Verdict
Summary
Uncharacteristically downbeat and sad for a sword slashing wuxia film from the Shaw Brothers, Lady With a Sword also bears a distinct feminist vibe thanks to direction by Pao-Shu Kao, one of the few women to direct classic chop-sockie films from the golden age of the Shaw Brothers output. It sears the heart with its “better dig two graves” mentality, and it leaves the viewer on a mega downer, but fans of the genre might very well consider it a minor classic with its well directed and framed fight scenes and dramatic weight
Plot:
The sister of a lethal swordswoman is violated and murdered, leaving a child witness, and there will be hell to pay.
Review:
A woman and her young son are on the road on foot when a band of entitled brigands think they can do what they want to her. They rape and murder her, leaving the boy alive, which is a big mistake, because the boy runs off and alerts his aunt, a formidable and beautiful swordswoman named Feng Fei-fei (Lily Ho) of what happened. She rushes to the scene of the crime, and they find an arrow with a signature of a noble house on it … which is both fortuitous and disastrous for Feng because now she knows exactly who to hunt down for vengeance, but this is also terrible for her because the man responsible for her sister’s rape and murder is also the very man she’s been betrothed to marry. Knowing that she’s going to have to tread very carefully instead of a blazing tank with a sword thirsty for the blood of her sister’s killer, she systematically eliminates the villain’s troop of killers, but with her righteous task of revenge comes great sorrow because she’s going to lose more people that she loves in her war.
Uncharacteristically downbeat and sad for a sword slashing wuxia film from the Shaw Brothers, Lady With a Sword also bears a distinct feminist vibe thanks to direction by Pao-Shu Kao, one of the few women to direct classic chop-sockie films from the golden age of the Shaw Brothers output. It sears the heart with its “better dig two graves” mentality, and it leaves the viewer on a mega downer, but fans of the genre might very well consider it a minor classic with its well directed and framed fight scenes and dramatic weight. It’s never “fun,” but it’s consistently compelling and watchable, so it’s a solid entry.
88 Films recently released a Blu-ray (first time on Blu-ray) of this title, and it looked and sounded sharp and clear in high definition, and comes with a new audio commentary by a specialist on the genre, a slipcover, a stills gallery, an insert booklet, and more. It’s numbered #48 on the spine as part of the 88 Asia Collection.