Movie

Bastard Swordsman

1983 · 95 min

A scrappy underdog rises through bullying and betrayal into wildly inventive kung-fu showdowns that feel like a comic book come to life.

Directed by: Tony Lou Chun-Ku
Genres: Action, Fantasy
Starring: Norman Tsui Siu-keung, Tony Liu Tian-jue, Wang Yong

Overview: Yun Fei Yang is the viciously bullied orphan who takes on the unpleasant tasks at a formidable kung-fu school. Constantly mocked by the other students of the school, Yen counts as his only friend the daughter of the resident master. Any internal wrangling between the various members is put to one side when a swordsman from a rival clan reminds the master of the duel he must take part in once a decade. Unfortunately the defending clan chief is well aware that his rival is more powerful than himself. The expected defeat is further complicated when a wandering swordsman arrives on the scene and joins himself to the injured party, immediately adding to Yen's woes.

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Directed by: Tony Lou Chun-Ku
Genres: Action, Fantasy
Starring: Norman Tsui Siu-keung, Tony Liu Tian-jue, Wang Yong

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: campystrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
whimsicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: revenge
identity
betrayal
power
coming-of-age
Places: school
countryside
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: twist ending
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language none
Violence strong
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	8
Horror	2
Humour	3
Realism	3
Romance	2
Tension	6
Darkness	5
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	5

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Details

Genres: action, fantasy
Directed by: Tony Lou Chun-Ku
Written by: Tony Lou Chun-Ku
Starring: Norman Tsui Siu-keung, Tony Liu Tian-jue, Wang Yong, Leanne Liu, Alex Man Chi-leung, Chen Szu-Chia, Eddie Koo Koon Chung, Lo Meng
Music: So Jan-Hau, Stephen Shing Gam-Wing
Cinematography: Philip Ma Kam-Cheung
Runtime: 95 min
Country: Hong Kong
Languages: Cantonese

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Bastard Swordsman

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