Perils Of The Sentimental Swordsman (1982)

PERILS OF THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN is surprisingly NOT the third film in Chu Yuan's THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN series, based on a series of Gu Long novels, in which Ti Lung plays Little Flying Dagger Xiaoli Feidao. It is the third film in Chu Yuan's series that began with Clans Of Intrigue and Legend Of The Bat, based on a different series of Gu Long novels, in which Ti Lung plays Chu Liu Hsiang.

Not that it particularly matters, I suppose - one Chu Yuan Gu Long adaptation starring Ti Lung is much like any other, but this is another fine example of why the formula was used so many times.

The plot is typically mad, though not as convoluted or outlandish as its predecessors - in most contexts that would be a good thing, but that's half the fun of these films so here it's a weakness. Of the three Chu Liu Hsiang films this is definitely the least memorable.

The visuals and the atmosphere are intoxicating. That always was a strength of Chu Yuan's films, but towards the end it became less and less true as Shaw Brothers reduced his budgets - thankfully, this film seems to have been allowed to spend as much on ridiculously ornate sets as its director wished.

The film is comparatively more action packed, and though the action is never the best reason to watch a Chu Yuan film it is quite decent here. There's more wirework, in keeping with the shift towards that style that was taking place at the time, though it's nothing like as bonkers as something like The Lady Assassin.