Today’s quick review: Sword Master. After the untimely death of his rival, master swordsman Yen Shih-San (Peter Ho) loses his sole purpose in life. Learning that he suffers from a fatal illness, Yen searches for a peaceful way to spend his final days. Meanwhile, Ah Chi (Kenny Lin), a penniless man with nothing left to live for, takes a job at a brothel and strikes up an unlikely friendship with Li (Jiang Mengjie), one of the girls there.
Sword Master is a martial arts action movie about two men on meandering courses through life. The separate tales of Yen Shih-San and Ah Chi intertwine to form a broader one about the world of martial arts, power struggles, and violence that they inhabit. Sword Master features fanciful action, multifaceted characters, and a nicely complex plot. However, its stunts, acting, and writing only live up to some of their potential.
Sword Master has an interesting story to tell, but it does so in a sidelong manner. The opening of the film is a series of disjointed incidents that aren’t clearly framed, making it hard to anticipate what events will be important and how they fit together. But Sword Master does find its footing later on. The movie has a specific backstory in mind for its characters, and revealing it makes sense of all the loose pieces of the early film.
Regarding its action, Sword Master is as far on the fantasy side of the genre as it’s possible to get without dipping into outright magic. Its stunts make no pretense of realism, mainly consisting of exaggerated sword fights fueled by special effects. Neither the special effects nor the choreography are especially polished, but they suffice to get the job done. The resulting fights are breezy and entertaining and still carry some narrative weight.
Where Sword Master falls short is its execution. An unclear plot trajectory, middling writing and acting, and philosophical musings that never quite hit home all keep the movie from living up to the promise held by its better parts. These are not major failings, especially for viewers willing to stick around long enough for the plot to get traction, but they do put a cap on what the film can accomplish.
Sword Master is worth a shot if you’re a fan of the more fanciful side of the martial arts genre and don’t mind piecing together an intriguing plot. Sword Master is not a skillful enough film to make good on every idea it hopes to, but it gets enough right to engage the right viewer. Skip it if you’re looking for grounded action or a robust drama. For a martial arts movie with similar strengths but better execution, try Hero.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for decent action and a plot that comes together well.