Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

THE SWORDSMAN is one of those wirework-heavy Chinese fantasy-action films that were all the rage in the 1990s. I'm not a great fan of the sub-genre; give me the good old-fashioned kung-fu comedies of the 1970s over these any day. This one is pretty typical of the genre, as it has a hugely over-complicated plot with silly story lines and a cast of far too many interchangeable characters, many of whom could have been excised to give the movie greater clarity. Old Hong Kong film staples are thrown into the mix, from cases of mistaken identity to women posing as men and mysterious, mountain-dwelling heroes, but sadly it's all very uninteresting and there's nothing here I could get worked up about. And this is from a FAN of Chinese cinema.The cast is pretty meagre and seems to be made up of comedy actors attempting serious roles, in the likes of Jacky Cheung and Sam Hui. Nobody stands out, aside from Yuen Wah who has a ball as another over-the-top villain and who dies after a killer bee attack this time around! The female characters are undeniably irritating (Brigitte Lin and Cecilia Yip, I'm talking about you) and the only decent acting of note comes from a pair of cameos by old-timers Lam Ching-Ying and Wu Ma, who share a touching scene together on a boat. Even worse, the fight scenes are nothing to write home about, with poor direction and confusing choreography throughout. The whole film has a cheap, slapdash feel and although it's regarded in some quarters as a classic – and was popular enough to spawn two sequels – I'd readily pick the likes of MOON WARRIORS over this tat any day.

The first part of the Swordsman trilogy can be compared to a wuxiapian version of "Star Wars": it boasts paladins of the sword and virtue, leaders of sects being deranged by thirst of power and ambition, plus a musical score no less epic than the Lucas movie soundtrack. The story centers on the theft of the "Sacred Book of Power", a scroll which can bestow invincibility on the bearer and which everyone wants to attain for themselves. The only one unaffected by the hypocrisy and egotism that such search generate seems protagonist Lin "of the Wah Mountain", who regards swordsmanship as an art rather than as a means of dominating the rivals and who would prefer a quiet life of wine and singing, but unwittingly is thrown into the turmoil of the clash between sects. Besides the epic tone, a couple of other factors contribute to the success of the movie:the richness of the people who, friends or foes, surround Lin. Much attention is put to their characterization: as they have different age, background, culture and social status, every one has his/her own distinct way of speaking, of acting and harbors different desires, in accordance to their position. In particular, the character "Blue Phoenix" is full of surprises! while Sharla Cheung donates charisma, regalia and beauty to her role.the awkwardness of the "hero": he and his pupil don't exactly "aid" their ally in the beginning of the movie and in general are quite fun to watch! 8/10

Since Swordsman 2 is one of my favorites, I was delighted to find part one finally released on DVD. It is nearly as good, even better in some ways.If you have not seen either, start with this one and get ready to enjoy 4 hours of primo wuxia.Too bad that the cast completely changed between the 2 films (except for the excellent Fennie Yuen as Blue Phoenix) Most of the players in part one are as good, and I even preferred Cheung Man as Chief Ying to Rosamund Kwan who takes over in part two. I do think Jet Li in 2 is far better than Sam Hui in this one. Jet copies Sam Hui's style and character well, but is far more athletic and intense which really helps the action scenes in part 2. Sam sings well at least, which is important considering how much singing of "Hero of heroes" there is in part one!A note about the cast list above: Michelle Reis and Rosamund Kwan are NOT in this film. Kiddo is played by Cecilia Yip and Ying by Cheung Man.A classic pair of films then. Too bad part 3, "The East is Red" was such a letdown. The first two films stand on their own though, so no real loss. One warning, if you are new to wuxia or Hong Kong films in general you may find the action in these films often too fast and incomprehensible. Repeated viewing will accustom you to the pacing, as well as allowing you to savor all the rich density of the storyline and its numerous characters.

...the plot needs to be tightened up a bit.The first in Tsui Hark's Swordsman trilogy of movies adapted from a book or series of books (I'm not sure which) suffers from a wandering plotlines that seem to go nowhere. Interesting characters appear briefly to show off, then suddenly drop out of the plotline. In other movie adaptations, this happens in an effort to stay true to the book, but I, being chinese illiterate, can't tell you whether that's true for this series.Despite the scattered presentation, the thrust of the plot seems to have a strong overall direction, perhaps thanks to the novel(s). The bad guys are well established as both evil and deadly. A few stereotypes are thrown into the mix. Not many people in the American audience "got" the female voiceover for the eunuch. A theme of betrayal is used effectively.The martial arts work is good! Characters magically fly through the air and attack each other with kinetic ferocity. They destroy various objects wit h invisible forces from their palms or flicks(!) with ease thanks to slick editing and some simple effects. The effects fly at you so fast that it all seems believable. Yet Swordsman I is only a preview of a more masterful use of this stable of effects in Swordsman II.Main complaint is that Song. Anyone who sees the movie will know the Song I'm talking about! Maybe because of casting Sam Hui, a by-then-aging HK pop star, the Song, gets repeated as a musical number no less than 3 times, including once as a flashback! Perhaps that's why he was replaced in the role by Jet Li in the sequel.I found the English subtitling to be of the usual poor accuracy.