However, the version I purchased in NOT the version I recall watching a half dozen times. The score volume has been dramatically reduced, and that is a shame. The biggest letdown is the subtitles--for some reason they were redone for this copy of the DVD, and they are terrible. No longer do they explain the story (I pity a first-time viewer who has not seen the original), but all poetic meaning had been stripped away. Truly disappointing.

I highly recommend THE BLADE, but not this version (or printing, or whatever it is called). I wish I could tell you how to discern between the two. The only advice I can give is to get your hands on the first printing VHS, then you can be sure you are getting the real thing. You will be impressed.

Like all Tsui Hark movies this one doesn’t disappoint. It has a good pace and plausible Kung-Fu story (revenge) it's beautifully shoot and there are some innovative camera angles used during some fights – this is a film from the man who revolutionised HK Cinema in the 80’s and brought us ZU WARRIORS FROM MAGIC MOUNTAIN (the 1st film of his I ever saw in the mid 80’s), A CHINESE GHOST STORY AND IRON MONKEY.

After all that has been said and done this film still doesn't quite deliver what the above films did (one reason being the characters don’t seem to be used to their fullest potential) – This doesn’t make this a bad film far from it just has the problem of being compared to Mr Harks back catalogue.

It’s a mightily enjoyable film that has a villain with one of the most diabolical Impressive weapons I've ever seen in Fu cinema which can only be matched by the one armed swordsman’s (you could only see this in Hark movie).

The final fight will have you glued to your screen because Mr Hark shows us what he is made of and why you have chosen to watch one of his films.

A must have for Tsui Hark and Fu fans.

ENJOY

As I watch this movie, the narrative is carried by the view point of a young girl, which in fact reminded me of Hong Kong romance films. The girl's narrative gives a self-reflexive philosophical commentary about life, growing up, etc. Huh? What is that doing in a martial arts movie, was my first reaction. At the end, I was still unconvinced that it added anything to the story.

Chiu Man-Cheuk is the best part of the movie. He is a great wu shu performer, but also a decent actor, showing more nuances of emotion than Jet Li or Yeun Biao. His presence on the screen displays stylistic violence but not outright brutality. That role is reserved for the villain, Hung Yan Yab, who also does a great job. I only wish there had been more fights between the two.

One discordant note is again the layering of the romantic story on top of the classic revenge plot. Maybe it was saying something deep, but it escaped me. Should I blame the film, or myself?

The action is much more "raw" than most martial arts films, with blood splattering that looks quite real. (not that I would really know) The training sequence, using only one arm, was rather interesting. It would have been fun to see more of it, but the plot wanted to move on. Another discordant note was the weapon used by the bad guy. It was very cool looking, but really, it just looked too advanced for the period of the story. You'll see what I mean when you get to the scene.

What really caused me to drop a rating on this film is the main love interest, who provides the narrative. She is quite simply a poor actress. (is she some popular pop singer?) In too many scenes, it looked like she wanted to laugh when she should have cried. And almost everyone screams out their lines. Maybe they had more hearing problems in those days?