Lady 9-Flower (1969)

Lady 9 Flower is a direct sequel to The Absurd Brave, picking up the plot right after that film ends but taking the unusual step of following the defeated villain as she plots her revenge... which at least explains why the film is named after her.

The result is a more focused story (written by future Shaw Brothers director Sun Chung), and an almost complete absence of the weird juvenile humour that didn't really work for me in the first film.

It's a more conventional wuxia plot, even if the protagonist seeking revenge is the villain this time. Lady 9-Flower is still a thoroughly unpleasant character, this is no redemption arc, but shifting the focus to her definitely works in the film's favour, even if it loses some of its predecessor's uniqueness.

I think the action is better choreographed here - it's uneven, but there are parts that are actually good and I don't remember that being the case before.

It's still no classic and I can't honestly recommend anybody go to great lengths to track down the DVD with its scratched, battered print and barely legible subtitles... but if you happen to have a copy lying around, I won't discourage you from watching it (if you like Taiwanese wuxia).