The Magic Blade: Shaw Brothers

Good

This one had me going from the beginning to the end with the battle of the two main actors. Then they work together for awhile then we have a plot twist or two and one of the actors disappears for awhile, dead right? Hmmm maybe not you'll have to check this one out to see what happens. The action is on point they fight with a variety of weapons a revolving sword, fans, darts and hand to hand fighting as well. All the characters whether it be hero or villian are on top of their game throughout this movie. Minus a couple ooops on the subtitles all is great with The Magic Blade.Pick it up you'll feel a part of the story by the time its through and some classic martial arts in this one as well.

Ti Lung plays a poncho (!) wearing swordsman baaaaadaaaaasssss by the name of Fu Hung-hsueh with a deadly cool in this "spaghetti Eastern" directed by Chor Yuen. That's enough back-of-the-cd-case info for you - let's answer your question "is this worth buying?"YES. Buy this. Buy it so hard. Moving on...THE MOVIETi Lung's Eastwoodian performance (hard not to make that comparison, especially with the poncho) is nicely balanced by Lo Lieh's, as he portrays a formal rival who enjoys the finer things in life who accompanies Fu Hung-hsueh for most of the film. The two enemies are brought together in the first moments of the film for a rematch of a duel; however, party-crashers show up intending to kill Lo Lieh's character Yen Nan-fei, which doesn't sit well with Fu Hung-hsueh, on principal. The two decide to take off after the one who hired the killers and settle their business later. Along the way they meet a colorful cohort of villains, including a girl with (literally) killer poetry, a mad monk, and a gamesman who plays a living chess match with our heroes. Stealing the limelight from the rest of the rogue's gallery, though, is the unforgettable Devil Grandma. As Lo Lieh says, "Devil Grandma's really nasty." (easily the best subtitle of the movie) Nasty or no, she'll steal your heart. No, I'm serious.Our heroes, the villains, and the requisite Damsel in Distress (played by the achingly beautiful Ching Li)vie for film's macguffin, an ancient Chinese nuke, more-or-less, called the "peacock dart," through a serious of good to great action sequences, culminating in a faceoff between Fu Hung-hsueh and a mysterious mastermind who would have made a great Bond villain, Yu Kung-tzu. Who IS Yu? Well, if the movie had been in English, originally, his name would have been a clever pun. I won't spoil the surprise but the ending gives you some nice lite philosophizing.THE THING ITSELFThe movie is mostly dark - I'm not speaking metaphorically. It helps the overall tone, but the limitations of the restoration process show. The interlacing doesn't help, either. That said, the image quality isn't bad at all. It's quite a bare-bones package - the extras are, as usual with the Image Shaws, just some trailers. No complaints - the worst that can be said is they didn't package it intending to "wow" anyone.On the whole, THE MAGIC BLADE is a great ride. Gritty enough for mild abrasion, but with enough Saturday Morning Appeal to satify almost any audience (some nudity and suggestive situations keep it out of "for the whole family" territory). This would be a good intro to wuxia for the first-timer - it has enough western action tropes that it won't be outlandish or confusing to those raised on American and European action films while still maintaining a distinctly Hong-Kong-ian flava*.Over the course of the film, if you have any doubts as to the identity of Fu Hung-hsueh, there are repeated reminders: "Fu Hung-hsueh is...Fu Hung-hsueh!" That's right, viewers, THE MAGIC BLADE gots itself a catch-phrase! And a pretty good one. And a groovy, too-cool-to-be-seduced-by-naked-evil-hotties, pistol-gripped-sword-wielding hero who can shuffle around his internal organs (you'll see what I mean). Put this one on your short list of movies to watch.*I am legally required to spell it that way.

this was an awesome movie i was very surprised .we needed to buy some martial movies and this was a 5-star movie

This is an excellent film. The plot is convoluted, but understandable. The plot is classic good versus evil, with a few plot twists. This film, shot mainly on sets, has an otherworldly 'fantasy of China' feel to it. Ti Lung is a gifted martial artist, but also a fine actor. He brings a great authenticity to the role.There is a small amount of gratuitious nudity and sex, but not enough to detract from an otherwise fine morality play.

Visually the movie is crisp and clear. The Magic Blade is a must have for any Ti Leung and Lo Lieh Fan. It have great action and a good story. I guarantee that it has more "but still" lines in it than any Wuxia movie you own.

The two leads are great, but movie is more mystical rather than ground in some reality....

COOL TI LUNG IS OLD SCHOOL. ONE OF THE BEST. UNBELIEVABLE, MUST READ you must judge for yourself, but I highly recommend it. one two three four five six seven eight. nine!!

excellent film which was delivered to me in very good condition and a veryu curtious service, i would be very happy to do buisness again in the very near future.