Fu Hung-hsueh(Lung Ti) is a master swordsman who was once enamored with wealth and power, these lusts a major reason behind his training. In a search for his lover, Fu has made an adversary in another talented swordsman named Yen Nan-fei(Lieh Lo). Not allowing anyone else to kill Yen is Fu's goal since in his mind he is the one who will fulfill this task, but before this can happen, they will have to work together as a collaborative team in order to combat another foe, Mr. Yu(Ching Tang), a powerful warlord with an endless supply of ronin at his disposal. Mr Yu desires a deadly weapon called the "Peacock Dart" whose "explosive" feathers are a dangerous threat to anyone within 50 yards, with the power to wipe out anyone in the vicinity of where it lands. Mr Yu will send out five deadly assassins to accompany his innumerable host of swordsmen as a means to eliminate the Fu and Yen, but this mission will not be easy. Along with Fu and Yen is Miss Chiu(Li Ching), the daughter of the old protector of the Peacock Dart, which rested for sometime in the Peacock Mansion. Fu will gain control of the dart when the old protector is killed(through the use of a poisoned sword by a ronin who thought he had seized the dart), offering his apologies for inadvertently bringing death to the Peacock Mansion, blaming himself for a slaughter of the Tsao house. Separated after narrowly escaping a trap set up by another ronin, Fu and Chiu contend with that ronin's men while Yen heads on horseback to a familiar place called Tu Village. Fu is told by another assassin that Yen is dead, and is almost upended when his cut wound, being tended to by Chiu, becomes "infected" by a witch's curse and almost killed. When Chiu is kidnapped and held by Mr. Yu as ransom for the Dart, can our hero ever rescue her and make it out alive?
One thing's for certain, if you are a fan of swordplay and acrobatic fighters, appreciate the poetry of action and martial arts, then "The Magic Blade" will satisfy you I believe. Yes, the plot is bonkers and as a fantasy, Fu(among other fighters)are capable of extraordinary feats, able to accomplish amazing acts beyond the realm of possibility(such as leaping from the ground and immediately landing on the rooftops of buildings, fending off armies of men by yourself with ease). Lung Ti is the model of these kinds of movies, a strong, silent, clever, intense, smart warrior and, for someone who kills for a living, he's quite humane. The movie shows just how humane Fu is when he arrives in a desolate city and encounters a desperate, starving woman promising to provide sex for bowls of noodles. There are plenty of action set pieces to salivate over including the knockout "human chessboard" sequence, the battles at Tu Village, Tien Lung Temple, Tien Wai Mansion where Mr. Yu resides(along with Tien Wai Village), and Peacock Mansion. Of course, the movie is entertaining for it's colorful villains(including a grotesque character named "Devil Grandma" who practices witchcraft and cooks human meat!), ridiculous scenarios involving Fu's incredible abilities to resolve nearly impossible situations where he must stay two steps ahead of his enemies, wire-fu, bloody sword fights, and exhilarating uses of those typically wonderful Shaw Brothers sets. Other subplots include Fu's discovering the location of his lost lover, a betrayal unearthed, a secret defense against the sought after weapon of the movie, and the ultimate showdown between Fu and Yu. Also, Fu and Yen attend to some unfinished business. A show-stopping highlight involves Fu's splitting apart a foe using a mirror to protect herself and how he escapes the entrapment of a scarf and chain. Man, speaking of the scarf, there's some amazing work on display regarding Fu's battles with the villain who uses it to handicap him. Also a highlight, the "burning of the incense" sequence regarding a "sinus attack", involving a series of punches which are used to paralyze a victim, and how Fu, seemingly done for, manages to survive, is a doozy.
One thing's for certain, if you are a fan of swordplay and acrobatic fighters, appreciate the poetry of action and martial arts, then "The Magic Blade" will satisfy you I believe. Yes, the plot is bonkers and as a fantasy, Fu(among other fighters)are capable of extraordinary feats, able to accomplish amazing acts beyond the realm of possibility(such as leaping from the ground and immediately landing on the rooftops of buildings, fending off armies of men by yourself with ease). Lung Ti is the model of these kinds of movies, a strong, silent, clever, intense, smart warrior and, for someone who kills for a living, he's quite humane. The movie shows just how humane Fu is when he arrives in a desolate city and encounters a desperate, starving woman promising to provide sex for bowls of noodles. There are plenty of action set pieces to salivate over including the knockout "human chessboard" sequence, the battles at Tu Village, Tien Lung Temple, Tien Wai Mansion where Mr. Yu resides(along with Tien Wai Village), and Peacock Mansion. Of course, the movie is entertaining for it's colorful villains(including a grotesque character named "Devil Grandma" who practices witchcraft and cooks human meat!), ridiculous scenarios involving Fu's incredible abilities to resolve nearly impossible situations where he must stay two steps ahead of his enemies, wire-fu, bloody sword fights, and exhilarating uses of those typically wonderful Shaw Brothers sets. Other subplots include Fu's discovering the location of his lost lover, a betrayal unearthed, a secret defense against the sought after weapon of the movie, and the ultimate showdown between Fu and Yu. Also, Fu and Yen attend to some unfinished business. A show-stopping highlight involves Fu's splitting apart a foe using a mirror to protect herself and how he escapes the entrapment of a scarf and chain. Man, speaking of the scarf, there's some amazing work on display regarding Fu's battles with the villain who uses it to handicap him. Also a highlight, the "burning of the incense" sequence regarding a "sinus attack", involving a series of punches which are used to paralyze a victim, and how Fu, seemingly done for, manages to survive, is a doozy.