Jeri Jacquin
Coming to Bluray from director Derek Yee and Well Go USA
Entertainment is a beautiful story of love, revenge and redemption with
SWORDMASTER.
Ah Chi (Lin Gengxin) is a man with a past that has led him
to live poorly through life. Ending up at a brothel, he becomes the handyman in
order to have food to eat and a place to live.
Yen Shisan (Peter Ho) is a skilled assassin who has a path
as well, to find anyone who is as good with the sword as he is. When he
discovers there isn’t anyone, he decides to search out a beautiful place to
drink himself into a grave he has picked out for himself.
Looking for the love of her life, Chiu-Ti (Jiang Yiyan)
wants to find the man who has stolen her heart. Along with Cult (Norman Chiu),
they look everywhere there is a rumor about the man known as Hsieh Shao-Feng.
Working in the brothel, Ah Chi meets Sweetie (Jiang
Mengjie), a young woman who is taking the survival of her family onto herself.
Ah Chi notices her right away yet doesn’t know yet her situation.
When Ah Chi sees her again with family, he clearly knows in
his heart that not only is Sweetie a good person but comes from a family and
village of caring people. When Chiu-Ti and the army come through to smoke out
Hsieh Shao-Feng, everything becomes clear and a fight is inevitable.
It is who fights and how that happens that surprises all!
Gengxin as Ah Chi is a man who clearly is dealing with a
painful past. Not wanting to pick up a weapon in any way, he meets someone who
will teach him that a weapon doesn’t always have to be the way to win. Stuck in
emotional quicksand, he finally comes to terms with his past and fights for
what is right – as he was meant to.
Ho as Shisan is strong, funny, smart, and his skills are
quick and at the same time doesn’t suffer fools much. Trying to bring his life
some meaning he befriends Ah Chi hoping this is the person who he can give all
his martial arts secrets too. His performance is surprising in the fast paced
changes and yet the ending left me saying “oh no, do you have to?”
Yiyan as Chiu-Ti is a woman that could easily be considered
seriously disturbed with serious broken heart syndrome. Wanting her love back,
Chiu-Ti will stop at nothing including hurting others to get him back. With the
help of Chiu as Cult, there are several triangles here that keep the story
moving fast.
Mengjie as Sweetie is such a charming young woman and the
fact that she ends up in a brothel doesn’t change anything about her character.
Learning that she is taking care of her family brings such depth to this
character and rooting for her is a must. I enjoyed her performance thoroughly
and along with Paul Heiching as her doting and funny mother and Ma Jingjing as
brother Miao, this is a sweet family that broke my heart.
Well Go USA Entertainment is an amazing company that brings
the best of Action and Independent films from around the world. There format
includes theatres, digital, cable and VOD along with Bluray. For more of what
they have to offer go to www.wellgousa.com.
SWORDMASTER is a film rich in colorful and stunning
costumes, amazing martial art sequences and characters that are filled with
dilemma and drama. In this one hundred and five minute film, a story of all the
emotions possible are delivered from a cast that gives meaning to ensemble
work.
I love films like SWORDMASTER not only for its fantastic
storytelling and the stellar cinematography that captures epic swordplay and
fight sequences, but the beautiful costuming. It is important because costuming
can become another character offering up so much elegance that it is absolutely
breathtaking.
Director Yee is a former Hong Kong
actor who became a screenwriter and film director bringing some of my favorite
Asian films to the screen. From PROTÉGÉ to THE GREAT MAGICIAN and I AM
SOMEBODY, director Yee takes amazing stories and gives them a richness that
shows in every frame he offers to the screen.
The Bluray includes the Special Features of Mastering the Sword and also makes the
English language version available.
In the end – it is the story of a master swordsman come to
life!
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