Like so many genre movies, this is a typical revenge flick that features all of the usual ingredients and aspect you would expect from a movie like this.It has a well layered story, involving multiple characters and motivations. It's not just a one way revenge flick. I mean, cutting off the arm of the main character isn't enough, there happens and has happened a lot more to him that forms him and leads up to his decision of seeking revenge, which is also aimed at multiple different people. It's a well build up story that doesn't just only rely on its action. It has also got some great characters in it, of course especially the villains.The violence within the movie is quite graphic. Expect seeing blood and limbs flying around. During the action sequences some great and innovative cinematography and editing is being used, which truly uplifts some of the action and the movie as whole. The action and fight sequences themselves are of course also greatly choreographed, as you would expect from a genre movie such as this one. It makes this a movie that will mostly please the genre fans for sure. Especially the end fight does not disappoint!The many flashback sequences in the movie feel and look sort of surreal, which works magical in the movie.It's a good and professional looking movie with good looking sets, makeup and costumes. The movie looks like it spend its money well and also had obviously more than average to spend on its total budget.A great and typical genre example!8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

I must tell you that i'm a little bit shocked and really can't believe that nearly no one has fully grasped this one of the most meaningful and prominent films of our time. Everyone criticizing the surface and the effectiveness but in fact truly missing the point what this film is actually about! A little bit of analysis: At first i have to point out that THE BLADE is enormously similar to Sam Peckinpah's shocking masterpiece from the 1971 STRAW DOGS (and a bit to his companion A Clockwork Orange) both films depicting violence as a natural element or something habitual, in other words the film is implying resonating message that we're just animals with big brains and endless violence we can not be rid of. Blade, SD and ACO are fictitious, ambiguous, allegorical and shocking but in reality are very symbolical and showing the true face of humanity that we are all so scared of! I strongly believe there's also somewhere in those films actually the answer if the peace in the world is even feasible. The Blade has so many symbolical meanings that even the fictional violent world the movie takes place in, only prompting us to apply it to ours. Why? Because the world we're living in is also about the survival like in the film (where is everything only simplified and exaggerated for us just to see the true reality of our world, that's the whole trick). The paradoxical, inadvertent and sometimes very futile violence in the film breeding and producing another violence (e.g. On's revenge for his dead father (where's no redemption) or those exposed little kids watching the bloody fight between that monk and bandits, which is if you think about it enormously provocative vestige of how the world must be so cruel when even a monk has become such a violent beast who then will only manifest that little hint of his smile at those small kids as some kind of a symbol of an inspiration for them - which is very morally inverted). Very common thing in our world is also an involuntary or unconscious act that only brings about another killing and death to others - examples: Ding On inadvertently kills the prostitute Iron Head brought to himself, Ling's father is in fact responsible for a lot of hurt to come when he told Ding On the truth about his father. Chiu Man Cheuk's Ding On initially was against the revenge (mind you the scene after the monk is dead) but Iron Head was all for it who also inadvertently divulged the place where they are from to bandits which would lead to another killing at the end at the Foundry, and etc.. The film even mentions things like buying and selling and at the same time showing the dog approaching some chunk of meat planted right in the big bear jaggy trap which ultimately kills him, the scenes like this are only exaggerated just to give us an idea and feeling of how hard it is to make it through in this world but Tsui Hark de-facto made it clear enough when increased or leveled up the whole hardness of the life in this film and showed us the way how to survive which systematically should be only motivating and inspiring for the viewers of this film. Every time you watch this movie you can find more and more connections between this demented world and ours, which is also the powerful and timeless element of The Blade. Not Ding On or Iron Head, it was in fact Ling all along who's the most important character (not so strange that the whole film is also off her point of view) as she was also the only one left at the end of the movie still feeling the love for other people but as we see it's late because there's already no one to return her love. What is so paradoxical is that everyone (save for her) in the film was actually neglecting the most important and powerful weapon for this violent world "love", what they were doing was absolutely futile, fruitless, nothing for anyone things which means they ended up as individuals with the complete lack of affection and love for anyone and by this ended up only producing another ceaseless violence that would lead only to downfall of the whole mankind, there was no end to this. So everyone could take the film Blade as the warning or advice - what is virtually the most important for our world!! I have a more extensive analysis (too long for these comments) of this masterpiece, check out my thread here on The Blade message board!

There is almost always something amusing, entertaining or something good in movies like this. I was not disappointed watching 'Dao' ('The Blade'), a dark movie with great visuals. It is about a one armed swordsman who seeks revenge. We see how he loses his limb, how he trains in martial art and will seek that revenge.Like I said this is a dark movie, with dark themes as well. Light is something hard to find in 'Dao'. There is a lot of violence and blood, and sometimes the movie goes over the top. This will be stupid for some, totally in its place for others. I like these kind of sequences when they have a certain effect for the movie, and here I think it was the right choice. The cinematography and editing help creating a certain atmosphere and they help to make the action look amazing.May be this is not the best movie in the genre, I prefer a John Woo movie, but it is pretty good. Not for all audiences but if you like the genre there is a good chance you will like 'Dao'.

Blade is a Hong Kong movie directed by Hsui Hark. It has a very interesting premise and defined characters. What it lacked was a bigger budget and cohesion. The story centers around the principles of revenge. It starts with the narration of a woman who talks like the two young men at the sword factory, On and Iron Head, will end up contesting for her hand in marriage. As one previous reviewer stated, the narrator is somewhat annoying. However the story is recounted how On is rewarded with ownership of the sword factory. The owner explains to On how he had raised him after his father was murdered by a mysterious tattooed swordsman who could fly. On wants to avenge his father. As the new owner of the factory the other employees dislike him except for Iron Head and the young woman. The young woman, the narrator is captured by bandits and On comes to her aid, and in the process ends up losing his hand in a very ugly trap. On eventually escapes and disappears. He is nursed back to health by a young spunky woman named Blackhead. Meanwhile Iron Head and the narrator go looking for On. On their journey Iron Head becomes enchanted by this crazy prostitute played by the extremely sexy Valerie Chow. When Chow is semi raped by a bandit, Iron Head rescues her and then precedes to take advantage of her. This of course disgusts the narrator. This action by Iron Head makes no sense. This is what I mean by lack of cohesion. Anyway the tattooed swordsman and his bandits shows up at On and Blackheads farmhouse and torture them and burn their house. Later, On finds a book which instructs him how to use his father's sword. The film wraps up nicely with the vengeful showdown between On and the Tattooed Swordsman. Iron Head and the rest of the sword factory employees get to help fight the other bandits. This film could have been great, but it looked like the editing and filming were done at a breakneck pace and that is why certain parts lack cohesion. I think a 7 out of 10 is a good rating. Valerie Chow I give a 10 out of 10. She is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!!