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Starring
:
Ti
Lung
Derek
Yee
Ching
Li
Yueh
Hua
Fan
Mei Sheng
Ku
Feng
Candy
Yu
Action
:
Tong
Gaai
Wong
Pau Gei
Director
:
Chu
Yuan
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THE
SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN (1977)
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
Due
to his own extreme ideals, famed swordsman Li (Lung) has lost
everyone dear to him. After his life is saved by a rival
swordsman, Li's overwhelming pride means he forsakes the woman
he loves and lets her marry his saviour. Now resigned to
travelling the country with his loyal aide (Fan Mei Sheng),
Li's only comfort is alcohol and the simple life he has now
accepted. On one such journey, the lonely swordsman befriends
the exceptionally skilled, yet secretive Fei (Yee) who has his
own pressures to contend with. Li then finds himself embroiled
in a battle to own the highly-prized 'gold armour shirt' - a
protective vest that can withstand any blow. As he discovers
that many of the people he meets have a hidden agenda, Li
realises that Fei is the only man he can truly trust. This new
friendship is put under test when the 'sentimental swordsman'
is hunted down by numerous hired killers and framed for a
series of crimes he didn't commit. The person behind Li's
troubles proves to be elusive, though all the clues seem to
point to the legendary 'Plum Blossom Bandit', a disguised
figure whose identity has long proved elusive to the martial
world.
Despite
my oft-mentioned misgivings about the convolutions of these Gu
Long adaptations, I must admit to having acquired a taste for
the fruitful partnership of Long and Chu Yuan. Of course, if
you've seen a few of these productions, you soon begin to
become accustomed to the complexities and insanities of the
storylines. 'The Sentimental Swordsman' is more of a
straight-forward swordplay epic than many of its forerunners
and this is no bad thing. Make no mistake, there's still
enough intrigue and subterfuge to please even he hardiest Chu
Yuan fan, but 'The Sentimental Swordsman' is refreshingly
insistent on strong characterisation and introspection.
Ti
Lung, as flawed hero Li, shows another facet of his thespian
abilities. In 'Clans
Of Intrigue' he played a cheery adventurer, 'Swordsman And
The Enchantress' saw him as a cool and calm drifter while 'The
Magic Blade' gave him the opportunity to be menacing and
flippant as a master swordsman. Li, however, is a character
who is better fleshed out than previous ones; although the
audience is initially told little about him, the tragedy of
his actions gradually reveal themselves. Ti Lung is adept at
showing the inner-turmoil of a hero who has sacrificed
everything for his misplaced principles - an action that
becomes all the more resonant as the film progresses. As Lung
showed in this post-'Shaws' years, his understated aptitude to
display happiness, loneliness, heartbreak and menace makes him
stand out from many of his fellow actors.
While
many other Chu Yuan films have pinned their twists and
double-crosses to one over-riding storyline, 'The Sentimental
Swordsman' is slightly more loose in construction. The initial
quest for the armour soon becomes a McGuffin and Chu Yuan
gradually opens up the real themes of his work: revenge,
retribution and the need for redemption. Though there a less
obstacles to the theme than in many Gu Long adaptations, 'The
Sentimental Swordsman' still has a few too many eccentric
characters and double-crosses to achieve its goals. It
therefore shares a problem that is apparent with other
productions of this ilk; there's an infuriating amount of
fights bursting forth that simply stem from silly
misunderstandings - you almost wish they'd take a breather for
a minute so they can actually explain the situation properly.
It can therefore appear repetitive to those new to the genre.
'The
Sentimental Swordsman' is nonetheless a swordplay drama that
is well acted and never less than entertaining. Chu Yuan is
once again painstaking in his vision of the visual ambience of
the martial world, while he also gets fine performances out of
his cast. Tang Chia's choreography is slightly more grounded
in reality, with less of the superhuman traits and more of the
straight-forward. Aspects like this make 'The Sentimental
Swordsman' one of the most mature Gu Long adaptations under
the Shaws banner, neatly giving the viewer a few characters
who are written well enough to ensure that they escape the
trap of stereotyping. It is qualities like this that make it
an easier film to appreciate than many of the other Gu Long/Chu
Yuan/Ti Lung efforts.
Rating:
 
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