During the Sung Dynasty, General Meng Liang acquired a holy sword forged from the finest metal over a period of ten years and capable of summoning a storm which he used to fight and win many battles. The sword went missing after his death but it resurfaced in the Ming Dynasty in the hands of Master Mui Ling Chuan, an aging swordsman who ran a martial arts school. Eager to obtain the celestial weapon, the Mongol barbarians enlisted the help of Shang Kwan Wu and Fang Shih Hiung to retrieve it.
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Misled by the calculating Fang, Master Mui takes him in as his elder disciple, a position with authority in which all the younger disciples have to answer to. As Master Mui's health slowly deteriorates, he decides to break the tradition of passing the sword to the most senior student. Instead, there will be a tournament in which the most skillful student standing will receive the trophy.
That person turns out to be Lin Jen Shiau, an honorable but reserved and by the book Fifth Brother. Although he tries to throw the match at first so that Fang can have the sword, this doesn't escape the keen eye of their Master. After presenting him with the sword which he had to pass on to Lin the winner, Fang shows his true colors and blows his cover. However, Master Mui had foreseen all this and hence ordered Lin to kill the traitor but of course he couldn't do it and Fang escapes. Furthermore, since both Fang and Shang will never stop in their pursuit of the precious sword, Lin learns that it is indeed a grave mistake to have let him go.
Basically, this is an action-packed melodrama concerning protagonist Lin Jen Chiau, played by Jimmy Wang Yu, a tragic hero and a disciple of Master Mui who has the unfortunate task of protecting a magical divine sword which he is to give back to the Royal Court through Hero Wang. For most of the duration of the movie, he sort of just mopping around not knowing what he should do while the sword hangs on his back. Thankfully, he eventually wakes up after all his family members except his wife get killed and he becomes a killing machine looking for revenge. This is the kind of role Wang is amazingly good at.
Wonderfully played by Huang Chung Hsin and looking the part with his cutting eyes is Shang Kwan Mu, the greedy scoundrel who works for the Mongols. Tien Feng, who is just perfect as the totally ruthless villain Fang Shih Hiung is the icing on the cake here and his twisted cat and mouse game with Lin is what drives the movie till the very end. A sick mastermind who schemes the hell that Lin goes through after he receives the dreaded sword.
Veteran actor Ching Miao plays Master Mui Ling Chuen, a role that is not too demanding but we get to see him demonstrating the awesome power of the heavenly sword that everyone is after. Always adorable, Baby Movie Queen Li Ching has a small role as Lin's wife Bai Feng who provides the bulk of the melodrama and turns it up to eleven. Elsewhere Shu Pei Pei appears briefly but memorable as Lin's sister Lin Gu.
Cheng Kang's “The Sword of Swords” looks amazing visually from the opening outdoor shots to the highly detailed studio sets. In particular, a bamboo forest set sets the scene for a well thought out and edited one-on-one fight between Lin and Fang, while a snowstorm is approaching towards them. Consequently as their encounter gets more intense, the snowfall also becomes heavier while Lin's child cries in the background adding more tension. Another unforgettable fight takes place during a heavy downpour where Lin has to battle a bunch of Shang's thugs. Of course, the final fight which involves Lin and the rest of the Shangs and Fang has the highest body count and bloodletting that would make Chang Cheh proud. Apart from their usual cameo roles here, the team of Lau Kar Leung and Tang Chia is responsible for the awesome display of the many sword fights dotted through the production.
Apart from the overlong and heavy melodrama being used to emphasize the emotional factor, this is still an impressive and highly entertaining production from Cheng and Shaw Brothers' then leading wuxia icon Jimmy Wang Yu.
