Stylish but barely mediocre overall

The acting in this movie is really good.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Ho-Sung Pak is a pretty neat guy. With credits that include fighting Jackie Chan in DRUNKEN MASTER II, playing a Ninja Turtle (twice), and portraying the lead character in the original MORTAL KOMBAT games, you'd wonder why he never became a recognized action hero in the vein of Don Wilson or Phillip Rhee. The answer is that when left to his own devices, Pak's output is boring, as best expressed by BOOK OF SWORDS - a film so inherently lackluster that it collected dust for almost a decade after it was made before receiving distribution, and then only via overseas outlets. Trust me, there's a reason this one never saw a North American release.The story: Policeman Lang (Pak) attempts to avenge the murder of his brother at the hands of a vicious crime syndicate, unaware that he's about to become the key player in the reckoning days of an age-old prophecy...God, what a good cast this movie squandered... Along with Pak, the film is practically a reunion of MORTAL KOMBAT performers, including Richard "Kano" Divizio, Dan "Johnny Cage" Pesina, and Katalin "Mileena" Zamiar, along with Kevin Christie, good ol' Taimak, and Pak's own brother and fellow WMAC MASTERS alumnus Ho-Young as part of the ensemble. Needless to say, I expected a lot from this unique fighting cast, but was disappointed terribly by their collective misuse and underutilization. There's more hand-to-hand action in here than in Pak's future starring picture, but next to none of it is very good. The choreography is decent at best but the camera-work is awful - fighters are rarely filmed below the waist - and a decisive lack of sound effects makes the fights feel like homemade efforts. Only two of the brawls are any good at all (i.e. the last two encounters) and none of them feature any recurring fighters other than Ho-Sung.The beginning of the movie teases some intrigue about this ancient prophecy with some deep voiceovers and fantasy illustrations, but the ensuing storyline focuses so much on the basic revenge plot that when something supernatural does actually happen, it's a shock. Long stretches without dialogue or action are just as tiresome as boring conversations about Lang's relationship woes or expositional monologues about the prophecy. Scenes that should have been filled with tension - like when officers Pak and Taimak investigate an undercover drug deal - just don't pull off the suspense, mainly because none of the characters have been written well enough for you to care about what happens to them. Additionally, none of the performers can act worth beans, with Kevin Christie's performance as a crazy main henchman being the absolute worst.The fact that the MORTAL KOMBAT-affiliated performers pay homage to their video game personas through appearance and fighting style is pretty neat. In a pinch, you could even consider this film an alternate universe to the MK world; it's just too bad that it's not a cooler one. I really can't recommend this movie to anyone, since it neither fulfills the obligations of a good martial arts flick nor is so bad that it's worth watching for comedic value. Condensed, BOOK OF SWORDS is a slow, dark, humorless kung fu film that feels like it has no idea of the potential greatness its cast and independent nature affords it. Don't bother hunting it down like I did.

Well, in response to the previous comment, I am a martial arts fan and I did not like this movie. The main reason is stated in my one-line summary: when the hero slaughters anonymous opponents by the dozen, as he often does here, it's not exciting - it's boring. There are only two good fight scenes in this movie: the one with the bald guy and the last one. These are the only ones where the villains put up much of a fight. As for the "no wires or special effects were used in the fight scenes" disclaimer, well, they used a lot of camera effects which in martial arts films is almost the same thing as special effects, as for the "no wires" part, it would be a lot more impressive if the lead (or anyone else) actually did anything that REQUIRES wires in the first place. Don't get me wrong, he obviously has the moves, but he doesn't do anything that I haven't seen before from guys like, say, Keith Cooke. The script is ambitious but ultimately silly, and the direction is often clueless as to how to shoot a fight scene. The actress who plays the hero's love interest packs a mean right punch - I'd like to see her again. (*1/2)

I saw a screener copy of the movie and I must say that the martial arts in the movie is just out of this world. Don't get me wrong it is not like we haven't seen this stuff before, it is just that this time there is no wires used. I am not sure if I believe that but if anyone knows for sure please write in. I tried to look for wires but did not find any. Also can anyone let me know how to get a hold of the actual film. One last thing, this guy, Ho-sung has mad, mad skills. You could actually see the fight scenes, not like most movies where the camera is all over the place. Next best thing to Bruce Lee.

Saw an early screener copy of this film. It has great action and unbelievable martial arts. HoSung Pak is great in the starring role, he is the next breakout martial arts star bar none. Try and get a copy of the DVD or see it soon in the theaters, but don't miss this one!!! The cinematography is great too... by the same guy who did project greenlight (the 1st one). HoSung Pak has a great screen presence, you've also seen him in Jackie Chan's film "The Legend of Drunken Master" and he was in the Video Game's Mortal Kombat I & II. The urban setting's in this film lend a great background to the dark and mystical storyline of the "Book of Swords" legend, the obstacles that HoSung's character has to encounter make a worthy counterpart to his high level of the arts.