Have Sword, Will Travel

1969 Shaw Brothers kung-fu

Rating: 14/20

Plot: Ying Ke-Fing is a swordsman whose skills have depleted with sickness and age. He and his peeps annually escort a whole bunch of government silver from one place to another place. Two of that crew, Hsiang and Yun, are students of the latter's aunt, a "master of hidden weapons" or some shit like that. They're also engaged. When a mysterious and very poor wanderer with lightning-speed sword skills pops into the picture, a high-flyin' kung-fu love triangle develops. Hsiang and Yun must figure out whether this stranger is who he says he is or if he's actually a spy for the Flying Tiger Gang. Whatever he is, they decide, he sure is tiny!

Kung-Furiday! Lots of swords in this one, and, by the end at least, lots and lots of carnage. This starts with an in-studio ballet of slashing and violence behind the credits. From there, things get a little sluggish during the exposition, but by the time this builds to the climactic ambush scene, a lot which takes place in the various levels of a tower, it gets violently poetic and exciting. Love stories are generally extraneous in action flicks, but the triangle here adds to the suspense and character development. But who cares about all that on Kung-Furiday? We want swordplay and wire-aided leaps through the trees and fountains of blood and dorky sound effects. Have Sword, Will Travel's got all that.

School's out, so my Friday martial arts entertainment won't be on the big screen for a while. Here I am: