Following the death of two warriors, a map goes missing. When the map is back, the assassins come back with a plot to get the map, leading to the appearance of a swordsman with incredible skills.
Written by Louis Cha and Lei Qiao, with Lei Qiao directing, the film is a wuxia epic that feels like it’s from decades ago. It’s a fun film, the story is decent with enough twists and turns to keep the viewer involved and interested. Overall, the film is one of those made with attention to details and that little something extra that will make fans want to keep coming back. Here, the writing is good, the direction is more than competent. It’s one of those films that is hard to describe as it would come off more generic than it actually is. The film is entertaining, the stunts are impressive, the story works, and it works in terms of a period piece and a wuxia film.
The cast here is good and make the action sequences work like magic. The acting is solid, giving the characters what they need and the film a solid foundation to get the viewers’ attention from. Leads Huawei Zhao, Yusi Chen, Ray Lui, Shanshan Chunyu, and Zihan Chen are all entertaining and talented, showing exactly what the story needs throughout. Their work is central to the film working out and they do great. Of course, some of the acting may come off as cheesy here and there in film, but there is something about them keeping the mood and style of classical wuxia films, so it’s perfect here.
The film’s stunts are a major part of everything here and one of the main reasons to see this film. The martial arts, the wuxia, the way it’s all done with some seriously old school techniques and some new ones here and there. The team behind the action sequences and fight scenes do tremendous work here. Their names are not easily available online, but they need, deserve, the props. The only one found is Hua Cao, the martial arts instructor. The choreography needed for wuxia fights is something that requires particular knowledge and great skill, both of which are on display here throughout the film.
To go with all of these talented people, the cinematography by Simu Feng has the style needed here to make the film look like it belongs with classic wuxia movies. The work gives the film a very pretty look, giving the fights the room to develop, giving the meticulous sets and costumes the space to be shown and enjoyed. The editing works great with this as well, creating dynamic scenes and allowing the viewer to see the fights.
The Flying Swordsman is a solid epic wuxia film that feels like a continuation of the genre and an addition to the genre that is worth picking up.
The Flying Swordsman debuts on digital and DVD January 9th fro WellGoUSA,