Mania Grade: A-
Disc Grade: B
Reviewed Format: DVD
Rated: R
Stars: Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Michelle Lee, Rosamund Kwan, Yam Sai-kwoon, Lau Shun, Candy Yu, Waise Lee, Chin Ka-Lok, Cheung Kwok-leung, Wong Chi-yeung, Andrew Kam
Writers: Tsui Hark, Chan Tin-suen, Elsa Tang, based on the novel by Louis Cha
Director: Ching Siu-tung
Distributor: Dimension Home Video
Original Year of Release: 1992
Retail Price: $26.99
Extras: widescreen anamorphic; Dolby Digital Surround sound; trailers; English subtitles

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THE LEGEND OF THE SWORDSMAN

Fennie Yuen returns as Blue Phoenix for this sequel to SWORDSMAN, but almost everything else has changed. Cost overruns which drove the original into the red prompted producer Tsui Hark to scale back production on the sequel as much as possible and replace the cast for the returning characters. Most significantly, Sam Hui was replaced in the lead role of Ling Wu-chung with the much more dynamic Jet Li, who had just become a Hong Kong superstar via his portrayal of the legendary Wong Fei-hung in ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA.

The other great standout role belongs to Brigitte Lin as Master Invincible Asia of the rebellious Sun Moon Sect, who has castrated himself to gain supernatural power from a sacred scroll, and as a result is gradually changing into a woman. Asia recruits Japanese ninjitsu warriors Hattori (Waise Lee) and Saru (Chin Ka-Lok), who have been operating as pirates along the coast of China since being driven out of their homeland by Emperor Toyotomi. Using a combination of bribery, captured firearms, and supernatural swordplay, Asia plans to conquer all of China. He/she crosses paths with Ling on the way to attacking a platoon of Emperor Soon's soldiers, spilling his wine and killing the horse of sidekick Kiddo (Michelle Reis, so much taller than Cecilia Yip in the role that even the other characters comment on it). Ling has decided to retire from the Martial Arts World and live on Ox Mountain, but still dreams of Chief Ying (Rosamund Kwan).

Ying is having her own problem with Asia's ninjas, who have come to challenge her powerful whip and Blue Phoenix' pet snakes to take over leadership of the Sect. Ling and his Wah Mountain Clan comrades find Ying to be missing and her men massacred, and go to look for her. Ling comes upon Asia while he/she is practicing his/her elemental magic, and the he/she shares a flirtatious and anonymous drink of wine with him. Reunited with Ying that night, Ling vows to help her find her father Master Wu (Yam Sai-kwoon), whose disappearance began the Sun Moon power struggle. Sneaking into Asia's camp to look for Wu, Ling finds himself inadvertently defending his enemy from treacherous Saru's invading ninjas. After an evening of odd romance, Ling is captured, but he and Wu team up to escape from the dungeon. But his followers find the returning Wu a changed man, who has become mad for revenge and power, and has secretly secured the sacred scroll. Inevitably, colossal internal and external conflicts erupt when Ling discovers his worst enemy is his dream girl, and his friend's father has become a destructive monster.

So it's not the most coherent of films Tsui Hark's team creates magnificent spectacle. The super-powered fight scenes, in which characters toss trees at each other and crush others with a touch, are the most incredible ever filmed up until that time, easily outclassing the likes of BATMAN and SUPERMAN II. Hey, who needs guns when you can throw needles through steel? Plus, it all takes place within stunningly atmospheric imagery. Poor Jet Li can't contribute more than his screen presence to the part, and one of his few love scenes takes place without his character even knowing who he's with. Fortunately we don't have to hear him sing the SWORDSMAN theme song "Hero of Heroes." Lin steals the show, treading the line between angel and devil. More swordplay action along with gender and casting confusion would follow in the conclusion of the SWORDSMAN trilogy, THE EAST IS RED.

One may argue that Dimension is unwise to release this as a stand-alone title, since the various clans and back-stories are difficult enough to understand even with the first feature. However, the change in cast adds some confusion of its own. The real mystery is why they thought it necessary to cut eight minutes from the film for its U.S. release. It's unlikely that so much needed to be cut just to secure an R rating, so we must assume they thought they were "improving" the film. Whether their version is really better is beside the point, since what they're really doing is more like deciding for you that you'll like your coffee better with cream in it without giving you a choice. But why not leave the film as it is and provide both English and Cantonese dubs on the DVD?

It's not because they've crowded another track off the disc because there isn't room, as this is another no-frills DVD release though at least this time they've provided subtitles. Another blessing is that the music score is left largely intact. I suppose they could've slopped ugly hip-hop all over the movie like they have so many others (or are they just cutting costs?). The film itself is given an excellent transfer. There's a new, nicely animated title sequence, which nevertheless credits Candy Yu as "Canice Yu" and has other errors. The disc includes trailers for THE ACCIDENTAL SPY, THE MASTER, THE LEGEND 2, IRON MONKEY, and... GANGS OF NEW YORK(?).