Siu Hap Cho Lau Heung
1993 / 82m - Hong Kong
Fantasy, Action, Adventure
3.5*/5.0*
Legend of the Liquid Sword poster

Watches

August 20, 2008

3.5*/5.0*

A Jing Wong martial arts spectacle from the magical year '93. Don't get fooled by the posters though, Gordon Liu is hardly in it as his character explodes the first scene he's in. But that hardly matters, after a somewhat sluggish first half the film shifts into overdrive and becomes one the best 90s martial arts films I've seen so far.

It's a vintage Jing Wong film, that means you don't just get martial arts action, there's also goofy comedy and weird parodies. A sudden Jesus appearance is no doubt marked as one of Wong's all-time wackiest ideas ever, it's these moments that make a film like this so much fun to watch.

The cinematography is great, the action is spectacular and the choreographies are inventive. It's a shame it takes a while to get going, while the first half does have a handful scenes that are impressive, the pacing is simply a bit too unbalanced. Just stick with it though and you'll find 30 minutes of the wackiest, most energetic martial arts you've ever seen.