leonblackwood Review: This is yet another one of those Kung Fu movies were I didn't have a clue what was going on. I had to watch it twice, just to try and understand who was who but St the end of the day, I was none the wiser. I got the fact that Jet Li's clan was looking for there master who had been locked up in a woman/man's dungeon, but apart from that I was completely lost. Once again, there's loads of flying action with people fighting in mid-air, which I found a bit ridiculous but the various characters made the movie watchable, even though I didn't know what was going on half the time. I couldn't believe that none of the characters didn't know that the man was a woman because she really did look like a man. Also, I was getting confused with who was who and why people were fighting each other without knowing who each other was. Anyway, if I understood what was going on, I'm sure that I would have liked it a bit more but I spent more time keeping up with the plot than actually enjoying it. Average!Round-Up: Why do these oriental film makers have to make there movies so confusing when the concept is about different clans. Also, I'm getting really fed up with these flying on strings and fighting in mid-air action scenes. Most people who are into there Kung Fu movies, prefer the old ones which didn't have this flying in the air rubbish. I wonder if Bruce Lee would take to this style of action scenes if he was still alive? Anyway, enough of my moaning and back to this film. Jet Li puts in a good performance, alongside the different characters in the film but I'm yet to see a performance from Jet were he isn't flying in the air. Hopefully I will see a more realistic action movie from this fast fighting actor, when I watch the earlier movies.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: HK$34.5millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a clan who are looking for there master whilst fighting against different clans. 3/10

popularlibrary This film is clearly based on the same novel which has produced several other versions, notably two which were done as multi-episode television programs. The earlier, from the 1980s, starred Chow Yun-fat as Ling-hu Chong (as the name is given in most versions), and ran at 20 episodes. I have not seen this, though it has an excellent reputation, but the more recent version, shown in China in 2000, ran for 40 episodes, and was shown recently in the US on the AZN cable station under the title Laughing in the Wind. The first half of the series will be available on DVD soon. It was a superb piece of work, strikingly photographed, brilliantly choreographed, and, more importantly, written and acted with a depth and subtlety that did full justice to its possibilities.This version with Jet Li has many excellent qualities, but the limited running time necessary for a theatrical film, plus the unnecessary addition of the Japanese story, robbed it of the ability to develop the psychologically and dramatically fascinating story to anything like its real potential. (I can't see the smallest relation to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which it seems to me is an entirely different kind of story.) For a Jet Li fan, this is one of his more interesting films, but anyone interested in the adaptation of this classic novel into a truly superior dramatic version should seek out Laughing in the Wind.

Progbear-4 You know it's going to be a wild ride when bodies are being chopped in half five seconds into the film. The manic pace of this film never lets up, the assault of flashing swords, flying bodies, snakes, needles, throwing stars, whips, needles and kitchen sinks (all right, not really, but I think you get my point) is almost too much to absorb all in one sitting. But what really makes the film is the striking performance by Brigitte Lin as the villain. She's fast becoming my favourite HK actress, and her wicked performance here is a big reason why. Her character is so captivating that the next "Swordsman" film was apparently centered around her character. The only letdown is that for the bulk of the film, she's dubbed (with a male voice), but since that's integral to the plot, I'll let it slide. For fans of HK fantasy/action films, this is very much worth your while.

inanna5 If you only see one movie from Hong Kong, look no further. This one packed the best of all that kept HK's movie industry at the forefront of the action/ martial arts genre. The androgynous leading role also revived veteran actress Brigitte Lin's career, launching scores of other copycats casting her in such roles. She completely overshadows everyone else, despite the star-studded cast (incl Jet Li). The action sequences were stunning and kudos also for the meticulous costume-design and music score - a classic!