The Magic Blade (1976)

If you are in the mood for a movie with--an assassin disguised as a tree and another who hides underground; cannibalism; explosive go pieces, baskets, and peacock feathers; poisoned blades, darts, food, drinks, creeks and incense; people cleaved in half and blown up; people literally disarmed; a human chess battle (long before Harry Potter); and almost non-stop sword action and kung fu this might be for you.

Lo Lieh isn't dressed in black as usual but a fashion conscious lord of some sort. Fast swordsman but not exactly the sharpest blade in the drawer. Ti Lung is fast and smart. Good thing because they have to fight for their lives against greater forces from beginning to end. Few people are who they seem to be and betrayals abound. As do plot holes. It seems like everyone is an assassin in disguise-an old woman, children, women, men, a man with a woman's voice. Hidden underneath the blood and subterfuge is a sad morality tale about power and money. The sets and costumes are top-notch for a kung fu film. It's one of those fun, forgettable kung fu flicks that makes for an entertaining 90 minutes if you don't ask too much from it.

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The wuxia spaghetti western

A riotously enjoyable mix of wuxia action, fantasy and intrigue, The Magic Blade tweaks otherwise traditionally Chinese cultural elements and gives it the vibe of a spaghetti western. A few dusty tumbleweeds here, a couple of crash-zooms there, all the while a poncho-clad antihero wanders through the film; all that's missing is the Morricone soundtrack. While the narrative beats are more than familiar, it's the way the film transcends them that makes it work so well. Breaking off from the Shaw Brothers formula just enough, offering a little bit of everything for everyone, including a cannibalistic vampire grandma. Rather than following a straightforward revenge or tournament arc, it all unfolds like a labyrinthine whodunit, filled with shifting loyalties, hidden identities and a constant sense that no one is quite what they seem. Director Chor Yuen has really outdone himself here. I love the dimmer lighting style he went with; it really amplifies the darker hues of the colour scheme, embracing a dreamlike aesthetic, which pairs beautifully with its tangled narrative. The action flows wonderfully with a tremendous amount of energy and pace that practically makes so many of his set pieces fly off the screen, especially with a lot of dynamic camerawork in play, yet it still retains those Shaw Brothers stylings, ornate, enigmatic and unapologetically theatrical. The performances all around are great, especially the leading duo of Ti Lung and Lo Lieh, both of whom play off each other brilliantly while also getting ample opportunity to strut their martial arts prowess; Ching Li isn't given much to do as her costars, but she handles it all with grace. Leaden with gothic mysticism and meticulously crafted, The Magic Blade is a truly wonderful piece of swashbuckling adventure, less about straightforward action and more about mood, mystery and an undeniably rich style which it more than delivers in spades.

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