How Tsui Hark refreshed wuxia films with supernatural detective mystery The Butterfly Murders, his 1979 debut
- ‘Martial arts films so far have been very limited in form … I hope to strike a new path,’ a confident Tsui Hark said of his feature debut The Butterfly Murders
- Its mix of history, horror, martial arts and mystery and Tsui’s quick edits, lighting and make-up effects made it different – and a minor masterpiece, in fact
Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s debut film, The Butterfly Murders, didn’t make much of a dent on the box office when it was released in July 1979, but it did garner some good reviews. Today it is regarded as a minor masterpiece for its creative and unique approach to the wuxia genre, and for the way it foreshadows the stylistic, technical and thematic ideas that Tsui would refine in the years to come.
The Butterfly Murders is a strangely exotic film which mixes martial arts, history, horror and mystery to good effect. Set in an unspecified time in ancient China, it’s structured like a traditional detective novel. A group of experts are called to an almost deserted castle to solve a mystery. There are some red herrings and some plot reversals, some characters who are not what they purport to be, and many surprises along the way.
The series had been a big hit. “The stylised art direction, the intriguing fight sequences, and the splendid costumes make The Gold Dagger Romance one of the most important works in the history of Hong Kong television,” wrote a local critic in 1984.