As Good As It Gets

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Wu-Ming (Dave Wong-Kit) watches yet another contender (Chan Jun-Ho) challenge Swordsman Lu (Ku Feng), a an who hides behind a hat with a veil, to become the new No. 1. The contender ha brought along his girlfriend (Lin Chen-Chi) as a witness to the fight. Lu informs the challenger that his death is eminent because the girlfriend holds his heart and focus, rather than swordsmanship. The contender ignores the advice and continues the challenge. Lu kills him after a few quick rounds. The girlfriend takes her own life to be with her fallen swordsman.Wu-Ming sees an old man (Wong Chin-Ho) chiseling a name into a large stone marker. There is a long list of names on the marker. The old man ads anew one each time Lu defeats a contender. The old man wants people to remember who has fallen at the swipe of Lu's sword. Wu-Ming announces his name will not appear on the list, because he will defeat Lu and become Number 1. The old man has his doubts and asks for Wu-Ming's name so he can recall it after the boy is killed by Lu. Wu-Ming promises to train hard and become better than Lu ever was.Time passes as we watch Wu-Ming (Now Ti Lung) practice his swordsmanship. The scene with the birds was gross, but effective to show Wu-Ming's skills with moving objects. Wu-Ming has a vision of the lady who committed suicide to be with her fallen swordsman. He believes his eyes are playing tricks on him and dismisses her. She will appear to him a few more times as he trains to fight Lu. It's an apparent omen that he will choose to ignore.The down side to becoming number 1, is you have to get rid of those who stand between you and that goal. Wu-Ming takes on Monk Long (Lam Fai-Wong) and his minions to begin growing his reputation. I am accustom to seeing Lam playing a side kick or off in the shadows as a guard or thug where needed. Here, he displays his swordsmanship rather well. Wu-Ming, who has informed Monk Long and his minions that his name is Nameless, defeats Monk Long and sets out for the next person on his list.Lu and Sire (Yu Wing), who hosts the fights between Lu and all comers, discuss Nameless' skill with Monk Long and his minions. Lu knows it will not be long before he must face Nameless. However, Lu also knows Nameless must secure more victories before they meet.Nameless encounters Sword Lady of Loyang (Lily Li Li-Li) in a bath house. Nameless duels her in nothing more than his undies or a towel (I'm not quite sure what he's wearing to be honest). He kills her after cutting open her blouse exposing her breasts. It was an unnecessary but not uncommon scene in these movies. Lady of 3 Moves (Lau Wai-Ling) tries her hand at taking out Nameless but he escapes her 4th Move.Nameless is befriended by Chui I (Ku Feng) whom Nameless addresses as Old Man. Chui I is the physician for Sire and all challengers who train at Sire's mansion. Chui I knows nothing of the Sword world outside fixing up damaged bodies. Chui I watches Nameless take on challengers while they're having lunch at a local inn. Sire invites Nameless to stay at the estate while he awaits his duel with Lu, wh has gone off to visit family for a few days. Nameless will be accompanied by Chui I to keep him out of trouble. There is also another swordsman, Mister Yan (Norman Chu Siu-Keung) who keeps an eye on Nameless. There is incredible animosity between Yan and Nameless. Yan talks big but doesn't back it up. He comes across as weak. Something Nameless despises.Chui I decides Nameless needs to relax before the big duel and takes him to a Brothel. Nameless is none too pleased to be there. He steps away from the ladies to gaze out the window and spots a woman who resembles the woman haunting him. He grabs Chu I and takes off in search of the woman.He Lian (Lin Chen-Chi's 2nd role in the film), works at a local boutique. Yan, who is quite smitten with He Lian, is furious when Nameless makes advances toward her. Yan's ire grows worse when He Lian appears to appreciate Nameless' attention. Yan demands Nameless back off, but once more doesn't do more than talk to make his position clear.He Lian is working on her embroidery, when it starts to rain. She goes to close the window and sees Nameless standing in the middle of the street. She closes the window, but keeps checking to see if Nameless is still there. He follows her when she goes to the market. Yan is not that far behind.The men once more have words regarding He Lian. Nameless informs Yan, that he will be taking He Lian with him to Sire's mansion, as she is now his. Yan makes a gesture as if he will actually confront Nameless, but again, does nothing. He Lian packs her things and moves in with Nameless. Nameless forces himself on her when he get her to his room. Its a very uncomfortable scene a it's not something I'd expect from a Ti Lung character.Nameless receives advice from Sire and Chui I regarding He Lian. She is a distraction, a pleasant one, but nonetheless a distraction. Nameless is told he will get himself killed, like the last challenger, because his focus is not on his swordsmanship as it should be.Nameless and He Lian go for a walk to discuss the advice. Nameless makes it clear he will become Number 1, yet sees no reason to get rid of He Lian to do it. They are set upon by Yan and his minions in an effort to separate Nameless and He Lian. Nameless, of course, defeats the minions and is about to kill Yan, when He Lian begs for mercy. Nameless warns Yan, there will be no mercy when next they meet.Lady of 3 Moves arrives as Nameless and He Lian depart. Lady of 3 Moves promises to help Yan get revenge on Nameless. Now, I don't understand where Yan thinks he deserves to seek revenge, since he never made a move to let He Lian know his feelings or do anything regarding his threats to Nameless. Humiliation might be the only excuse I could give Yan for thinking he deserves revenge. Yan isn't one with being humiliated by a long shot. Lady of 3 Moves degrades him further during a sexual encounter. when he balks at her direction, she nearly sues her 4th Move on him.Nameless discovers He Lian has moved back home and goes to fetch her. She refuses to leave. She is a distraction to his plan. Nameless balks at the idea of staying on at the boutique to help her rather than continue his quest to be number 1. They make love and Nameless kills her afterwards.He departs to confront Lu. Their battle is filled with confessions and exposure of Lu's true identity. He is Chui I, Nameless' friend. Lu admits he was defeated because he likes Nameless. It is a shame Lu's hat was ruined in the battle, Nameless might have used it to conceal his own identity from challengers.When Sire announces Nameless is now #1 an can have riches, Nameless turns him down. It's not what Nameless wants. None of it is what Nameless wants. he charges back into town to see He Lian. He confesses to her corpse he had everything wrong. What he truly desires is to be with her.The cloth covering her faces moves, revealing Lady of the 3 Moves is o the bed. She fights with Nameless, wounding him further. He finds it amusing she is the one who will defeat him. he staggers toward the wardrobe and is stabbed by Yan, who is hiding in it. Nameless kills Lady of the 3 Moves then turns his attention to Yan. Their conversation leas one more to He Lian. Yan wants revenge for Nameless having taken her from him.Yan and Nameless stab each other and fall to the floor. Nameless crawls over to He Lian's body and promises never to leave her again. Kinda late to have an epiphany there, Mu-Wing.I gave it a 7 for the duels and stars not so much for the story.

SOUL OF THE SWORD is a slightly above average Shaw Brothers movie that benefits from a fast pace and plenty of sword fights to see it through; it's also less confusing than one of the, say, Chor Yuen films that Ti Lung made during the late 1970s. In this one he plays an arrogant swordsman who makes it his business to beat all his peers and become the number one swordsman. He starts the film off by impaling a budgerigar, so I wasn't exactly endeared to his character, and he remains arrogant throughout.The rest of the film benefits from the usual strong cinematography that Shaw brought to Hong Kong cinema, and the appearance of the usual players from that company: Ku Feng is an ally, Norman Chu a rival, Lily Li an assassin, Yuen Wah a white-haired master, and so on. The choreography isn't quite top tier, but the fights are brisk and violent, and the ending's a cracker, so there's little to dislike about this one.

When Nameless (Ti Lung) witnesses the death of a swordsman at the hands of the mysterious Lu Tien Kang (who keeps his face covered so no one will know who he is; a great way to avoid answering for whatever problems you might cause others), he is shocked to see the swordsman's wife commit suicide to be with her dead spouse. Being a kid, this leaves quite an impression on him (he is haunted by visions of the dead woman) and he grows to manhood driven to meet and one day kill the mysterious Lu. He kills anyone who gets in his way (or who stumbles across his path). "My worth is my sword," he proudly proclaims at one point. "There are three kinds of people," he learns: "Men, women, and the dead." When he encounters an elderly priest, whose flexible sword "is long but flaccid," he leaves the man pinned upside down to a temple gate. "Leaves when dead will fall..." Because he is attacked while in a bath, he thereafter refuses to take a bath "without holding my sword." (...) He meets and falls for Miss Ho- but can a man driven to be the best swordsman in the Martial Arts World measure up...?

Another period Chinese film about martial artists battling for the rank of number 1. How is Shen Hua the obscure director of the legendary "Super Inframan" going to shake up the genre?First of all, this film is very unlike other Shaw films. Shen Hua had a distinct visual style going here, one that doesn't really work all the times but is interesting. There are many shots with the main characters somewhere behind a lot of foreground clutter. Trying to read the subtitles and find the characters at the same time can make this a tad difficult to watch. Also Shen Hua's direction tends to hide Tang Chia's expert choreography. There is an attempt to use zooms and quick cuts to accentuate the dramatic dialog which is a very interesting concept but can be dizzying to watch.Despite the directorial problems, the story is one of the better entries in the martial world genre. It's unusual although you might guess some of the surprises. Ti Lung and Ku Feng give great performances and the fight scenes are very good. There is a small amount of nudity, a strange sex scene and a rape by the good guy (!).An eight for the story and a six for the direction. Recommended.