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Starring
:
Ti
Lung
Fu
Sheng
Derek
Yee
Ku
Feng
Lo
Lieh
Ching
Li
Linda
Chu
Yueh
Hua
Yuen
Wah
Hui
Ying Hung
Action
:
Tong
Gaai
Director
:
Chu
Yuan
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RETURN OF
THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN (1980)
A.K.A.
- The Flying Blade
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
After
etching his vision of Gu Long's popular novel on the public
consciousness in the hugely successful 'The
Sentimental Swordsman', Chu Yuan inevitably returned with
this star-studded sequel, reuniting with Ti Lung once again.
Our eponymous hero is this time faced with even more colourful
and duplicitous rivals, each with their own desperate desire
to rule the martial world.
Having
fended off the 'Plum Blossom Bandit', heroic, yet melancholy
swordsman Li goes into hiding for a few years while his loyal
ally Fei (Yee) decides to settle down. This relative peace is
shattered when the dreaded 'Money Clan' set their sights on
ruling the martial world and see Li as a potential obstacle.
To alleviate themselves of this impediment, the clan decide to
call on the services of a fearsome swordsman (Fu Sheng) who is
also eager to cement his reputation throughout the country.
While Li battles his inner demons and his new enemies, Fei is
turned every which way but loose by a ruthless seductress who
is secretly at the servitude of the 'Money Clan'.
Though
Chu Yuan manages to create a worthy sequel to his beloved 'The
Sentimental Swordsman' - surely his main goal - he also
succeeds in constructing a vicious critique of the
oft-romanticised martial world, showing it for all the shallow
pomp and shattered lives it would have left behind. This
latter facet elevates a solid swordplay film into a much more
intriguing proposition, helping to wipe away any of the
inevitable signs of aging that have accrued since its
conception. Such an achievement is not to be underestimated.
Initially,
'Return Of The Sentimental Swordsman' seems to be going
through the motions. The scenarios penned by Gu Long and
brought to the screen by Chu Yuan have a ring of familiarity
about them that seasoned viewers will immediately identify:
the hero is challenged, succeeds, moves on, is then challenged
again etc. These plot-devices are part-and-parcel of this
particular sub-genre and are in danger of becoming stale
before the film progresses much further. Sure enough, 'Return
Of The Sentimental Swordsman' drags itself through the first
twenty minutes, throwing our hero into rather uninspired
situations. It is then, though, that Chu Yuan begins to dig
beneath the text and open up the underbelly of the martial
world.
Chief
hero Li is the perfect example of the story's message. A hero
whose reputation ensures that a steady stream of challengers,
Li is a character who is left to rue the desire of his
formative years - the need to be the best in the martial
world. Chu Yuan shows how Li's life is now just a empty ritual
of surviving to the next fight and seeing everything he holds
dear torn away from him; indeed our depressed, reluctant hero
reiterates the point near the films close, telling a rival how
his life is no longer his own. With such a strong emphasis on
this hitherto underdeveloped tension, Yuan avoids the constant
mythlogising of the martial world which, while viewers are
mostly happy to observe, needs this probing examination once
in a while. Ti Lung once again excels in the lead role, making
the deep emotional scars that his characters carries with him
appear all too apparent on his haggard face. While characters
like Chu Liu Hsiang from 'Legend Of The Bat' gave Lung a
chance to show his lighter, more arrogant side, 'Return Of The
Sentimental Swordsman' is a welcoming stretch of his
considerable acting abilities. Derek Yee also revels the chance
to play a tortured hero as does Fu Sheng who moves away from
his cheery disposition to take on the part of the lumbering,
yet none too sharp villain who is manipulated by just about
everyone.
'Return
Of The Sentimental Swordsman' is packed with the usual
swordplay confrontations that, while competently
choreographed, remain watchable, but hardly special. However,
this is a production that is a minor achievement despite its
action rather than because of it. The sharply written
screenplay gives non-action scenes the impetus that other such
films often lacked while Chu Yuan's keen eye for extravagant
set design adds the veneer of sophistication that the director
is appreciated for. There's therefore much to recommend this
superior sequel, a film that takes the best elements of the
original and invites viewers to contemplate a message beyond
the common expectations of the genre.
Rating:
 
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