RhumbaToTs_: Awesome Seven Swords...
I went to my local cinema last night intending to catch any movie... yeah any movie and was torn between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Seven Swords. After considering that Seven Swords was immediate while I still have to wait half an hour for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (and Charlie Young was in Seven Swords... *smiling and swooning*), I decided to buy tickets for Seven Swords. I then told the lady behind the counter one ticket for "qi dao" (Seven Knifes). She was like huh? And I was like huh why you huh? And then she realized that what I wanted was "qi jian" (Seven Swords) so I embarassedly say yeah and bought my ticket. I always have problem telling cinema attendants what movie I want to watch cause I don't know its translated pronunciation ha ha.
Basically this is a 'Wu Xia Xiao Shuo', chinese swordsmen and martial arts, kinda movie very much akin to the good old Golden Harvest days when movies of such genre keep popping up one after another. The storyline delves behind an imperior edict by the Emperor that nobody is allowed to practice martial arts. Firewind is a warlock/mercenary/official (I really don't know) who leads an army with twelve vicious lieutenants each with their own fighting style and weapon type. His army butchers martial artists and innocent people alike, so that they can receive taels of gold for each head. Old Fu (Lau Kar Leung, legendary martial arts actor) is an ex Imperior Official who in his attempt to hinder Firewind's army, got injured and escaped to a village with martial artists. There his warnings of Firewind's arriving army went unhindered. He was then assisted by two villagers, Yuanyin (Charlie Young!!! Woot!!!) and Zhibang (Lu Yi, some China Star) to Heaven Mountain in order to receive help. The help was received, in the form of four more heroes, and Seven powerful swords.
What is incredible firstly about this movie is the awesome storyline. As compared to many other 'wu xia' movies popping up (crouching tiger hidden dragon, house of a thousand daggers, hero, warriors of heaven and earth), this movie wins because of its vast array of colourful characters, each with his/her own unique abilities. All seven swords are different, leading to different fighting styles and abilities in each character. You will be filled with anticipation thinking, wow what's that sword going to do? How is the character going to use that sword? How will his weapon be used successfully against that enemy? Even all of the 12 evil Lieutenants have their own weapons and abilities (although being trashed by the seven swords haha) hence giving everybody uniqueness in fighting abilities. It's just like in the old 'wu xia' movies where different people with different abilities (solar palm vs lunar stance that kinda thing) fight against one another. I don't want another story with normal swordsman vs normal swordsman again.
The next best thing about this movie is the cast. On top of Legendary Lau Kar Leung (400 movies directed and acted in), they have the Eternal Donnie Yen (Highlander End Game, Blade II, Shanghai Knights, Hero) whose style of martial arts I feel has retained its traditional values (that's why Jackie Chan looks like shit when acting 'wu xia' roles) and roots.
And then they got Charlie Young!!! One of the great hong kong babes who unfortunately left the movie business for an incredibly long time before returning in Jackie Chan's New Police Story. They also got Leon Lai in but his acting is nothing to praise about. He can only act one kinda role, the pleasant and cool-faced boy (ala keanu reeves).
Adding on to these legends, we have a huge cast of actors from both China, Taiwan and a beautiful Kim So Yeun from Korea. Unfortunately I do not know anything about them except that they have won some awards over at the China side. One of the seven swords heroes is played by Tai Li Wu. Tai Li Wu only did Peking Opera before this and impressed Tsui Hark so much that he was invited to act in Seven Swords. His style of martial arts I felt was most unique and filled with lots of angry emotion inside so I think he is one to look out for in the future.
Visuals are beautiful and fight scenes are good. Director Tsui Hark is already a legendary 'wu xia' director. I applaud him for his sincere attempts to return the genre back to us, for us to relive the good old 'wu xia' days and when a movie and created to do what we pay for it to do. To entertain us.
In all good news, the movie is not stopping just here, but there is going to be a sequel and I am already excited over wondering what's next.
Official Movie Website is linked here.