If you're one of those kung fu movie fans who struggle with the complex historical plot-lines of many an old school martial arts flick, then Soul of the Sword will be perfect for you: the story is dead easy to follow, meaning that you can forget about which emperor is doing what to which gang of rebels and why, and just enjoy the fighting.
Hong Kong legend Ti Lung is the star of the show, playing Nameless, a swordsman whose ambition is to become King of Swords by defeating Lu (Feng Ku), the current holder of the title. As a child, Nameless saw Lu kill a challenger, who lost his life because he was distracted by the woman he loved (following the death of her lover, the woman promptly commits suicide). After dedicating his life to swordsmanship, Nameless is now ready to take on the reigning champ; however, while waiting for Lu to return home, Nameless falls for local girl Ho Lien (Chen-Chi Lin). Will his ability to fight be compromised, like the man Lu killed all those years ago?
I've read that Ti Lung isn't a swordsman, and that the way he holds his weapon in this film is all wrong, but, to be honest, unless you're an expert in the matter, I doubt it'll affect your enjoyment: it looked pretty amazing to me, the sword work combined with lots of breath-taking acrobatics. There are some amazing set-pieces, Nameless taking on multiple opponents at once, with a great fight in a restaurant against hunchbacked swordsmen, a visually impressive battle in a bamboo forest against love rival Yien (Norman Tsui Siu-Keung) and his pals, and confrontations with several of Lu's guards - Yuen Wah with a big, wobbly sword and a group of pole-fighters (one of which is played by Corey Yuen, director of The Transporter).
After a shocking plot-twist that I didn't see coming, Nameless finally meets Lu for a stylish and bloody battle, the challenger discovering the true identity of his opponent, who has always hidden his face with a veiled hat, before delivering the death blow. Wounded, the new King of Swords staggers home to Ho Lien, but is ambushed by Yien, who is being helped by vengeful swordswoman Three Strokes Hua-Chang (Hui-Ling Liu). A final bloody fight ensues.
Not only does this film deliver the goods in terms of sword fights, but it also throws in some kung fu for those who prefer fighting with fists and feet, a little comedy (but not too much), and even a smattering of nudity for good measure, with Nameless cutting open a swordswoman's clothes to reveal her breasts, and Yien getting it on with Three Strokes (after she gets him going by tweaking his nipples!). It's well-paced, energetic, and entertaining, and it won't have you Googling ancient Chinese history and politics to try and figure out what happened.
7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
