		Year: 1995 Director: Tsui Hark Starring: Chiu Man Chuk, Hung Yan Yan, Valerie Chow Genre: Arthouse/martial arts Literal title translation: 'Sword'

On (Chiu Man Chuk) uncovers the long-buried secret of his father's brutal murder by Lung, and sets out for vengeance, only to lose an arm after falling into a trap set by bandits. Nursed back to health by a nameless young orphan, On must master the art of one-armed swordfighting, or, like his father, fall victim to Lung's treachery.

Chiu Man Chuk shows that he has become a very accomplished actor in this dark apocalyptic film. Tsui Hark's vision is quite a compelling and disturbing movie that makes the audience feel uncomfortable while at the same time pulling them into to the dark world. The first half an hour though , is quite slow and the first action scene comes about quite a way into the film. 'The Blade' asks quite a lot of the audience and this is certainly not an eye candy film. In a style similar to that of Wong Kar Wai Tsui Hark has told his story primarily in voiceover and some of the plot is actually quite hard to fathom. When Chiu Man Chuk loses his arm is probably the most harrowing scene of the piece and he is forced to chase it while it is hanging from a man trap. Man traps feature quite prominently in this film with the first shot showing a dog being cruely sacrificed. The fight scenes are shot in a very trippy style where it is hard to see what is happening (like 'Ashes of Time') and therefore this is not a film for kung fu junkies. Instead, the plot is brought to a satisfying conclusion and shows that Tsui is capable of copying certain genres while at the same time adding something new and exciting. The one fault would be that this film is not to everyone's taste and some parts are quite dialogue heavy.

This is not a film for the faint hearted. It is aimed squarely at a more mature, thinking audience. Tsui Hark has brought the best acting performances possible from his stars and this is amoung his best work as a director. One to seek out if you are a fan of Tsui, any of the cast or the particular genre. A refreshing film that brings the kung fu film even further into the present day. This is one piece of modern cinema that you will not forget for some time.