Said sword acting as locus for the gradual convergence of masters and legends, this meeting tragic but inevitable as a natural confluence of hierarchical status. A fellowship perhaps once lofted by honor and armament is split apart by said arms, whatever honor left on the surface belying one's silver tongue and honorifics said by such are all that is left. We watch a fox in the henhouse give pursed smiles as hens run around with their heads cut off. The sword is cursed to bring such misfortune but the source of said curse lies more in its social construction than material one, a symbol imbued with power from words even if said words hold no power; such is the power of men and their myths. Said myth is all that some men seek.

Patrick Tam's feature debut is a melancholy end of the line wuxia about a swordsman who learns that running around challenging people to duels for no reason other than pride in your own hierarchical ranking tends to have unintended consequences, namely a bunch of people get killed for no reason. Spectacular and gory fencing scenes choreographed by Ching Siu-tung represent some of his best work, with the fast-cut wirework leavened by Tam's keen sense of space and the stuntman skills of the lower-tier stars. Like Tsui Hark's The Butterfly Murders, Tam brings a modernist sensibility to the non-action scenes, with rigid right-angle dialogue scenes and Tarkovskyian movements through off-screen space, where characters pop up unexpectedly in the midst of long sequence shots.

This was my first movie by Hong Kong new wave director Patrick Tam and it certainly won't be my last.

The Sword is unlike any wuxia I have seen before (granted, I haven't seen that many.) With its deliberate pacing, focus on characters and its expertly build dramatic tension, it feels a lot more catered to a "serious audience."

The movie has a very modern sensibility to it, not only in its visual story telling but also because of its partial inclusion of a synth soundtrack. It looks absolutely stunning; scenes are intricately framed, the colour palette is super lovely and the fight sequences are expertly choreographed (that editor deserves a frickin' award!)

The story itself isn't anything special, but the way it all unfolds on screen is so classy and beautiful, that it just pulls you in.

Highly recommended.

The Sword is a pretty special Wuxia and the only one Patrick Tam ever directed. It has great and exciting swordfights and wire-fu but it’s also, unusually for the genre, character focused and tell a pretty tragic tale of love, betrayal and the longing for power and striving to be the best. It can be quite melancholic at time and the great main musical theme underlines this.

The Sword looks beautifully, has a great cast, bloody swordfights and a pretty weighty story. The movie has been hard to track down in the past but has now gotten a great restoration and Blu-ray release by Eureka in the UK. Wuxia fans should be ecstatic. If you’ve never seen this genre gem, or have been longing for a quality release as long as me, than definitely check out this new edition. It’s a must watch.

On elders and emblems. Placidity as punctuations and emphases of action. Fate’s split shoulders and sweat-soaked brow; blood pooling in a small sliver of flaxen light surrounded by shadows—the sword it stains retains a little from each landed slash, sits in its sheath with a pinguid smile as over the years the blood is turned to rust, waiting fatalistically for a Hero to come from far away and break the spell. Unto the cliffs, into the sea.

Demystifies the myth of the lone swordsman to what he really is: a broken man left in solitude by the swath of violence caused by his hands. Cursed by a cursed object. So much of Winchester ‘73 here. Feels like a final statement of a genre. Insane that this is a debut.

how the FUCK is
this a first feature

I’ve only seen two Patrick Tam films so far (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose before this) and both are singular in their approach to the hero’s journey, one often rife with bloodshed but also at odds with simple myth making — here, especially, we are bearing witness to what is dressed to be a traditional wuxia yet its obsessions, and inspirations, aren’t confined to acrobatic action and lavish costumes, but the existential fate of everyone on screen; and he accomplishes this in under 90 minutes which is an impressive feat on its own but becomes a god tier flex when you realize that this is his first feature film

I can't think of any other Wuxia that uses silence so impactfully. There's one gory punchline whose aftermath would usually be tossed off, but here Patrick Tam lets it sink in.

Action choreographer Ching Siu-Tung has never, ever, been better. He forgoes any of the abstract imagery to underline every sword clash and flip.