Available now from 88 Films
Following her sister’s murder, a swordswoman must find the killers and avenge her death.
Written by Kuang ni and directed by Pao-Shu Kao, Lady with a Sword is a solid take on the revenge film with a lady lead who can’t be stopped. The story here is a bit by the book but there are a few twists and turns, elevating it from the basic story it might have been into the story it is now. The writing here works and so does the direction, giving the viewers a story they will love and one that fans of the genre will likely adore. After this many years, over 50 years, the film still feels rather fresh while giving the viewers a period piece that feels almost timeless. There is a ton of charm in this production and a lot of it comes from ow the story was written.
The cast of course is a massive part of this film with performances that are a bit exaggerated here and there, yet it is part of the charm for this film. This is a film that makes one want to pay attention and a big part of this attention comes from the performances here. The cast is fun to watch, the lead Lily Ho is great as Feng Fei Fei and her fighting is fantastic to watch. She’s the center of everything and she knows it, but she’s also a team player, making this a film where she’s at the center but bringing in her colleagues to make a better, bigger impact on the viewers. Her work is pivotal and important here and this is very much her film. Joining here is a solid supporting cast who may be more here for their fighting skills than anything else, but they all make solid efforts at giving good performances and their enthusiasm is contagious here.
Lady with a Sword is one of those martial arts films that mixes hand-to-hand combat with swordplay and makes the most of its somewhat simple set-up. The fight choreography here is great and it makes the film so much fun to watch. There is solid work done here by people who clearly have studied this for years (and a few questionable ones here and there, but eh). The film is a big set-up for fights, like most vengeance films and all martial arts films are. The fun of the film is in the fights and how each character gets brought into these fights.
Generally speaking, Lady with a Sword is a solid martial arts and swordplay film with a side of revenge story that, while effective, is almost not needed at times when one is truly enjoying the fights. The acting is good from most of the cast with a few hiccups here and there in the group. The writing works, the direction works for the needs here, and the film looks good.
The new transfer from 88 Films here is lovely to watch and listen too, showing good base materials to work with. The extras are a bit lackluster sadly, including a stills gallery, newly translated subtitles, an audio commentary by David West, and a fold out poster. The lack of any archival footage or interview or material of any kind is a bit of a letdown. What is there though is good.
