This sci-fi wuxia from Tsui Hark is a visually stunning,
turbo-charged fantasy film and a justifiable classic
in the pantheon of HK Cinema. Adapted from Lee Sau-Man’s
mammoth martial arts novel, the film manages to squeeze
50 volumes into a hyperactive 110 minutes.
Yuen Biao is Ti Ming-Chi, a
random warrior caught in the pointless battles between
warring Chinese clans. Somehow he finds himself allied
with his reluctant sifu, Ting-Yin (Adam Cheng),
as they undertake a quest to seek out legendary twin
swords which are the only weapons that can possibly
stop the arrival of an all-consuming evil.
Aiding our heroes are a number
of familiar faces: Damian Lau and Mang Hoi play a pair
of warrior monks,
and Sammo Hung is Long Brow, who entreats Ti Ming-Chi
to seek the twin swords. A young Brigitte Lin plays
the mistress of the Jade Pool Fairy Fortress, where
Tsui Hark stages some of the most amazing action sequences
in cinema history. Sure, the effects look cheap, but
they work in the same way that Ray Harryhausen’s do.
Tsui Hark also manages to lace
the film with thinly-veiled political references, which
is par for the course as far as Tsui Hark is concerned. Zu is dated by today’s standards, but it’s solidly entertaining
and required viewing for anyone who cares for HK flicks. (Kozo
1996) |
