Reviewed by: Stephe Date: 01/27/2011 For those used to Shaw Brothers, Cathay's first wuxia pian, The First Sword, will seem overly restrained. The swordplay is by-the-numbers, and despite the presence of most of the tropes of the genre, the film never really convinces you of the hero's ability. He is a stuffed shirt and clueless as to the nefarious machinations going on around him. Tin Ching is over-the-top as a one-note Faustian traitor who hatches plot after plot. Reviewer Score: 3