More Than Kung Fu

A mostly unremarkable swordplay film, Sword Of Swords features some of Shaw’s most popular elements from 1968—Jimmy Wang Yu and swordplay—but little to differentiate it from the pack of swordplay flicks that was starting to flood the screen^ss1.

A filial son and student, Lin Jenshiau (Jimmy Wang Yu) is entrusted with an ancient, super-powered sword, much to the anger of bandit villain Fang Shishiung (Tien Feng), who conspires to destroy Lin, kill Lin’s family and steal the sword for his boss, Shang (Huang Chung Hsin).

Fang’s plan succeeds admirably; only Lin’s undying sense of honor pushes him past the barriers of tragedy, blindness and impalement. Lin’s remarkable endurance  is the highlight of one of the film’s best scenes; as his father (Yeung Chi Hing) beats him over the back with a stool, Lin stares off into the distance, unmoved and resigned to his ugly fate.

The film’s action scenes, choreographed by legends Liu Chia Liang and Tang Chia, are Swords‘s other redeeming point. While not of the quality that the duo would achieve in later films, the fights still feature tasteful wirework and dynamic gymnastics. The movie’s final fight scene, in which Fang unleashes one of the dirtiest tricks in film, is justly celebrated.

But these high points are few and far between, leaving the rest of the film to pad itself with whatever it can find. The result is an unsurprisingly middling film.

Sword Of Swords
Dir: Cheng Kang
Released: August 23, 1968

^ss1Of course, it’s hard to exceed excellent 1968 swordplay films Golden Swallow and The Bells Of Death.