THE SWORD

Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Best known as a key contributor to the Hong Kong New Wave as the director of My Heart is That Eternal Rose and the editor of Wong Kar-wai’s Days of Being Wild and Ashes of Time, Patrick Tam began his filmmaking career with The Sword: a love letter to the wuxia genre starring Adam Cheng (Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain). Believing that he is in possession of a cursed blade, the legendary swordsman Hua Qian Shu (Tien Feng, King Boxer) has retreated from the martial arts world to live in peaceful seclusion. However, his retirement has done nothing to dampen his reputation; a young warrior, Li Mak-jan (Cheng), wishes to challenge the master in order to test his own sword-fighting skill. But as Li searches for the reclusive Hua Qian Shu so that he might face him in combat, he finds himself entangled with old lovers and new rivals. Soon, it becomes apparent that the old master’s sword really might be cursed – and will, perhaps, bring nothing but tragedy to those who seek to wield it. After a period of dormancy, wuxia films resurged in the 1980s as the likes of Duel to the Death, Bastard Swordsman and Tsui Hark’s Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain rejected the realist approach adopted by kung fu cinema in the previous decade. Eureka Classics is proud to present Patrick Tam’s The Sword – one of the earliest and best pictures to emerge from this wuxia revival – for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK from a brand new 2K restoration. (89 Mins)

Views: There's something incredibly fresh and appealing about Patrick Tam's wuxia classic, The Sword. Even over 40 years after its initial release, the highly praised Golden Harvest production stills proves to be a gripping piece; recently restored and released on Blu-ray by Eureka Video which was a very welcome addition to any true fan's collection. The film tells the tale of a cursed sword, an ill-fated love triangle, and a young swordsman who wants to fulfil his quest to become the greatest of them all. By today's standards it may just seem like a typical wuxia storyline, but it's worldly influences and modern adaptation helped make The Sword stand out from those that came before it – as well as, ultimately, setting the tone for what was to follow!

​

Prior to making this phenomenal feature film debut, Patrick Tam had been making quite the name for himself with Hong Kong television station TVB via shows such as CID (1976) and Seven Women (1976). After studying film in San Francisco in the late 70s, Tam left TVB to begin work on The Sword and is seen today as one of the original New Wave directors of Hong Kong cinema alongside the likes of Tsui Hark, John Woo, and Johnnie To who delivered similarly themed films with the likes of The Butterfly Murders (1979), Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1979), and The Enigmatic Case (1980), respectively. Of course there were many more who delivered other genre works such as Josephine Siao with Jumping Ash (1976), Alex Cheung with Cops & Robbers (1979) and Man On The Brink (1981), and Ann Hui with The Secret (1979), The Spooky Bunch (1980), and more. Interestingly, and to date, Patrick Tam has only directed 9 feature films over the course of 40 years – delivering the most of those throughout the 1980s such as Love Massacre (1981), Nomad (1982), Cherie (1984), Final Victory (1987), Burning Snow (1987), and My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989). While he was kept busy as a film teacher and editor of films such as Wong Kar Wai's Days Of Being Wild (1990) and Ashes Of Time (1994), along with films such as Jeff Lau's Days Of Tomorrow (1993) and Johnnie To's Election (2005), Tam would return as a director about 17 years later with After This Our Exile (2006) starring Aaron Kwok. Another 14 years later, he would deliver a directed segment for the anthology film Septet – The Story Of Hong Kong (2020) alongside directors Sammo Hung, Ann Hui, Yuen Woo Ping, Tsui Hark, Johnnie To, and the late Ringo Lam.

​

Backed by a another fantastic score by prolific composer Joseph Koo, The Sword was primarily shot at the Golden Harvest studios, allowing Tam to have more control over the lighting and set pieces which really explode off the screen courtesy of Bill Wong's stunning cinematography in what would only be his second film project after John Woo's comedy, From Riches To Rags (1980). Over the years, Wong would lens many Hong Kong classics such as The Story Of Woo Viet (1981), All The Wrong Clues (1981), Zu: Warriors From The Magic Mountain (1983), Yes Madam (1985), Kickboxer (1993), Kung Fu Cult Master (1993), Once Upon A Time In China (1991), Women On The Run (1993), and many of Tam's earlier titles. I've always felt that The Sword comes across like John Woo's wonderful 1979 wuxia movie Last Hurrah For Chivalry with shades of Tony Ching Siu Tung's incredible Duel To The Death (1983). Of course, part of that is down to Ching being the action-choreographer here on The Sword; a job he had been doing for almost a decade prior after following in his father's footsteps, having worked on titles such as The 14 Amazons (1972), The Shaolin Boxers (1974), The Tea House (1974), Monkey Kung Fu (1979) and others – many of which also saw him appear throughout. Here, in The Sword, Ching delivers a host of incredible and fast-paced hyper-kinetic sword battles that most certainly don't disappoint. From fight scenes with crazy swordsmen and deadly killers, to showdowns on wooden towers and the ultimate clash of blades between China's finest warriors, the fight-action on offer caught the attention of a certain Raymond Chow – head honcho of the fast rising Golden Harvest studios – who would go onto offer Tony Ching Siu Tung the chance to make his own directorial debut with the aforementioned and hugely entertaining Duel To The Death (1983) just a few years later.

​

But it must be stated that Ching was not alone in this department – backed by the talents of Shaw Brothers actor and film-journeyman Tang Tak Cheung. Appearing in over 100 titles for the studio, including classics such as The Chinese Boxer (1970), The Boxer From Shantung (1972), Shaolin Martial Arts (1974), Clans Of Intrigue (1977), Soul Of The Sword (1978) and To Kill A Mastermind (1979), as well as other productions like One-Armed Boxer Vs The Flying Guillotine (1976), Protege (2007) and Triple Tap (2010). In the late 70s, Tang began his foray into action-choreography starting with Bruce & Shaolin Kung Fu in 1977 before going onto handle the action in films such as The Dragon The Hero (1979), Tiger Over The Wall (1980), Super Power (1980), The Emperor & His Brother (1981), and Kung Fu Zombie (1981) to name but a few. In 1983, as with Ching Siu Tung, Tang Tak Cheung would make his directorial debut with another of my favourite Shaw Brothers titles – and one that matches Duel To The Death for it's hyper-kinetic energy and creativity (although on a whole other level) – with the underrated classic Demon Of The Lute starring Chin Siu Ho, Kara Hui, Philip Kwok, Jason Pai Piao, and Lee Hoi San. But unlike Ching, who has continued today as one of cinemas most talked about directors and fight choreographers, Tang only went onto deliver one more project before calling it quits with the fantastic and hugely entertaining Long Road To Gallantry (1984) starring Kenny Ho, Kara Hui, Rosamund Kwan, Jason Pai Piao, Lily Li, and Yuen Qiu...

​

While the cast of The Sword is pretty small, it's also pretty impressive with swordsman of the century, Adam Cheng, leading the way as Li Mu Ran. Having already been impressed on both the big and small screen for well over a decade before this, actor/singer/heart-throb Cheng Siu Chow had been swinging a blade in many film and television productions to great acclaim, that it seemed only right that Patrick Tam should cast him as the leading man. But his experience here also allowed Cheng to show a different side to his skills via Tam's contemporary approach to directing and Ching Siu Tung's fast-paced style of swordplay. From his physical attributes to his charming persona, and solid acting chops that is highlighted even more in a number of lengthy one-shot scenes, Adam Cheng proves why he was the right man for the job. On the opposite side, and impressing just as much as he has done many times before, is Shaw Brothers star and late Hong Kong legend Norman Tsui Siu Keung. By this stage of the game, Tsui had starred in a prolific amount of films – both as a co-star and a leading man – with 1980 proving to be a fun year for him with some interesting titles. Aside from his powerful role here in The Sword, Siu Keung also starred in Tsui Hark's highly entertaining We're Going To Eat You, the Taiwanese wuxia flick Fight For Glory alongside his Shaw Brother's co-star David Chiang, Wilson Tong's kung-fu comedy The Young Avenger, Eric Tsang's brilliant film The Loot (again with David Chiang), and the superb martial arts historical-drama The Rebellious Reign for producer Lo Wei. Together, Tsui Siu Keung and Adam Cheng share one of the films' biggest fight scenes that is guaranteed to leave viewers breathless and in awe – delivering a final move that left me on the edge of my seat. Interestingly, Tsui Siu Keung would be cast as one of the leads in Tony Ching's aforementioned wuxia epic just a few years later, starring as a student of a ninja master named Kenji who was played by the ageless and prolific Eddy Ko – another co-star of The Sword.

​

Playing one of Tsui Siu Keung's deadly assassins, the fantastic Eddy Ko Hung – who had starred in almost 60 films prior to this including classics such as The Blade Spares None (1971), The 14 Amazons (1972), A Tooth For A Tooth (1973), The Avenging Eagle (1978), The Butterfly Murders (1979), The Thundering Mantis (1980) and We're Going To Eat You (1980) alongside his co-star once again. Here, Ko impresses once again with his slick moves and stoic performance and is always a joy to watch when in action. Fans will also enjoy the supporting roles from stars such as the great Tien Feng, brilliant Lee Hoi San, and great Lau Siu Ming; a highly regarded Chinese ballet dancer who had just made his film debut in Tsui Hark's atmospheric classic The Butterfly Murders the year before. Here, Lau plays a crazed caretaker of the sword who puts Cheng's skills to the test and looks great doing so, giving viewers a taste of what's to come with their introductory fight scene. All are joined by a bevy of beauties with Taiwanese actress Jade Hsu delivering a fantastic role as the feisty and gorgeous Hua Ying Zhi. Sister of kung-fu queen and King Hu regular, Hsu Feng, Jade's filmography may not be as lengthy as that of her siblings, but she still proves to deliver a strong and memorable role that is perhaps one of her finest. The lovely JoJo Chan – who only starred in 9 features over 2 years including The Butterfly Murders (1979), The Magnificent Butcher (1979), The Phantom Killer (1981) and All The Wrong Clues (1981) – also appears, as does Bonnie Ngai who had just come off the set from John Woo's equally enthralling Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1979); another Golden Harvest production that also saw the late Lee Hoi San star.

​

While it's story may seem simple – focusing on a battle to see who is the most prominent swordsman of the land – The Sword is so much more thanks to all involved. To some degree it may seem experimental, yet it never feels like a debut film. Stunningly shot, well acted, and beautifully directed in all departments, The Sword is a genuine classic of Hong Kong cinema and a testament to the film-making skills of a man called Patrick Tam!

​

Overall: Wonderfully directed, beautifully shot, and well acted, The Sword is an incredible debut and one of wuxia cinema's finest titles featuring some of the best swordplay action ever seen!

​

Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng, Andrew Heskins on The Sword, Wayne Wong on The Sword & Wuxia Genre, Trailer

​​

Watch my unboxing video for this Eureka Video release HERE

​​

Watch my video retrospective for this film HERE