Seven Swords (Region 1)

7.5	Listal rating
-	Amazon rating

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Manufacturer : Weinstein Company
Release date : 16 January 2007
Number of discs : 2
EAN : 0796019797580
UPC : 796019797580

action (1), chinese (1), foreign (1), asian (1), new release (1), wu xia (1), unseen (1)

Status: Watched

Description

Product DescriptionChina in the 17th Century. A new law decrees all martial arts illegal punishment of death. A group of soldiers travel the country seeking out those who would flout the law. A swordsman and his disciples decide to take the fight to the enemy following a plea from a group of villagers.DVD Features:Main Language: Mandarin Product Description
China in the 17th Century. A new law decrees all martial arts illegal punishment of death. A group of soldiers travel the country seeking out those who would flout the law. A swordsman and his disciples decide to take the fight to the enemy following a plea from a group of villagers.DVD Features:Main Language: MandarinAvailable Audio Tracks: DTS Dolby Digital 5.1Sub Titles: EnglishShooting Diaries Interview With Tsui HarkMaking OfSystem Requirements:Run Time: 135 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/MIXED MARTIAL ARTS UPC: 796019797580 Manufacturer No: 79758

As the title indicates, Seven Swords is in the epic spirit of The Seven Samurai and its American cousin, The Magnificent Seven. A grittier enterprise, it may not surpass Tsui Hark’s 1990s classics like Once Upon a Time in China, but offers its own unique pleasures--like non-stop action (for which it received a coveted Golden Horse Award). Based on the book Seven Swordsmen from Mountain Tian, the action begins in rural China in the 1600s. The Ching Dynasty has just banned martial arts, and in response seven dissidents band together to fight against Fire-Wind (Honglei Sun) and his minions. The septet includes Hong Kong superstars Charlie Young (Wu Yuan Yin), Leon Lai (Yang Yun Chong), and Hero's Donnie Yen (Chu Zhao Nan). One of the mountain villagers they save is pretty Korean refugee Green Pearl (So-yeon Kim), who falls for the moody Chu. Filmed on location in scenic Xinjiang, Seven Swords is a feast for the eyes. Though some critics have taken Hark to task for the army's anachronistic goth-punk garb, it sure looks menacing. Originally four and a half hours long, this version clocks in at 153 minutes. Hark's soft-spoken commentary, along with Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, is on the first disc. Deleted scenes and other extras are on the second. Because of the cuts, the complex narrative isn't always easy to follow--and the film still feels long--but the gold-tinged visuals and fight choreography by Kar-Leung Lau (The Legend of Drunken Master) helps to compensate. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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