THE MAGIC BLADE is a well-regarded Shaw Brothers 'martial world' tale from director Chor Yuen, who would go into directorial overdrive at the tail-end of the 1970s. This is one of his best movies, perhaps THE best. It stars an intense and brooding Ti Lung who is busy juggling a rivalry with the equally excellent Lo Lieh against a backdrop of murder and assassination, as the pair find themselves repeatedly attacked by various mercenaries and masters all trying to get their hands on the titular weapon. This film has a dark and mysterious atmosphere much like KILLER CONSTABLE, one of my all-time favourites. The cast is excellent across the board, from the dependable leads to solid character actors like Ku Feng and Fan Mei-Sheng and even some bit parts for future greats such as Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah. Unusually for a Chor Yuen film, the action choreography is spot on and there's wealth of violent incident to make this a fast-paced thrill-ride. The story is even comprehensible for once. What's not to like?
Review of The Magic Blade
