Sha jue (1978)

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Siskoid
Hua Shan's Soul of the Sword has a formulaic Shaw Brothers plot, but an atypically lyrical, atmospheric and lusty filming style that adds a lot to it. It is the tale of a swordsman obsessed from boyhood with becoming the "King of Swords" by beating the resident, black-clad, masked master. On his journey, he'll fight many swordspeople and inherit a sword haunted by the soul of the last duelist's love who committed suicide with it after he was beaten. And it seems that he's a dead ringer for the duelist, and he's drawn to a woman who looks just like that lost love. But are they doomed to repeat that history, or is he walking a darker path? A very strange film with a tragic undercurrent sometimes at odds with its cartoon action. Not to say the action beats aren't strong, because they truly are, but they get jokey at times despite the story's overall tone. A visually rich delight, it's hard to believe this was made by the same director as Super Infra-Man. 8 years ago