Seven Swords
Starring: Leon Lai Ming, Donnie Yen Ji-dan, Charlie Yeung Choi-nei, Kim So-yeon, Liu Yi
Director: Tsui Hark
The film: The word was that Seven Swords would lead director Tsui Hark out of the wilderness. In the vanguard alongside the likes of John Woo as Hong Kong cinema reinvented the action genre during the 1980s and early 90s, Tsui's work had diminished in recent years with the likes of his poor Hollywood foray Double Team (1997). Even the moderately received Time and Tide (2000) failed to measure up to the standards set by Peking Opera Blues (1986) and Once Upon a Time in China (1991).
And so Tsui gathered a star-studded, pan-Asian cast - including Leon Lai Ming, Donnie Yen, Charlie Yeung (below), Kim So-yeon and Sun Honglei - and used the historic novel Seven Swordsmen from Mount Tian as base material. And he dragged renowned Shaw Brothers fight choreographer Law Kar-leung out of semi-retirement to handle the biff (and to play a supporting role).
There was much to be hoped for. And, at almost two hours, the director certainly tries to cover all bases. The problem is that the scale of this martial arts epic is just too vast. Although the action scenes and breathtaking scenery soften the blow, the central narrative becomes muddled and we're left not really knowing - or caring - too much about the characters.