Review | Film review: Sword Master – Derek Yee remakes Shaw Brothers classic Death Duel as martial arts spectacle
Yee’s reinvention of that freewheeling original is a far slicker affair and has more believable characters, making it one of the best Chinese-language remakes of recent times
3.5/5 stars
If the Shaw Brothers classic Death Duel (1977) and this sumptuous, mega-budget remake appear to epitomise the contrasting states of Chinese-language filmmaking then and now, it is not by complete coincidence. Both are based on Gu Long’s wuxia (martial arts) novel, with the earlier hit starring Sword Master director Derek Yee Tung-sing in his first leading role.
While the original captured the industry’s no-holds-barred spirit with its outrageous body count, extremely graphic depiction of cut wounds and female characters who are all too ready to take off their clothes for the hero, Yee’s reinvention 40 years later is an exponentially slicker affair, featuring far more believable characters in a poignant tale presented in striking 3D.
As directed by the great Chor Yuen, Death Duel was narrated in such a straightforward manner that it almost fostered a fatalistic tone to the story, in which Yee’s Third Master – the greatest swordsman in the world – was relentlessly tracked down by demented challengers, even after he gets tired of killing, fakes his own death and leads a hermit’s life.
Sword Master begins with a similar set-up, as the Third Master of the reigning Hsieh clan disguises himself as Ah Chi (Lin Gengxin), a lowly servant in a brothel. But once he takes several stabs from two thugs for feisty prostitute Li (Jiang Mengjie), word begins to get out about his physical prowess. A few coincidences later, Ah Chi and Li are reunited at her home with her humble family.