrior stood for good and fought the evil. When a young man who is naive and doesn't realize the temple is haunted stumbles in and falls in love with the bewitched beautiful vampire ghost. He does not know she is dead yet and they have a lovely romance sequence. Soon he finds out she is a ghost and wants to help her escape her karma and be reborn again. With the sanskrit words and the help of the good warrior, they take on the tree monster and even go to hell to fight for the spirit of the beautiful ghost finally making there way back to the world. A shimmering image filled feat! Just like the haunted mansion you always wanted to see. Highly Highly Recommended. It has subtitles and they are sometimes hard to follow. This is a movie definately for art lovers and whoever else that is open to something new and different.

Lisa Nary

A must-see if you want to fully enjoy Chinese Ghost Story II
I saw Chinese Ghosty Story II before Chinese Ghost Story, and there's a marked difference between the two. Unfortunately, there are several important plot points from the two movies that join them in a way that makes both better (including a song that takes on a whole new meaning when you realize it's sung by two different characters in each movie).

Chinese Ghost Story is not as wacky or enthralling as its sequel, with less special effects and a more uneven rhythm. The plot, in short, is about Ning Tsei-Shen, a tax collector, falling in love with a ghost, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing, who is kept by a, uh, "tree hag." The tree hag uses her to kill unwitting male mortals.

One particularly weird point is that the tree hag can transform into a gigantic tongue, which shoves itself down men's throats in Alien-esque fashion. Upon doing so, the victim's life force is sucked out. So in essence, the tree hag gives one serious French kiss.

I've since read elsewhere that Sam Raimi took inspiration from this film for Evil Dead, a connection I made on my own. The animated trees, the grasping tentacles, the perspective from the demon's point of view, and even the tree hag's shout that she'll "swallow your chi!" - yep, Sam saw this movie and loved it.

Ghost life is different than typical European ghost folklore. In Chinese Ghost Story, ghosts are more like faeries. They have lives, get married, argue, have relatives, etc. In this case, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing is torn by her role of luring men to their doom and her affection for the hapless tax collector. Worse, she is promised to some unspeakable evil guy in hell.

Our fearless protagonist stumbles into this plot because his tax records are rained on, thus leaving him without any means of getting paid for his hard work. Broke and desperate, Ning Tsei-Shen can only afford to stay in a haunted temple to stay out of the rain.

Chinese Ghost Story is like an Asian version of Romeo and Juliet, down to the help friar -- in this case, a crazy monk who happens to enjoy the presence of spirits more than living people. Although we don't get much perspective on Ning Tsei-Shen's life prior to the story, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing's back-story is fleshed out. She has sisters, all of whom were murdered and left without a proper burial ritual.

As ghosts, they serve a weird tree demon who is actually a man dressed in drag. This is an ongoing theme throughout both movies - demons always look like men, but dress and sound like women. It's strangely effective in making the demons seem immediately wrong, even in their supposedly mortal forms.

The struggle here is not to reunite the two lovers - that's understood to be an impossible task. Instead, it's a race to put Nieh Hsiao-Tsing to rest before she is married to the Unspeakable Evil. A final burial means the ghost also has a chance at being reincarnated as opposed to roaming the Earth or being married in hell. In comparison to the other two fates, reincarnation sounds a lot better.

Of course, things don't go that smoothly. Nieh Hsiao-Tsing is kidnapped, and the dynamic duo of bumbling tax collector and crotchety monk pursue her right into hell. The action propels itself along so quickly that things become confusing - I picked up a lot on second viewing because the characters shout or react so quickly to Hell, which is a murky place.

Between the three protagonists, they manage to defeat Hell's minions, an axe-wielding general, and the big bad himself.

Ning Tsei-Shen looks over his shoulder and his ghostly love is gone. Next we see him giving her a proper burial. Then Ning Tsei-Shen points - we can only assume at a rainbow in the distance that we see in the next scene - and the tax collector and the monk ride off into the distance.

POOF! The end.

To say the ending is jarring is an understatement. The director's style definitely matured in the second movie. This first movie is an excellent set up for the sequel, but on its own it seems like a pastiche of ideas and concepts that were never fully executed. A must-see if you want to fully enjoy Chinese Ghost Story II.

Tale of a man and a ghost...
The debt collector, Tsai-Shen, arrives in a small town in order to collect a debt. However, during a massive rainfall the water has destroyed the records of the debt that Ning is suppose to collect. Penniless and friendless Tsai-Shenseeks shelter in the Lan Ro temple oblivious to the reputation of the temple, which is known for its ghosts as well as its deaths. During the night Tsai-Shen meets Hsiao-Tsing with whom he falls in love with, but he is unaware that she is a ghost. Chinese Ghost Story is a touching love story full of swashbuckling adventure and humor as Tsai-Shen ignorantly tumbles through an adventure with horrors around every corner. However, the comedy is not as well balanced with the horror, since the comedy removes the suspense as it often is slap-stick humor. In the end, the audience experiences a action comedy that will entertain and offer some hilarious moments as Tsai-Shen struggles through this adventure. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's not necessary to see the first Swordsman before you see Swordsman II--though some of the characters are the same, the cast is almost completely different. Into the thick of a clan feud in long-ago China comes young swordsman Ling (Jet Li), who has a romantic attachment to the leader of one side of the feud (Rosamund Kwan). However, on the other side is an evil sorcerer, Asia the Invincible (Brigitte Lin), who has found a magical scroll that will give the user formidable powers if the user castrates himself. Not only has Asia done so, over the course of the movie he transforms into a woman. Ling accidentally meets the newly feminine Asia, who remains silent to hide her still masculine voice, and they find themselves in the throes of a powerful attraction. But this much of the plot is only the tip of the iceberg; Hong Kong movies routinely pack enough story for three films into one, and Swordsman II is no exception. What is exceptional is the emotional power of the story, the superb performances, and the spectacular and hyperkinetic cinematography. Lin is completely magnetic and Li is at his buoyant, charismatic best. There's something so delightful and inviting about the special effects in Hong Kong films that it's simply more fun to believe them than not, even if they aren't realistic by Hollywood standards. At their best, Hong Kong fantasies (like A Chinese Ghost Story or Green Snake) become much more than camp. An epic of amazing scope and surprising richness, Swordsman II is quite possibly one of the greatest movies ever made. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Not what you'd think
So long as you go into this movie expecting a fantasy epic instead of a martial arts film, you'll do fine. While there are some pretty good fight scenes in this movie, it's more along the lines of the Chinese Ghost Story series than Dragon Inn or Iron Monkey. Just don't let that stop you from seeing it. This movie completely revitalized Bridgette Lin's flagging career and after watching it, you'll understand why. Lin is magnificent as the trans-gendered Asia, playing the role with a threatening and aristocratic gravity that's truly awesome and one of her best performances outside of Peking Opera Blues. Jet Li is always awesome to watch (although admittedly, he didn't get much oppurtunity to truly demonstrate his skills in this one). Still, his fluid grace and power come through as always. SII also has some truly great visual effects, and a seemingly unending stream of surprises. The weapons that are brought into play besides the usual swords and spears range from sewing needles to man-sized hooks as well as the vampire like "essence absorbing stance." Rosamund Kwan is lethal with a bull whip, attractive in a turban, and also (one of) Jet Li's romantic interests in the film, along with the delectable Michelle Reis; and whoever played Blue Phoenix was also more than a little attractive as well, despite her nasty habit of keeping snakes in her clothes and rustling up hordes of scorpions to swarm her opponents (she'd be your worst nightmare for a blind date). One of Tsui Harks and Hong Kong Cinema's best and definately one of my personal favorites.

Good MOVIE, average Martial Arts Film
I really liked this film. It was very entertaining, had a solid story (that was hard to follow at times), but still very interesting. The characters were great, each and everyone. Brigitte Linn was badly under utilized, using Magic over her martial arts skills, that was disappointing.

Actually, think back, Jet Li was the only character in the whole film that used martial arts, everyone else used magic.

Jet Li's acting was extremely fun to watch. The interaction between him and his sister was great (though she was awful jealous for a sister).

As a whole this movie is a joy to watch, the story and plot are great. But don't buy this movie thinking you are going to see a Kung Fu movie, or skilled martial arts, because you won't.

As a movie I would give Swordsman II a B+
As a martial arts film I would give Swordsman II a C-

This is the dubbed version
Dubbed and renamed. See the original Swordsman II instead.

Strange role for Jet Li
When I first saw Jet Li in this film, I wondered. After watching it though, I have to say that he played the role well, and even made the movie. Michelle Reis was excellent as his "sister," and Rosamund Kwan played the role of village chief flawlessly.

This is a classic.

Buena Vista Home Vid DVD ruined it!
Im here rating "The legend of The Swordsman" wich is actually "Buena Vista Home Vid" DVD version of a great movie called "SwordsmanII"...

First of all, A LOT of dialogues just disappeared, scenes were cut and combat sounds effects RUINED ! ! ! I guess thats what happens when u ask a spanish comapny to re-do a HK classical movie.

Anyway dont just buy the "Buena Vista Home Vid DVD" Called The Legend of the Swordsman, aka Jet Li collection... yeah good job ruinning Jet Li classics Buena Vista Home Vid .... grr ... Read more

Reviews (32)

All-star cast at thier best
This movie is my favorite kung-fu/swords movie that I own (an i do have many) Brigitte Lin is incredible in this film. She is the best HK actress of all time. This film showcases her beauty, acting, and swordsplay. She holds this movie high but not alone Tony Leung is wonderful as well as a cool, calm, and collected swordsman. Brigitte lin an Tony leung have a somewhat similar romance to Michelle Yeoh an Chow yun-fat in crouching tiger. The romance in this film though has more heart to it. Maggie Cheung is also very good in this film, as the Dragon Inn owner. Maggie, Brigitte, and Tony all play characters with a lot of depth. Donnie Yen is an OK bad guy but his talents as an actor or as a martial artist are not completely used. This film should be in every movie lovers collection it is simply a masterpiece on film.

The Infamous "Dragon Inn"
Brigitte Lin is in her usual spectacular role as a kung fu master along with Tony Leung Ka-Fai ("Island Of Fire"). Lin is truly a great actress with "Police Story", "The Bride With White Hair", "The Bride With White Hair 2", and "Swordsman 2" to name a few impressive titles. She really is quite a martial artist on screen. She's very graceful and has a strong presence as a leading role. The amazing Donnie Yen ("Iron Monkey") is also in this film, though he's only at the beginning and end of the movie, he made his scenes effective. The last fight scene with Yen agains Lin, Leung, and Maggie Cheung ("Supercop") in the desert is quite outstanding. So venture into the desert and rest your head in the dragon inn, but beware...you might not last the night.

Excellent, Brigitte Lin the star
When I first read the reviews online, I couldn't wait for the last fighting scene. But the last fighting scene was no where near as good as Brigitte Lin's fighting scene at or near the beginning.

She was fantastic, and made the movie a must see. This movie has a great story, solid ending, and lovable charcters. (Like the little guy who was the cook). Where do you learn to cook human meat? Especially in the middle of the desert.

I can't give it 5 stars, because its not as good as Musa in my opinion. Its as good as Once Upon a Time in China, maybe a little better.

But again, a must see movie, Brigitte Lin takes the show from the All Star cast. This is a movie I recommend buying (I did), as it makes a great movie in anyones collection.

Exellent Swords Play
This is one of the best Kung Fu movies I have ever seen. The fight scenes were amazing and memorable. If your a Donnie Yen fan you will have to wait till the end. But when Donnie Breaks out. He breaks Out. But there is plenty of Brigitte Lin and Maggie Chung. I am so in love with Brigitte Lin. I wish she would come out of retirement. It is truly a joy to see her work.

Great remake
This film borrows heavily from the 1971 classic A Touch of Zen. It starts off the children of an murdered official being led into the desert, only to be saved by Bridgitte Lin, and Tony Leung. After saving the children, they make their way to the Dragon Inn, a desolate place on the western Chinese border. While waiting to cross the border, they are pursued by a Eunuch general who traps them in the Inn.

Overall, this film is filled with excellent sword play, drama, and the inclusion of Maggie Cheung. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Good Sword Flick
I like this movie a lot for several reasons. Let's start off with the DVD itself, it's good. The picture and sound are nice and widescreen is always the best. I like the subtitle and language options, stuff like that makes a difference with a movie like this. The movie itself has an intriguing story and cool characters (I liked the Japanese swordman the best). The swordfights and battle scenes are great, and so are the special effects (especially considering this was an early 80s release). And yes there are tons of ninjas, flying ninjas, and they are awesome. This is just a cool movie, with a good plot that keeps up the action right up until the duel to the death at the end. Worth buying, especially if you're into Chinese cinema like i am.

The best martial arts swordfighting movie ever !
If you like martial arts and asian swordfighting you can already stop reading and order this movie at once (i suggest the dvd). I've seen a lot movies like that but none could offer that much of all that makes those movies so great : lots of brilliant swordfighting scenes, lots of breathtaking techniques, lots of ninja mysteries, lots of pathetic dialogues, lots of honour and codex stuff, traitory, drama, lots of blood (yeah), lots of that... old 70es martial arts movies music and lots of humor as well. Plus good actors who perfectly fit their roles and some funny superpowers which are beyond any realism (just to name a single - you have one scene where a group ninja is flying [not jumping, they really fly] straight trough the trees of a forest, were you're forced to think "oh really ?"). I've thougt about that footstabbing at the end as well and i guess there are only two reasons that make sense : 1.) he's trying to isolate the whole pain into the foot (you know like "i stick a finger in my eye so i won't feel my hurting legg anymore") or one that is even more possible 2.) he does it to keep his balance (you see that he's almost falling, but after he stabbed his foot he's standing still).

Anybody who read that... until the end and still lacks the movie should get it at once ! You're missing the best !

Ps : I've got a new deepminded question though (only for the dvd version) : the english synchro's text is very different from the english subtitles .... why ?

Wow!!!
This film is amazing. If you like kung fu/samurai flicks, this is the one to see. I thought "Swordsman II" was great, this I think, is better. This movie reminds me so much of the anime "Ninja Scroll". The cinematography is awesome. The fighting is superb, and the violence is incredible. It captures the essence of Shaolin kung fu and the Japanese samurai. Great sword play and an intriguing story. This is a gem. Now one of my favorite martial arts movies. Two thumbs up, way up.

This is a must see for HK movie fans!
I saw it like that when Iv read the reviews. This movie got it all!. Its a classic for HK kung-fu movies as Scarface would be for gangsta movies.

What I liked the most about this film, despite being an old film, is that ur not left on ur hunger with lil teasers. For example, when u see a fight scene that u like, and it promptly stop (because the guys run away, or they got killed like instantly) all u do is hoping that u will see it again, like if ur doing sex and someone intterupts u. WELL THIS MOVIE BRINGS U TO ORGASM! Thats right, no lil teasing, its goes until the end with stronger and better fights until the famous DUEL that happens! And the last fight is the strongest and most complete! Its a little hardcore, but so realistic. This movie rocks, and the DVD is cool as well!

Excellent sword fighting scenes even though made in 1982.
I have promised myself not to buy any action movies produced before 1990 due to their slowness in fighting but this is one of the exceptions. The fighting scenes are swift, smooth and violent. The special effects are as good as any other Hong Kong top movies of today. It is amazing especially when this film was made in 1982. If you love sword fighting or Ninjas you will like this. The plot is so so. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Babes, Bullets, and Martial Arts
Okay. I have to admit that it had "everything." At the risk of sounding both racist and sexist - I will stay with the obvious - the movie was full of babes, bullets and lots of martial arts. Models Maggie Q and Anya Wu form the 'babes" component. There is no shortage of weapons and gunplay, which forms the 'bullets' component. Lastly, directed by Ching Siu-Tung, we are treated to tons of fairly good martial arts sequences. However, the remainder of the movie is a little suspect. The plot is predictable and is in no way near anything resembling a Femme Nikita. I am almost tempted to rank this film among the many "exploitation" films out there. Lets face it... of all the movies made out there; perhaps 95% are designed to do one thing only - to entertain. The remaining 5% attempt at least to make social commentary - of which a select few really succeed while trying to entertain. Of the 5% there are also those who try but fail to enlighten or entertain and sadly some fail at both. It would be safe to say that this movie fits into the former 95% - so it would do us no good to attempt any form of analysis but to simply enjoy it. All the possible discussion of feminine empowerment and disempowerment I will defer for another place and time.

Naked Weapon is a story about female assassins, kidnapped at a young age and trained by 'Madame M' - played by Almen Wong - another integral piece to the 'babe' component. Upon the failure and death of a one of a kind assassin, Madame M takes stock and goes on a kidnapping spree to recruit fresh blood among the myriad of athletic, nubile and potentially erotic and exotic young girls. She takes them to a secluded island headquarters and forces them to undergo rigorous training that lasts all of about six years. The bevy of young girls - as that is what they are when they were first kidnapped - are taken to school to learn about guns, computers, feminine ways, and self-defense. Charlene (Maggie Q), Katt (Anya Wu) and Jill (Jewel Lee) form the core of fighters who will eventually engage in one another in a Battle Royal for a marquis spot in Madame M's stable of assassins and a piece of the action.

There was, however, one dark side to this one-dimensional almost harmless exploitation film - a splash of misogyny that really messed things up. I saw no real reason for the rape scene, which really degrades his starlets and the movie. I am not an idiot and will admit that this movie was nothing short of a guilty pleasure, but what heavily reduced the guilty enjoyment factor was the graphic sexual violence and the totally useless rape scene - which I have to admit, was nothing short of off-putting. I know, I was not supposed to 'go there' but the film does not punish Madame M for her heinous acts and the three young women get short ended in a lifestyle that was not of their choosing.

The movie would not be interesting is there were no plot twist and turns. Charlene begins to develop existential angst and starts to miss her mother - played by non other than Cheng Pei-Pei - and risks a Hong Kong hit by bumping into her. Madame M, to say the least, is annoyed by Charlene's new distractions. Moreover, the character Ryuichi appears in deus ex machina fashion to terrorize the three young women. Not to disappoint, there are flashes of skin and a love scene and a disturbing rape scene - so this is not for the squeamish. The short of it is, cinematography is good and the women are all 'dolled up.' In an effort to fully 'exploit' the pretty people almost everyone moves in slow motion with the obligatory wind - in the right direction - adds to the cheesy ambiance. It is a 'guy flick' and it should not be seen as anything more than that. The camera is great to Maggie Q - it can't miss. Admittedly there is action and it does not pretend to be anything but exploitation.

Miguel Llora

Naked Weapons -- Two Thumbs Up!!
This movie is awesome! What more do anyone wants action, suspense, martial arts, and hot gals combating each other! Maggie Q did a wonderful job in her role. Check it out and you won't regret it!

Really Bad movie
This is one of the worst movie I have seen lately. The only good thing about this movie is some of the fighting sequences. The lead actress (Maggie Q) is beautiful, but she and the rest of the cast can't certainly not help the bad movie script from the director. The story doesn't make any sense. Everything is so illogic. My friends and I had a good laugh at this movie but seriously, it's really a bad movie overall.

If you are looking for a great Hong Kong/China/Asian movie, I will recommend these instead: "The Twin Effect (Vampire Effect)", "So Close", "Shaolin Soccer", "Hero" and "Infernal Affairs".

Better than some suggest, but not great.
Okay, what do you expect from this movie? Does anyone really think it's going to be the next Hollywood blockbuster? No, not really. I rented this on a whim and what I got was an action-packed, bloody, and surprisingly touching film about two girls brought up on an island and trained to be master assassins. True, the scenes on the island are incredibly ridiculous. Except for the fight sequences it was a good half hour of lame filmmaking. There are some scenes there that just didn't make any sense. There are 16 young women left and they are locked in a room and told to kill the nearest girl and drag her body outside as a final test. Okay, but why waste the last six years training them and providing food and shelter if half are going to be slaughtered? So, 8 remain and then they are told to kill one another until 1 is left? What a total waste of the last six years! The beginning of the film is promising, and most of the film after the dreadful island sequence is either good or passable. This is an over-the-top action flick to be enjoyed with a big bag of popcorn and a willingness to laugh at all the absurdity. Don't forget the butter.

NOT A LOT OF NAKED, BUT LOTS OF FIGHTING AND VIOLENCE
NAKED WEAPON is the story of a group of young girls who are kidnapped by an evil madame (Alma Wong) and imprisoned on a secluded island to be tortuously trained into unfeeling assasins who lure their victims in with their bodies. Those who try to escape will die. Those who stay will one day fight eachother to the death. Only one will be allowed to become the supreme assasin.

This is a pretty interesting variation on LORD OF THE FLIES type survival as innocent girls who form friendships with eachother must determine which is more important, friendship or life. Those who rent the movie based on the sexy cover which features two attractive women embracing eachother while wearing nothing but camoflauge skin paint might be disappointed to find out that this isn't a movie filled with gratuitous nudity and lesbianism. There is some brief nudity (by the beautiful Maggie Q) as well as some tantallizing strip tease type bedroom dancing, but the these are all quite tastefully done, and the two women on the cover are strong sister-like friends not lovers.

Highlights of the film include the wonderfully choreographed royal rumble to the death with the girls drawing numbers to see who will fight first beginning with two on two and the number of entrants increasing as each fight ends to take on the survivor! This is where the director (famed action director Tony Siu-Tung Ching of DUEL TO THE DEATH, FIST OF LEGEND, THE SWORD) really shines. The fights are high flying and lightning paced with each movement of action and emotion visible to the viewer's eye. The best action scenes invovle not only beautiful movements, but actors that actually ACT in those scenes as well showing signs of human wear and tear such as fear, pain, and growing exhaustion. You really see the girls go through these changes as the fights go on making you really root for your particular favorite to make it (although there's really only a few logical favorites to root for based on character screen time). Other highlights include the chemistry between Daniel Wu's character and Maggie Q's (former real-life boyriend and girlfreind), and the climactic final battle between the top female assasin and a Japanese yakuza leader which should impress fans of MATRIX style gravity defying action. Also those who hate dubbed films will be pleased to know that this film is in English with only a couple actors dubbed.

Lowlights include Daniel Wu's acting which is very limited. While his scenes with Maggie Q are a real delight in their naturalness and truthfulness, he does NOT seem believable either as an obsessed cop or as a fighter (his fight scenes are good and his actions are fine, but the weak character he has given us make his fight scenes come completely out of the blue making them feel a little empty). Other lowlights include the lack of screen time given to the other female characters. Alma Wong doesn't have any fight scenes, Jewel Lee has no lines, and Cheng Pei Pei is horribly dubbed and also doesn't fight. The movie moves a little too fast for any of these characters to fully develop relationships with eachother and with the audience.

I recommend the film to those looking for a fast-paced movie who like beautiful women in fancy fights that come fast and aplenty. (There's a LOT of violence and some sexual content and this movie is definitely NOT recommended for children.)

Fans of female assassin type movies may also want to check out NAKED KILLER (this films prototype and superior), HER NAME IS CAT (in which Alma Wong gets to play the lead assasin), BLACK CAT (starring the lovely Jade Leung), and LA FEMME NIKITA (a grandaddy, or rather grandmommy, of its type). ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Kung Fu Comedy
This is no hard core Jet Li kicking [BUTT] movie. It's a very amusing comedy of Jet Li's charactor searching for a scroll called the "scriptures with no words" The setting takes on an Indiana Jones era. It's lots of fun, laughter and there's even some romance. Whatever you do don't miss the scene where Jet is disguised as a woman, batting eyelids and all. This is a very funny movie and if judged on the basis of being a comedy is a must-buy for any Jet Li fan.

Jet Li as a HK Indiana Jones
'Dr. Wai & the Scripture with no Words'(1995) stars Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan as husband and wife in a troubled marriage. Jet Li is an author, and has no time for his wife (Kwan). His pending divorce leads to an erratic new book, an everchanging story as told by the writer. We jump back and forth from reality to this fictional tale of incredible adventure. Kind of like a HK Raiders of the Lost Ark, without Harrison Ford. Anyway, the story changes as Li, Kwan, and his two assistants alter/edit the story depending on their point of view. Action wise, it's ok with a little tai chi (cool) and some high flying stuff. A HK action/romance with wacky special effects, a monster, a giant rat, and lots of plot twists + a happy ending for a change. OK, but hard to watch.

It's about writing not fighting.
I had to respond to the reviewers who complained about the lack of fight scenes. The character played by Jet Li is not a martial artist. He is an author. With writer's block, due to an impending divorce from beautiful Rosamund Kwan. He is contractually obligated to deliver an adventure story but his heart is not in it, and he cannot get started. His assistants get involved and the story-within-a-story begins to take shape. But it also takes on an odd role-playing quality. The characters shift according to who is making up the plot. Jet Li writes himself and his ex (as a traitorous witch) in as the main characters. But then the ex gets ahold of it and twists her character around to reveal herself to be a double agent and loyal ally! The movie is sly about the act the creation, and speaks volumes about the committee thinking that is pervasive in moviemaking. The multiple person generated plotline is a wild litany of train crashes, airplane stunts and other outrageous silliness that just gets progressively more and more far-fetched. Just because Jet Li is involved and the film is not a chop socky wall-to-wall actioner does not speak of a lack of creative intent. This is one of the smartest and most intriguing films of Li's career. A definite must watch.

DR. WAI AND IN THE FILM THAT HAS ALMOST NO MARTIAL ARTS
Jet Li in an (imaginary) Indiana Jones role that he fills semi-well. Considering the obviouly large budget of this film the paucity of fights was disappointing. This film reminded me of High Risk in which, starring Jet Li as it does, you expect more than a couple of good martial arts scenes, but, like High Risk, this film leaves you hanging. We've all seen this happen before in films like this: they spend so much time on frills they forget the basics. It's not unwatchable, but don't go in with high expectations.

Comedy- Adevnture
This is a comedy action film and not your 'Fist of Legend' type of martial arts. Nevertheless I found it entertaining to see Jet Li doing things you would never expect like disguising himself as a woman at one point. It was hilarious to see the man batting his eyelids girly-style. Howerver be warned that the english version has been severely cut and edited to the point where the story differs slightly from the original version. ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Not what you'd think
So long as you go into this movie expecting a fantasy epic instead of a martial arts film, you'll do fine. While there are some pretty good fight scenes in this movie, it's more along the lines of the Chinese Ghost Story series than Dragon Inn or Iron Monkey. Just don't let that stop you from seeing it. This movie completely revitalized Bridgette Lin's flagging career and after watching it, you'll understand why. Lin is magnificent as the trans-gendered Asia, playing the role with a threatening and aristocratic gravity that's truly awesome and one of her best performances outside of Peking Opera Blues. Jet Li is always awesome to watch (although admittedly, he didn't get much oppurtunity to truly demonstrate his skills in this one). Still, his fluid grace and power come through as always. SII also has some truly great visual effects, and a seemingly unending stream of surprises. The weapons that are brought into play besides the usual swords and spears range from sewing needles to man-sized hooks as well as the vampire like "essence absorbing stance." Rosamund Kwan is lethal with a bull whip, attractive in a turban, and also (one of) Jet Li's romantic interests in the film, along with the delectable Michelle Reis; and whoever played Blue Phoenix was also more than a little attractive as well, despite her nasty habit of keeping snakes in her clothes and rustling up hordes of scorpions to swarm her opponents (she'd be your worst nightmare for a blind date). One of Tsui Harks and Hong Kong Cinema's best and definately one of my personal favorites.

Good MOVIE, average Martial Arts Film
I really liked this film. It was very entertaining, had a solid story (that was hard to follow at times), but still very interesting. The characters were great, each and everyone. Brigitte Linn was badly under utilized, using Magic over her martial arts skills, that was disappointing.

Actually, think back, Jet Li was the only character in the whole film that used martial arts, everyone else used magic.

Jet Li's acting was extremely fun to watch. The interaction between him and his sister was great (though she was awful jealous for a sister).

As a whole this movie is a joy to watch, the story and plot are great. But don't buy this movie thinking you are going to see a Kung Fu movie, or skilled martial arts, because you won't.

As a movie I would give Swordsman II a B+
As a martial arts film I would give Swordsman II a C-

This is the dubbed version
Dubbed and renamed. See the original Swordsman II instead.

Strange role for Jet Li
When I first saw Jet Li in this film, I wondered. After watching it though, I have to say that he played the role well, and even made the movie. Michelle Reis was excellent as his "sister," and Rosamund Kwan played the role of village chief flawlessly.

This is a classic.

Buena Vista Home Vid DVD ruined it!
Im here rating "The legend of The Swordsman" wich is actually "Buena Vista Home Vid" DVD version of a great movie called "SwordsmanII"...

First of all, A LOT of dialogues just disappeared, scenes were cut and combat sounds effects RUINED ! ! ! I guess thats what happens when u ask a spanish comapny to re-do a HK classical movie.

Anyway dont just buy the "Buena Vista Home Vid DVD" Called The Legend of the Swordsman, aka Jet Li collection... yeah good job ruinning Jet Li classics Buena Vista Home Vid .... grr ... Read more

Description

An action-packed thriller starring Steven Seagal about an ex-CIA agent’s quest to find his kidnapped daughter that leads him down a trail of intrigue, corruption, danger and betrayal.Two girls are kidnapped by a group of Islamic fundamentalists known as the Abu Karaf.One girl is a senator’s daughter, who will be used as a political pawn.The other girl, Jessica, is seemingly inconsequential – just in the wrong place at the wrong time.But what the Abu Karaf could not possibly know that they picked the wrong girl.Jessica’s father, Jake Hopper, is ex-CIA and will and will stop at nothing to get his daughter back. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

A good review for a change
I have read reviews about Seagal and his movies and I don't see anything good mentioned. His movies never claimed to be "high art" or have a lot a lot of special effects. You get plain, solid action. I really like Belly of the Beast. Steven was very good. The Foreigner will make you laugh until you can't breath. He kills one guy and he keeps coming back. In the belly of the beast he is unrelenting in getting his daughter back. Review of his movies talk about Seagal's bad acting and that is not the case in this movie. The girl who is his daughter might be guilty of bad acting but not Seagal. Judging but his reviews everyone thinks he sucks. If he does why do you keep going back and watching the movies? I say if you can't write a decent, fair review of Seagal and his movies then just dont' bother to rent or buy them. As for me I really like them and I hope he contines to make more even if they are "straight to dvd".

Not A Good Showcase for Seagal
This movie started off well with Steven Seagal (as a CIA agent) and his partner trying to make a deal with a mafia gang to lay off of a certain territory. As they conclude the deal WHAMM we're given our first action scene, one that's done with minimal trickery and lots of speed, technique, broken glass and furniture. This is what one hopes for from a Steven Seagal picture, real use of authentic aikido techniques (or at least techniques enhanced for the cinema but still based on real fighting methods). Next guns are fired and Seagal's partner kills an innocent woman bystander in front of her child. Another bystander sees this and retaliates by shooting the partner. Further chaos ensues as Seagal steps in and shoots that man. This scene contains real pathos and confusion and is a great example of how violence can beget violence and how innocent people can get caught in the middle with those firing no longer knowing who they're shooting at. It is unforunate that after such a strong opening segment the film quickly spirals downhill, once again showing Steven Seagal the lazy actor mumbling his way along another uninspired script when not grimacing and frowning during slow motion shootouts that overstay their welcome or posing with tai chi hands before
fights not geared to his particular talents. The story itself, which later involves Seagal's attempts to rescue his daughter and her friend from terrorist kidnappers, is uninvolving because we are never properly introduced to the characters as real people we can care for. They are merely there to create reasons for action (an evil priest is thrown in the mix as a major bad guy, but the whole time one thinks, "who is this guy, and where did he come from?". Seagal especially walks through his role and even sounds like he's been dubbed by someone else during one scene. Maybe he didn't feel like going back and doing it himself or maybe it is him and he just didn't care. A lot of his recent releases have him dub his voice later on and he simply sounds bored.

The director/action director is one of the all-time best choreographers around (see DUEL TO THE DEATH or THE SWORD), but Seagal is not the ideal performer for showcasing said director's highly stylized (and often high flying) type of action. Instead of showing Seagal as an expert in Aikido, the style he is best identified with, performing moves that he can do effectively and that work in real life situations when done as such, the director chooses to insert obvious doubles doing jumping spin kicks and 360 degree leg sweeps that are the opposite of the simple but effective style Seagal has chosen to practice. This juxtaposition of Seagal and double, and more importantly of aikido and wushu, takes away from the enjoyment of the action as our eyes are jarred away from the real Seagal to the double and back. I have nothing against stunt doubles, in fact I would much rather watch a highly skilled stuntman perform a daring stunt than an actor who isn't as skilled do a pale imitation (or even worse a suspense lacking computer generation) in his place, but Seagal has created a persona that must be adhered to. He is known for his joint locks and circular motion takedowns from the art of Aikido and that is what originally attracted, and still attracts, his fans. There are still tons of moves to work with from this art form. Fans of Seagal became fans because they saw him use these simple techniques that a regular guy (not too muscular, not a kung fu prodigy, not even the most athletic) can do. It would serve him (and his fans) well if he would go back to those basics, and by this I don't mean simply repeating them. If he is given a plausible script that makes sense and tells a story involving a man of his age, size, and skill then we would once again have a hero to look up to. I for one would be much more inspired by seeing an overweight 50 something year old man kick butt with moves that are actually possible and effective for people of that age and size than to see someone often ineffectively doubled who always wins just because the script says so. Get back to the basic foundations of your success Steven Seagal, new but still real Aikido based moves for regular guys who want a hero to inspire them not a hero who tires them. The art of Aikido is inexhaustible so don't exhaust yourself doing what you don't do best. The only redeeming qualities of this film are that some of the other fighters do perform some nice movements and now and then the old Seagal is allowed to strut his Aikido stuff. He just isn't allowed to strut it enough. For hardcore Seagal fans only.

He keeps churning them out
Seagal really does put together a good guns&fights action flick. In fact, he keeps doing it, year after year, giving us a subscription to watchable movies, Seagal-style.

That style seems to have solidified, if not congealed. There are only about three changes from one movie to the next. They are A) the good cause that needs saving from B) the bad guys, with a side order of C) pop spiritualism. In this case, A = his daughter, B = some Thai gunrunners and kidnappers, and C = Buddhism for the good guys and Kali-worship/voodoo for the bad guys. The Buddhoo angle makes for an interesting power-pray during the culminating fight scene, but otherwise seems improbable - like so many other things in the movie.

It's just an action movie. Among action movies, it's just a Seagal movie. If that suits your taste, then improbability won't get in your way.

BELLY OF SEAGAL???
I kinda liked this movie despite the fact Lord Steven stil looks fat. He hides it well in this flick which has great action and a storyline to boot. What has happened is... Seagal has retired from the C.I.A. Later his young daughter is kidnaped while running around with her best friend who's father is high up in our goverment. Both girls are treated badly by the Yung kuo tribe. Seagal goes out on his own(big suprise huh?) to rescue them. And like he says to the police "if your not on my side your in my way" There is several good martial art fights in the movie with good effets in each. Seagal leaves a staggering body count as his hell-bent mission goes deep into the soo-won cain dynasty. Later he fights the cann u sing clan and the moh sgr gee clan and no trouble at all with the win do kin clans.

Time to call it a day Steven?
Oh dear, oh dear. Yet another "straight to video" release from Steven Seagal who this times plays a former government agent on the edge of retirement (yes I know you're shocked). He just happens to be in Thailand visiting his niece or granddaughter or whatever when she is kidnapped by some local ruffians. The CIA are on the case but this is simply "not good enough" for Mr. Seagal, who after all trained all of their fathers anyway, and he sets off on a one man mission of justice to sort everyone out, and of course save the girl. The usual mindless and implausible "action" ensues, interspersed with plenty of opportunity for Seagal to change into black clothing and perfect his "hard stare", which is now his preferred weapon, (when not crunching bones that is). As enjoyable as missing the last train home, I ask Mr. Seagal again - "when are you going to retire?" ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Mindy's Review
well as a Brigitte Lin Chin Hsia fan..... seeing this movie aww it's OK. the plot wasen't all that but, you can jut tell that this movie focus on Asia The Invinvible (Brigitte) this movie wasen't all that but, it just shows that Asia The Invinvible didn't die from part 1 (swordsmen II) and show how much one of Asia concubines love him. (what a faithfull / loyal concubine hahaha =) ). also awwwww i can't belive Brigitte would do these kind of stuff with Joey! awwwww so ashame but, oh well hahaha...... it's recored and all over the world now...... ai ya...... well yeah i don't feel bad buying this movie, cause the plot wasen't all that but, ya knoe i'm a fan and still collecting...... =)

Mindy Yang

Skip this
This show is produced due to the highly successful of swordman II. However, it has a lousy plot. It continued from the 2nd episode saying Brigitte Lin is not dead and his (her?) concubine come and find him (her?). Any way, it really has no story plot at all. Just some nice fighting moves and trying to pass off as a movie. Skip this. Worst of the trilogy.

A must have for Brigitte Lin fans
This film is great simply for the fact that is alomst centers completely on Brigitte Lin's character. She lights up the screen as Asia, the Invincible. This film is interesting because there is no clear good guy/bad guy. The three main characters are really neither good or bad. Like so many people in real life. The plot starts out wonderfully with Asia in hiding, then setting out to rid the world of her imposters, then about three quarters into the movie the storyline heads downhill. The ending is a disapointing way to end a great trilogy. There are two elements that subtract from the overall movie. One element is the terrible subtitles. The other element is the weak ending which I mentioned earlier. This film is a must have for any Brigitte Lin fans (and everyone should be). The cinematography is excelent, some of the scenes in this movie will be embeded in my mind forever. In regards to the Swordsman trilogy, I liked the first the least simply because of the lack of star power. Jet Li an Brigitte Lin led Swordsman 2. The East is Red is led by Brigitte Lin and there is no question whose movie it is.

Dripping with politics...
Dragon Inn is soaked with political subtext, but manages to wind up a fantastic Kung-Fu epic... The East Is Red is much the same thing with regard to the politics, but the movie suffers for it. Unless you really want to watch a bad kung-fu epic that serves as a metaphor for the handover of China, then I'd suggest staying away from this pitiful film. Swordsman 1 and 2 are far superior and this film is barely a sequel. Just pretend that only 2 Swordsman films were made and that this one was just a bad dream.

good action, fun flick
Kung fu master Ku misguidedly leads Spanish soldiers to the grave of Asia the Invincible (brilliantly overplayed by Brigitte Lin) to seize some Secret Scrolls -- a source of untold power. Well, apparently she's alive, and easily dispatches both the Spanish and a small army of ninjas (whose galleon converts into a submarine), before escaping on the back of a marlin. She now embarks upon a mission to destroy the numerous false pretenders to her title, ripping hearts and bodies asunder with her flying kung fu needles! With insane action sequences and hopelessly botched subtitles, it's hard to tell whether this was intended as a camp masterpiece, a genre parody, or what. - SP ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Good Sword Flick
I like this movie a lot for several reasons. Let's start off with the DVD itself, it's good. The picture and sound are nice and widescreen is always the best. I like the subtitle and language options, stuff like that makes a difference with a movie like this. The movie itself has an intriguing story and cool characters (I liked the Japanese swordman the best). The swordfights and battle scenes are great, and so are the special effects (especially considering this was an early 80s release). And yes there are tons of ninjas, flying ninjas, and they are awesome. This is just a cool movie, with a good plot that keeps up the action right up until the duel to the death at the end. Worth buying, especially if you're into Chinese cinema like i am.

The best martial arts swordfighting movie ever !
If you like martial arts and asian swordfighting you can already stop reading and order this movie at once (i suggest the dvd). I've seen a lot movies like that but none could offer that much of all that makes those movies so great : lots of brilliant swordfighting scenes, lots of breathtaking techniques, lots of ninja mysteries, lots of pathetic dialogues, lots of honour and codex stuff, traitory, drama, lots of blood (yeah), lots of that... old 70es martial arts movies music and lots of humor as well. Plus good actors who perfectly fit their roles and some funny superpowers which are beyond any realism (just to name a single - you have one scene where a group ninja is flying [not jumping, they really fly] straight trough the trees of a forest, were you're forced to think "oh really ?"). I've thougt about that footstabbing at the end as well and i guess there are only two reasons that make sense : 1.) he's trying to isolate the whole pain into the foot (you know like "i stick a finger in my eye so i won't feel my hurting legg anymore") or one that is even more possible 2.) he does it to keep his balance (you see that he's almost falling, but after he stabbed his foot he's standing still).

Anybody who read that... until the end and still lacks the movie should get it at once ! You're missing the best !

Ps : I've got a new deepminded question though (only for the dvd version) : the english synchro's text is very different from the english subtitles .... why ?

Wow!!!
This film is amazing. If you like kung fu/samurai flicks, this is the one to see. I thought "Swordsman II" was great, this I think, is better. This movie reminds me so much of the anime "Ninja Scroll". The cinematography is awesome. The fighting is superb, and the violence is incredible. It captures the essence of Shaolin kung fu and the Japanese samurai. Great sword play and an intriguing story. This is a gem. Now one of my favorite martial arts movies. Two thumbs up, way up.

This is a must see for HK movie fans!
I saw it like that when Iv read the reviews. This movie got it all!. Its a classic for HK kung-fu movies as Scarface would be for gangsta movies.

What I liked the most about this film, despite being an old film, is that ur not left on ur hunger with lil teasers. For example, when u see a fight scene that u like, and it promptly stop (because the guys run away, or they got killed like instantly) all u do is hoping that u will see it again, like if ur doing sex and someone intterupts u. WELL THIS MOVIE BRINGS U TO ORGASM! Thats right, no lil teasing, its goes until the end with stronger and better fights until the famous DUEL that happens! And the last fight is the strongest and most complete! Its a little hardcore, but so realistic. This movie rocks, and the DVD is cool as well!

Excellent sword fighting scenes even though made in 1982.
I have promised myself not to buy any action movies produced before 1990 due to their slowness in fighting but this is one of the exceptions. The fighting scenes are swift, smooth and violent. The special effects are as good as any other Hong Kong top movies of today. It is amazing especially when this film was made in 1982. If you love sword fighting or Ninjas you will like this. The plot is so so. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Grim "un"reality of post-armageddon China
This film's prequel, The Heroic Trio, end with a triumphant mood as the sexy trifecta of Wonder Woman, Invisible Girl and Thief Catcher make good and rid China of a demon from Hell who threatened the very existance of mankind. When Executioners opens, it would seem that no one was paying attention to the evil people who lived on Earth because China (and the rest of the world by extension) is devastated in a post-holocaustic setting without clean water and with very little future to look forward to. The Trio comes out of semi-retirement to battle the evil forces of monstrous megalomanics and military murderers. Throw in a couple of superhuman freaks and the battleground is set. But fans of Heroic Trio should be forewarned: even though Good must always defeat Evil, there are very few happy endings in Executioners. It's a very sad film that emphasizes the need for sacrifice in order to acheive the Greater Good. And this film has sacrifices in spades.

On the bright side, it's well acted and Anita Mui stands out in a stunning performance that features her mercurial beauty and her martial arts guile. Michelle Yeoh is Michelle Yeoh and there's no greater compliment than that. Maggie Cheung treats the film as though she's slumming with a B-script instead of starring in an A-level art film but she's still a treat whenever she's chewing up the scenery with her grumpy outbursts. Anthony Wong provides the necessary touches of Evil that make you yearn for the Heroic Trio to hasten his demise. Damian Yau will make you cry.

The music is, as always, a plus in any HK film that features Mui.

Don't sit back and expect a rollicking good time. This is heavy duty fare here. But's it's probably the most-layered and intense HK film that you'll see in a good long time.

NOT Charlies Angels
A nuclear holocaust more or less wipes out civilization and non-contaminated drinking water becomes a scarce commodity. Throw in a lot of social upheaval, the inevitable corrupt government officials, the re-united Heroic Trio, and you get this film, where Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh get together one last time to set things right. Sort of. Just be warned this film is syrupy even for Hong Kong Cinema, with lots of cloying sentimental singing over the scenes, crying little girls, destitute people, and butchered martyrs. On the brighter side, it has some truly hellish fights, with one of the three musketeers buying the farm in a manner that's grisly even for standard setting H.K. cinema. The villian is a real heavy who looks like Mankind, the professional wrestler and has a penchant and dispositon for slaughter that makes Freddy Kreuger look like a girl scout in comparison. If you're just getting into Honk Kong Cinema, this film might scare you away, if you're a devoted follower of the genre, you'll probably like it, if you're sitting on the proverbial fence, try something else like one the Chinese Ghost Story films, preferably III. All in all, I didn't really like it myself, although Michelle Yeoh never fails to impress, Anita Mui looked very sultry, and Maggie Cheung never looked better, even if her character was 99.999% attitude problem. Maggie also teaches us how to say "asshole" in Cantonese, which might come in handy in certain Chinese resteraunts where the service is really rude.

Classic flick with all the trimmings
Its hard to say that this movie was awesome, but it was close. I enjoyed the performances of the actresses more than the plot. AS strange as this may seem, each of the stars, possed skills that set them apart from the others. Anita Mui gave an outstanding performance with her talents using the sword. Not to say that Michelle Yeoh and Maggie Cheung gave there best to make this movie a classic. But the movie dragged at points. THe women made the movie worth the view!

Unsatisfying sequel
A very unsatisfying sequel to the wonderful "Heroic Trio." The movie is dark and quite frankly very depressing. Three of the most likable major characters die horribly. Defeat and darkness seem to be the major themes here. There are also other problems; the villain is unbelievably silly, even by HK action movie standards. Master Kim, the villain, spends much of his time in the movie talking to a severed head. Michelle Yeoh is barely in the movie, and much of Anita Mui's screentime is limited to domestic scenes with her husband, who apparently has forbidden her to be Wonder Woman now that she has a child. Maggie Cheung has to carry a lot of the plot (such as it is) as a result, and she's definitely not up to the task in this movie. Instead of appearing scrappy and self-reliant, as in Heroic Trio, her character in "Executioners" comes off as shrill, mean-spirited, and not very bright.

But I don't know if anyone could have worked with this ruin of a plot. Even by HK action standards, the plot is lacking. Several of the most interesting plot threads that began in Heroic Trio (the fact that Wonder Woman and Invisible Girl are sisters, for example) are dropped completely or handled poorly in this movie. The characters are denied the depth and humanity they could have had. The actresses (for the most part) do the best they can with the script (except for Cheung, who really is not very likable here), but the overall pessimism and ugliness eventually overwhelms them - and everyone else in the movie.

Overall, this sequel is very disappointing. I can wholeheartedly recommend "Heroic Trio," but not this movie. Fans of the first film would be well advised to give this one a pass. There's really nothing to recommend this depressing, sludgy mess.

two hours of my life I'll never get back
I don't know what it is about this movie, but it's horrible. That's a particularly sad thing to say after Heroic Trio is one of the best Hong Kong movies in a long time. I'm not sure if I'm annoyed with Michelle Yoeh's prolonged death or her prolonged presence with nothing to do for the rest of the movie, or the fact that the husband is killed 20 minutes into the movie.

It's not just that this is one of the dumber Hong Kong movies I've seen, it's also that it had a potential to be really great. It has great stars, it's a sequel to an amazing movie and it just falls flat. Too many places where nothing's happening, dumb jokes, awful musical montages and the fight scenes don't excite me.

Nothing really to recommend in this movie. I suppose if you are a diehard fan of Anita Mui, Michelle Yoeh or Maggie Cheung (whose better in Green Snake) watch it, but be prepared to be disappointed. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

NOT EVEN CLOSE
The plot of this film is about a group of "Chinese special forces" acting as a anti-crime unit in Hong Kong. The leader of this group goes up against Michelle Yeoh who is apparently working for the villian but turns out to be a sheep in wolfs clothing. This was supposedly an action film but somehow the action was pretty much left out. While constant action isn't needed to make a good film, the dramatic/comedic element in this film doesn't do much to sustain the viewer either. While it did have some obviously talented performers in it, the viewer spends most of their time waiting for something to happen, and when it does, it's more smoke than fire. A fight scene in this film might have 2 or 3 kicks thrown and then it's over. The abundant talents of Michelle Yeoh and Xin Xin Xiong are utterly squaundered in this film; both are very formidable on the screen but neither get a chance to really demonstrate their skills (although Michelle looked more attractive than usual in the designer clothers she was wearing). Still, just remember that not much happens in this film in regards to fights involving the great skill and imagination that Hong Kong Cinema is generally known for. If you want to see Michelle Yeoh in a good film, "Royal Warriors", "The T'ai Chi Master," "Yes Madam," or "Wing Chun," just to name a few. Xin Xin Xiong was excellent in "The Blade," and "Once Upon a Time in China IV."