Legend of the Liquid Sword
Director: Wong Jing/Yeung Wai-yip
Year: 1993
Rating: 6.0
This offering from Wong Jing is an absurdist wuxia comedy that seems to revel and take joy in its incomprehensibility. It bounces back and forth between excruciatingly insipid comedy and glorious jaw-dropping wuxia set pieces. It feels like such a lost opportunity to make one of the most visually ravishing wuxia films ever, but this is Wong and he often just can’t help himself. You wish he had stepped back and thought to himself, I have half of a great movie here – maybe I should take out all the brain dead comedy bits and focus on a coherent plot and some character development and not go for the cheap laughs. But then I think to myself, maybe this is my Western perspective. Maybe Hong Kong audiences found the comedy hilarious and yawned at the wuxia parts because so many films at the time seemed similar. And perhaps to a Hong Kong audience the plot was more understandable because they are familiar with the Gu Long novels that this is based on.



But I can only see it through my eyes and I physically winced every time it broke away from the wuxia to the comedy. Besides the glorious flight-filled wuxia action, Wong also fills the film with his usual quota of beautiful actresses looking their best. Chingmy Yau, Anita Yuen, Cheung Man, Loletta Lee, Fennie Yuen, Gloria Yip and Winnie Lau is almost over kill with Wong just bragging that he can get any actress to appear. Not that I was complaining. The men were not so interesting to me – Aaron Kwok in his pretty boy stage, a bit of Norman Tsui, a short appearance from Gordon Lui Chia-hui and then Deric Wan and Lau Ji-wan take up the most time. Who the hell are those last two?



Kwok is Fragrant Chu who at the bidding of his Master (Norman Tsui) has entered a tournament to decide who is the best swordsman in the land. He sets off with his three sisters (Anita, Gloria and Winnie) but soon picks another companion to travel with them – Hu Metal Flower (Deric Wan) an accomplished swordsman but also the prime comedy relief of the film. They stop off at a tavern and after the necessary comedy bit, Kwok is attacked by Chung Yuan (Fennie). Not really sure why but if she doesn’t kill him by midnight she has to commit suicide. She doesn’t but he saves her from killing herself. Now she says I have to marry you. Sorry my master says I can’t marry till he is dead. Ok, I will have to go kill him then. Perfect logic.



But the highlight is when he meets up with the person who is expected to be his chief competition in the tournament. Flowerless, who is traveling with a large Buddhist entourage doing choreographed routines while carrying her on a platform enveloped in a large tulip looking cloth covering and a huge Sauwastika symbol off to the side.  Fragrant challenges Flowerless to a lovely duel of capturing two items – the Gold Cane and the Sword - without touching the ground. It is fabulous as they fly, bounce and jump around – at one point Flowerless’s men build a human ladder for her to climb up and they both spin around like Whirling Dervishes on acid. I can watch this sort of thing for ages. But it is hard not to notice that Flowerless in the Buddhist robes and head covering is awfully cute. That is because Flowerless is being played by Chingmy and is supposed to be a man (though as we see later is a woman).  Later when she shows herself as a woman, they sing a Chinese Opera ditty duet. Little of this makes much sense – but when they are clashing with such grace, who cares. Other characters show up – a fellow called Batman (Lau Ji-wan) with bat wings and his cute assistant played by Loletta Lee. He is seeking revenge and wants to kill everyone. Fragrant and his three sisters seek refuge in the Winter Palace which is stunning and ruled over by Jellyfish – Cheung Man. Bat Man and his hordes come after them. Again not really sure why.



The film ends suddenly with a sequel clearly implied – same as Kung Fu Cult Master by Wong – but this came in 89th at the box office that year. So much for a sequel. Films like this that indulge so heavily in style, colors, beautiful women, wuxia grandiosity were a dime a dozen in 1993. Among the Top Ten at the Box Office that year were the two Fong Sai-yuk films, Once Upon a Time in China III and the even more absurd but wonderful Eagles Shooting Heroes. The Bride with White Hair came in at 14th. So it is not really surprising that this fell off the charts. But when watching it today, it is still near impossible not to be wowed by the wuxia parts.  They are frantic, fast and fabulous. If only the film was.