In this last installment of the “Swordsman” trilogy which is actually a direct continuation of “Invincible Asia”, swordsman Ling Hu Chung, the protagonist from the first two films has retired to Japan so now the focus is solely on Dong Fang Bu Bai.
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During a recap of the climactic battle at the end of “Swordsman II: Invincible Asia”, Chief Wu regains his position as the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Sect while villain Dong, after being defeated, falls off Black Woods Cliff and is presumed dead. A few months later, Koo, a Ming Count officer together with a boatload of Spaniards, turns up at the eerie site trying to locate the whereabouts of Dong. However, they come across an Oldman who takes them to Dong's grave; it soon becomes clear that the Spaniards are only interested in obtaining the Sacred Scroll. The righteous Koo puts up a fight which in turn impresses the Oldman who then helps him to fence off the foreigners.
It turns out that the Oldman is actually Dong in disguise and is living in seclusion away from the outside world. Now that Koo has discovered his identity, Dong wants him dead but upon learning the news that impostors are using his name to course trouble, he demands Koo to take him to them. After tracking down and killing those impostors, he comes across Snow, his former concubine who is now leader of the newly formed Sun Moon Holy Sect; Koo however has taken a shine to the beautiful Snow. Meanwhile Dong plans to retire from the martial world but more complications follow and he soon finds himself facing more enemies ranging from Koo, the Spaniards and even the Japanese ninjas.
Brigitte Lin reprises her role as Dong Fang Bu Bai in “The East is Red” and honestly she sets the screen on fire again. However, she is a tragic and sad character who learns that life is a lonely existence when one is at the very top of the jianghu world. Equally captivating, Joey Wong (“A Chinese Ghost Story”) plays her ex-lover who runs a boatload of concubines and both of them share wonderful screen present together. Besides dressing in highly detailed and colorful costumes, the love scene between them in a flashback is definitely one of the movie's many highlights. Furthermore, the use of extreme close-ups of their faces and especially their eyes are also memorable.
Yu Rong Guang plays Officer Koo, a totally new character from the Ming Court who helps the Spaniards to locate the Dutch sunken ship. At first he seems to be a righteous and royal servant but he turns out to be a greedy hypocrite who hungers for power. Nonetheless, this is not a demanding role and Yu does his part fairly well. Eddy Ko, on the other hand. has a brief but memorable role as one of his assistants, Officer Chin. Furthermore credits must go to Tsui Hark and company for not bringing back Ling Hu Chung's character, after all his storyline has come to an end and doesn't need any further development.
Action wise, there is less swordplay being displayed here this time around, but there are plenty of high-flying stunts and the emphasis is again on the use of Ching Kung (weightlessness) and Chi Kung (energy). Therefore we see the combatants doing lots of high jumps, running on water at high speed and shooting out power by just twisting their bodies. Indeed Ching Siu Tung and Raymond Lee have taken the chaotic action to another new level; this is now a pure fantasy wuxia fight and the limits are the filmmakers' own imagination. For example, there is a warship which turns into a submarine, elsewhere Dong travels around at sea riding on a giant swordfish and catching cannonballs with his bare hands. Then there's the albino ninja and a midget that hides inside a suit of armor. This bizarre, ambitious and over-the-top production is a real feast for the eye and it's amazing that they can still deliver the goods with obviously so little budget.
Undeniably, these “Swordsman” movies get better and make more sense after repeated viewings. Besides, underneath all that crazy action there is a display of love, the philosophy of Ying and Yang and the longing for a peaceful life away from power struggle. Overall, this unique trilogy is definitely one of the best Hong Kong has to offer so don't miss it.
