Taking a different angle with martial arts

As one of the rulers of the Hong Kong film industry in the 1980s and 1990s, director Tsui Hark (徐克) has made a remarkably smooth transition into the 21st century with Seven Swords (七劍), an ambitious project that reopens the world of wuxia martial arts. Determined to draw a clear distinction between hot films from the East such as Hero (英雄) and House of Flying Daggers (十面埋伏), Tsui has made a splash by providing an alternative vision of the martial arts saga.

Letting go of the stagy and surrealistic costumes, settings and dazzling special effects of many mainstream martial arts movies, Tsui has once again proved himself a master of narration, with playful yet pointed camera angles, ingenious composition and editing. There are also beautifully choreographed action scenes and his juxtaposition of close-ups and long shots admirably convey the inner development of characters.

In the world of Seven Swords, there is no line between good and evil. Instead ordinary people are confronted with their own demons and weakness. Each character is painted as an ordinary human being, with a loveable side and a dark side. For example, the greedy, blood-thirsty general who chases after the seven swords master, Fire-Wind, is not merely an incarnation of pure evil, but rather a morbidly charming persona with a sense of childlike innocence.

Tsui wants to present a world of wuxia that is not divorced from reality. His themes are the issue of universal humanity and contemporary society.

The film is not without its weaknesses, however. As in most of Tsui's movies, the characters' personalities develop throughout the film. But here the personalities do not seem to fully mature and are rather shadowy in their portrayal. Perhaps the reason for this is that Tsui originally conceived a four hour film, rather than two-and-a-half hours.

Another problem is the music composed by Kenki Kawai, who creates a grand score which is nevertheless devoid of human emotions and merely serves as a supportive role to the visual elements.

Despite the defects, Seven Swords sees a director who has total confidence and control in his craftsmanship and artistry. As intended, Tsui has made a film that is a worthy homage to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurais.