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Movie
Poster for Swordsman

Swordsman

1990 · 117 min

A lively wuxia adventure with swirling swordplay, shifting loyalties, and a touch of bittersweet melody.

Overview
A kung-fu manual known as the Sacred Scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.

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Free in the UK
  • Plex
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • betrayal
  • loyalty
  • power
  • corruption
  • friendship
Places
  • countryside
  • wilderness
Era
period
Audience
teen
Form
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action8
Horror2
Humour5
Realism4
Romance4
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight5

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Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • Plex

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
action, adventure
Directed by
Tsui Hark, Raymond Lee Wai-man, Tony Ching, King Hu
Written by
Jason Lam Kee-to, Wong Ying, Lau Tai-muk, Edward Leung Yiu-ming
Starring
Sam Hui, Cecilia Yip Tung, Jacky Cheung Hok-yau, Sharla Cheung Man, Fennie Yuen Kit-ying, Lau Siu-ming, Yuen Wah, Lau Shun
Cinematography
Andy Lam Kwok-wah, Peter Pau Tak-hai
Runtime
117 min
Country
Hong Kong, Taiwan
Languages
Mandarin, Cantonese

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