This is a superb film. Considering it came out at a horribly time (historically speaking for China) I would say this is a really fantastic piece. It's pre-wire-fu so it's all acrobatics and quick footwork for wow factor (with maybe a hidden trampoline or two) and has a lot of good details that make it stand out a LOT from other films of its time including a lot of the ones made even today. Here's a few to consider:-Setting is great in that it really looks desolate, back drops are epic, everything's gritty and dirty rather than overly bright like a lot of this film's contemporary opera based counterparts. -Fighting styles are unique and consistent across different characters. -Weapons techniques aren't all fancy dodges (though obviously there's a lot of that), but include a lot of kill blows where weapons obviously smash pretty hard against things in the background (ice, wood, stones, etc). -Fights are all exciting because they're contextual, with the heroes winning by the skin of their teeth or whole handedly according to the situation. It's not like a lot of films where it's always massively one sided. -You know how usually most films have a lot of extras blindly and uselessly flailing weapons at each other like dumb mooks as the main characters actually fight? EACH AND EVERY FIGHT features EVERYONE fighting at LEAST one other person and looking like they're actually trying. It's obvious the PRC pulled out all the stops and got great people for even the background guys.Film wise there are a lot of pluses too:-Lots of background for even the side characters is implied and a whole martial arts community is alluded to when random background characters show up multiple times. -Story is compelling, and good insight to all the characters' thought processes (even if their stories are a bit bare) is always present. The development is decent too. -Story is complex in terms of emotional build up, traumas, mysteries, plot twists, etc. -Thematically it's also pretty well layered with bits of Machiavelli, realistic feudalism, the hardships of common people, and the viciousness of power struggles. Bonus, the actor who played the main character died recently, but apparently he was actually pretty bad assed as a swordsman up until he was pretty decrepit. Check out his moves!

Yu's the master of masters in Chinese sword. I watched it on CCTV-6 around 1994. I was absolutely happy with it. Before that, I was bored by various Shaolin/Hero titled stories. The sword play in this movie is the closest match to the real : bottom line is that when one has a sword in his hand, you do not jump around and kick him. I believe it's the most practical sword play of Chinese sword. Here, I am not talking about various long knifes : Japanese swords, Chinese long knifes. They probably more practical and more powerful for real fights. I remembered Yu forever because of that movie. Besides fights involving swords, it have some colorful fight with long stuffs (long wide knifes like the one used by Guan Yu). The story line is fairly modern. Yu as a hero is cheated and utilized by a looking-nice king to conquer and kill, but how he wanted was peace to people. Eventually, he killed the king and hidden in "Jiang Hu".On last word, Yu was not a champaign, he was a coach and before that he was a factory worker. Master from people. :)

A film approaching epic status - and with a little better cinematography, it would surely have made it. As it stands, it is still a marvelous martial arts story on a grand scale, about three corrupt kings and the one swordsman who can bring them down, but who suffers from grief for his murdered family, alcoholism, and blindness.The craftsmanship is solid, the performances all very charismatic. the film is steeped in Chinese culture, and glows warmly with its humanism. The pace is fairly rapid, political intrigues are never allowed to get talky, yet remind us of the historical implicates of the tale. There are enough twists to pulls us along the story-line, and not too many that we get confused. The story is solidly anchored in its blind-swordsman and his beggar-acrobat sidekick, who also provides us with comic relief.And there is plenty of swordplay-kung-fu, brilliantly - and believably - choreographed, with very little wire-works.Very entertaining film that is among the best of its genre, and could have transcended it with just a little extra thought and effort in its cinematography. Highly recommended.

that capitalizes on the success of the first Chinese made (Not Hong Kong or Taiwan) martial arts flick Shaolin Temple in 1979.This film gave a somewhat a fresh look on Chinese martial arts flicks because it has a totally different story, while most others martial arts flicks of the time always has something to do with Shao Lin Temple.