Return of the Bastard Swordsman - The Review
"Return of the Bastard Swordsman" is a sequel to Lu Chin-Ku's earlier movie "Bastard Swordsman".
The climax of "Bastard Swordsman" saw Yun Fei Yang rescuing the Wudang tribe from an inevitable peril and winning over the lovely Wan Er.
Yun promised the evil Dugu Wu Di that they will fight to the end at an appointed time using their patent moves in the unavoidable sequel.
"Return of the Bastard Swordsman" continues from the point from where its prequel ended.
The Wudang tribe was again in troubled waters.
This time, apart from the notorious Dugu Wu Di the tribe also had to tackle a gang of Japanese martial artists, who were waiting to fight the winners in a fight between the Invincibles and the Wudangs.
The Wudang tribe sends a follower to look for Yun Fei Yang, who was enjoying a peaceful life with Wan Er.
Soon enough, the Jap martial artists ambush Wudang and kill all the members.
Yun Fei Yang was angered on hearing this and he decides to take his revenge by killing Dugu Wu Di who was framed by the Japs for having killed the Wudangs.
What follows is a twist and turn of events and finally Yun and taking on the notorious leader of the Japs, Mochitsuki.
This fight sequence is crowning moment in the movie.
This scene has a generous use of special effects and is filled with the oddest of visuals.
It strikes my mind while reviewing "Return of the Bastard Swordsman" that in spite of the amazing techniques and originality shown by Lu Chin-Ku and Yuen Tak in direction and choreography, the movie still follows the same old path created by the Shaw's.
The style, the costumes and sets were same.
The cast had no fresh faces and included the regular Chen Kuan-Ti, Norman Chu and Lau Wing among others.
Even though the actions seemed as good as in any other Shaw Brothers creation, the movie did not seem real at any point.
The locations chosen for shooting the film were much better than those of earlier movies of the same franchise.
However, the costume designs, if we compare it to the previous movies from the same banner, like "Duel to the Death" looked very shabby and ill-made.
The Japanese were created loosely and this was more evident with the ways they were dressed.
The character of Yun Fei Yang was itself so mesmerizing that the director had to introduce him just before the climax, just to create some tension.
The plot has not much to speak about except for the fact that it was not a well-knit plot.
"Return of the Bastard Swordsman" is probably the funniest wuxia movie ever created by the Shaw Brothers.
All in all, the movie is a mix of funny characters, a loose plot and ancient choreography with a heavy dose of modern effects.
The climax of "Bastard Swordsman" saw Yun Fei Yang rescuing the Wudang tribe from an inevitable peril and winning over the lovely Wan Er.
Yun promised the evil Dugu Wu Di that they will fight to the end at an appointed time using their patent moves in the unavoidable sequel.
"Return of the Bastard Swordsman" continues from the point from where its prequel ended.
The Wudang tribe was again in troubled waters.
This time, apart from the notorious Dugu Wu Di the tribe also had to tackle a gang of Japanese martial artists, who were waiting to fight the winners in a fight between the Invincibles and the Wudangs.
The Wudang tribe sends a follower to look for Yun Fei Yang, who was enjoying a peaceful life with Wan Er.
Soon enough, the Jap martial artists ambush Wudang and kill all the members.
Yun Fei Yang was angered on hearing this and he decides to take his revenge by killing Dugu Wu Di who was framed by the Japs for having killed the Wudangs.
What follows is a twist and turn of events and finally Yun and taking on the notorious leader of the Japs, Mochitsuki.
This fight sequence is crowning moment in the movie.
This scene has a generous use of special effects and is filled with the oddest of visuals.
It strikes my mind while reviewing "Return of the Bastard Swordsman" that in spite of the amazing techniques and originality shown by Lu Chin-Ku and Yuen Tak in direction and choreography, the movie still follows the same old path created by the Shaw's.
The style, the costumes and sets were same.
The cast had no fresh faces and included the regular Chen Kuan-Ti, Norman Chu and Lau Wing among others.
Even though the actions seemed as good as in any other Shaw Brothers creation, the movie did not seem real at any point.
The locations chosen for shooting the film were much better than those of earlier movies of the same franchise.
However, the costume designs, if we compare it to the previous movies from the same banner, like "Duel to the Death" looked very shabby and ill-made.
The Japanese were created loosely and this was more evident with the ways they were dressed.
The character of Yun Fei Yang was itself so mesmerizing that the director had to introduce him just before the climax, just to create some tension.
The plot has not much to speak about except for the fact that it was not a well-knit plot.
"Return of the Bastard Swordsman" is probably the funniest wuxia movie ever created by the Shaw Brothers.
All in all, the movie is a mix of funny characters, a loose plot and ancient choreography with a heavy dose of modern effects.
