The Book and the Sword

I've been cutting back on Chinese streamer films because I was slowly starting to overdose (Shaw Bros flashbacks). I'm not ignoring them completely though, as they continue to provide slick genre entertainment. The Book and The Sword is one of Liu Binjie's latest films, and as I liked some of his previous ones, a good bet for a quick sample of the current state of the genre.

Chen Jialuo takes over the position of chief of the Red Flower Society when their old leader dies of illness. He learns that the society is under attack and that their fourth leader has gone missing. Together with a local dancer and two more members of the society Jialuo goes on a journey to find out what happened to their fourth leader.

There's nothing here you haven't seen before (unless you're completely unaware of these films). There's a little political intrigue, a couple of good action scenes, cool settings and costumes, but iffy CG. The film is short and punchy, but there's nothing here that is too memorable. Very good genre fluff in other words.