Initially published only in a dubbed VHS version and a OOP vcd with no subs, this early nineties B-movie has now been re-released on DVD, most likely to cash in on the recent suicide of starlet Pauline Chan. The DVD itself is a sub-par quickie with vcd-like picture quality and burnt-in subs, but is at least watchable.

As for the movie itself, it's an interesting (and to my knowledge unique) attempt at fusing the in those days popular swordplay genre with the kind of softcore Cat 3 period sex popularized by films like Sex and Zen. Similar attempts were made to add an erotic dimension to the equally popular ghost movie genre (eg the Chinese Erotic Ghost Story franchise), and obviously there's a bevy of outright period sex films set mostly during the Ming and Qing dynasties (Chinese Torture Chamber Story, Sex and the Emperor, Lover of the last Empress etc.) but I can't think of any other example that adheres to the conventions of the swordplay/wuxia genre but throws in some (mostly gratuitous) sex scenes...

Slave of the Sword is by no means anything special - the revenge-driven plot jumps around seemingly unstructured at times, the characters are all stereotypes (the evil eunuch, the heartless killer, the innocent girl, the scheming brothel madam), the dialogues are often laughable (the Hex-filled English subtitles don't help either, but they at least offer some degree of involuntary humour) and the acting is firmly rooted in the B-movie universe of over the top emoting. However, all the costumes and sets are borrowed from the (far superior) film Butterfly and Sword, and the action choreography also seems to have been done by the same team (with some footage from that film thrown in for good measure), with the end result being a movie that looks far better than expected. It is kind of eerie at times for those familiar with Butterfly and Sword, because you're constantly fighting a sense of deja vu, almost as if you're watching an alternate version of the same movie. Nevertheless, the movie does look very good at times, with some very atmospheric cinematography.

As for the sex scenes, they do pay a lot of attention to mood, so you have lots of flower petals and silk fabrics floating in slow motion, intercut with lots of closeups of Pauline Chan and Joyce Ngai kissing. It's all fairly tame (for the most part) and overall pretty forgettable. Pauline Chan does what is expected in this type of film (i.e. she "reveals her points"), and as for Joyce Ngai, having seen her in the charming Ringo Lam movie Esprit d'Amour, I'd have to say its a shame her career never took off and she was relegated to playing in subpar B-movies like this one (although she did have a hilarious turn as a tomboy cop in the otherwise idiotic Pang Dan flick Midnight Caller).

As a curiosity, this title might be worth checking out; especially if you're a fan of the lead actresses. Everyone else should go watch Butterfly and Sword instead.