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"We're family"
The title Swordswomen Three was false advertising as there were rarely 3 women on the screen at the same time. Director Shen Chiang preferred to focus on the male characters. Lo Lieh and Essie Lin Chia carried this film on their backs.
Ambitious Chu Tien Hsing repeatedly challenges the master of the Xiude Martial Arts Academy to a duel. Chu is upset that the school is named #1 after winning a contest held every decade. The son, Hsu Chin Wu, finally agrees to fight Chu and then defeats him. Chu decides if he can’t win with his sword skills, he’ll steal the famous Mighty Steel Sword from his fiancée’s family.
First things first. If you are going to title a film, Swordswomen Three, then the swordswomen should be featured. Shen Yi as Ruo Lan was engaged to Chu and spent most of her time fretting what to do. Sister Hsiao Lien (Pan Ying Zi) had almost nothing to do. Neither was the sharpest knife in the drawer. Pan’s character was sidelined with an injury for much of the film which wasn’t a bad thing because she was a drip. Later, wishy washy Ruo Lan was injured and mostly off screen. The eldest sister, Ju Mei, was fierce and intelligent. Essie did a great job with the role she was given. Sadly, she was undercover wearing a hood for part of the film (or her stunt double). If the other heroes had listened to her the evil Chu would have been defeated earlier.
Shen Chiang’s direction and writing were sorely lacking, with too many scenes feeling redundant and also changing pertinent info about the sisters’ connection to the Xiude Academy midway. He also had the sisters make some of the dumbest and most illogical decisions to try and push the story along or gum it up.
Another dull knife was Chang Yi’s Hsu Chin Wu. Watching him play this dull good guy was like watching paint dry, grass grow, or any other tedious task you could think of. After Ju Mei survived all sorts of tortures with her wits and fighting skills, she actually asked Hsu to come up with a plan to defeat Chu. Seriously? She was the sharpest sword. I would have had qualms about asking Hsu for directions to the best restaurant nearby. Essie’s only equal in this film was Lo Lieh’s Chu. Chu acknowledged he wasn’t the best fighter, but with the Mighty Steel Sword he felt he would be invincible. One side could cut through anything. The other side was magnetic and could disarm opponents. Enticing and able to pour on the sexy charm when needed, I could see why Ruo Lan was conflicted. However, the villain shouldn’t be the most, if not only, captivating character on screen. Lo, like Essie had to do some heavy lifting to elevate their characters above the script. And the good guys shouldn’t be utterly inept, with the exclusion of Ju Mei. And mild spoiler alert, it was not Ju Mei or the three sisters who were given the final assault on Chu, it was of course, Hsu.
Most of the fight choreography was competent as it should have been with Tang Chia and my personal fave, Lau Kar Leung, as the martial arts directors. Although there was a hilarious moment in a scene where older actor Lee Wan Chung had an oopsie with the wire work. The final fight in a bamboo forest was bloody and violent as expected, yet disappointing without the SWORDSWOMEN THREE taking part in it. I would love to have had a movie with Lo Lieh and Essie Lin Chia locking swords together in a one of these old films. They both had a spark that came through the screen. Unfortunately, they were surrounded by wet blankets (have I used up all my boring idioms?) that dragged the film down. Not the worst film, but disappointing all the same. Rated on a curve.
6 March 2026
Trigger warning: One of the other interesting characters was Master Mei, the hooded thief and assassin. She blinded a maid with daggers upon seeing her face. Ick. Several impalements.
Musical Note: The James Bond riff was used several times.
Life Lesson Note: Beware of any boss who says, “We’re all family here.” They are the likeliest to overwork you and stab you in the back. In this film, that was literally.
Ambitious Chu Tien Hsing repeatedly challenges the master of the Xiude Martial Arts Academy to a duel. Chu is upset that the school is named #1 after winning a contest held every decade. The son, Hsu Chin Wu, finally agrees to fight Chu and then defeats him. Chu decides if he can’t win with his sword skills, he’ll steal the famous Mighty Steel Sword from his fiancée’s family.
First things first. If you are going to title a film, Swordswomen Three, then the swordswomen should be featured. Shen Yi as Ruo Lan was engaged to Chu and spent most of her time fretting what to do. Sister Hsiao Lien (Pan Ying Zi) had almost nothing to do. Neither was the sharpest knife in the drawer. Pan’s character was sidelined with an injury for much of the film which wasn’t a bad thing because she was a drip. Later, wishy washy Ruo Lan was injured and mostly off screen. The eldest sister, Ju Mei, was fierce and intelligent. Essie did a great job with the role she was given. Sadly, she was undercover wearing a hood for part of the film (or her stunt double). If the other heroes had listened to her the evil Chu would have been defeated earlier.
Shen Chiang’s direction and writing were sorely lacking, with too many scenes feeling redundant and also changing pertinent info about the sisters’ connection to the Xiude Academy midway. He also had the sisters make some of the dumbest and most illogical decisions to try and push the story along or gum it up.
Another dull knife was Chang Yi’s Hsu Chin Wu. Watching him play this dull good guy was like watching paint dry, grass grow, or any other tedious task you could think of. After Ju Mei survived all sorts of tortures with her wits and fighting skills, she actually asked Hsu to come up with a plan to defeat Chu. Seriously? She was the sharpest sword. I would have had qualms about asking Hsu for directions to the best restaurant nearby. Essie’s only equal in this film was Lo Lieh’s Chu. Chu acknowledged he wasn’t the best fighter, but with the Mighty Steel Sword he felt he would be invincible. One side could cut through anything. The other side was magnetic and could disarm opponents. Enticing and able to pour on the sexy charm when needed, I could see why Ruo Lan was conflicted. However, the villain shouldn’t be the most, if not only, captivating character on screen. Lo, like Essie had to do some heavy lifting to elevate their characters above the script. And the good guys shouldn’t be utterly inept, with the exclusion of Ju Mei. And mild spoiler alert, it was not Ju Mei or the three sisters who were given the final assault on Chu, it was of course, Hsu.
Most of the fight choreography was competent as it should have been with Tang Chia and my personal fave, Lau Kar Leung, as the martial arts directors. Although there was a hilarious moment in a scene where older actor Lee Wan Chung had an oopsie with the wire work. The final fight in a bamboo forest was bloody and violent as expected, yet disappointing without the SWORDSWOMEN THREE taking part in it. I would love to have had a movie with Lo Lieh and Essie Lin Chia locking swords together in a one of these old films. They both had a spark that came through the screen. Unfortunately, they were surrounded by wet blankets (have I used up all my boring idioms?) that dragged the film down. Not the worst film, but disappointing all the same. Rated on a curve.
6 March 2026
Trigger warning: One of the other interesting characters was Master Mei, the hooded thief and assassin. She blinded a maid with daggers upon seeing her face. Ick. Several impalements.
Musical Note: The James Bond riff was used several times.
Life Lesson Note: Beware of any boss who says, “We’re all family here.” They are the likeliest to overwork you and stab you in the back. In this film, that was literally.
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