The Sword (1980)
Reviewed by: ororama on 2009-11-05
"The Sword" follows the journey of a young swordsman, Li,to locate a master swordsman, Hu, in order to test his skill against the best. He spends years and great effort in this quest, and has to fight two rivals with the same goal. A crazy swordsman who has spent more time and effort than Li on his quest mistakes Li for Hu and believes that Li's denial is a trick. The next rival covets Hu's swords and has no belief in chivalry. Li seems unsettled by his encounters with these two mirror images of himself.

Li assists a swordswoman, Ying Chih, to avoid capture by kidnappers. She proves to be essential to the completion of his quest, and, unfortunately, is also a romantic possibility that he does not pursue. He prefers a hopeless devotion to an old sweetheart, who is married to another swordsman. This is true to the values of the period in which the story is set, but the movie would have been more fun with more of Ying Chih's energy.

"The Sword" shows a journey from idealism to disillusionment. Li finds that his victories give him little satisfaction and the code of chivalry that he has centered his life around has no meaning in the real world. After an initial promise of adventure, the story ends with a sense of emptiness.

Adam Cheng gives a calm, assured performance as Li, which seems right for the character that he is portraying. Chui Git is very good as the spunky, mercurial swordswoman, Ying Chih. Norman Chu is effective as the rival whose polite, slightly ironic manner masks his ruthless and violent character.

Patrick Tam's direction is stylish, using quick cutting and some wire work in the sword fighting.

"The Sword" is an entertaining movie that raises interesting questions about the value of abstract ideals of honor and heroism.