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Swordsman II
List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $26.99
Your Save: $ 2.96 ( 10% )
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Manufacturer: Tai Seng Video Marketing
Starring: Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Michelle Reis, Waise Lee, Rosamund Kwan
Directed By: Siu-Tung Ching, Stanley Tong
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5Average rating of 3.5/5

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Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0601643273549
Format: AC-3
Label: Tai Seng Video Marketing
Manufacturer: Tai Seng Video Marketing
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Letterbox
Publisher: Tai Seng Video Marketing
Region Code: 0
Release Date: 1999-08-14
Running Time: 109
Studio: Tai Seng Video Marketing
Theatrical Release Date: 1991

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Editorial Reviews:

It's not necessary to see the first Swordsman before you see Swordsman II--though some of the characters are the same, the cast is almost completely different. Into the thick of a clan feud in long-ago China comes young swordsman Ling (Jet Li), who has a romantic attachment to the leader of one side of the feud (Rosamund Kwan). However, on the other side is an evil sorcerer, Asia the Invincible (Brigitte Lin), who has found a magical scroll that will give the user formidable powers if the user castrates himself. Not only has Asia done so, over the course of the movie he transforms into a woman. Ling accidentally meets the newly feminine Asia, who remains silent to hide her still masculine voice, and they find themselves in the throes of a powerful attraction. But this much of the plot is only the tip of the iceberg; Hong Kong movies routinely pack enough story for three films into one, and Swordsman II is no exception. What is exceptional is the emotional power of the story, the superb performances, and the spectacular and hyperkinetic cinematography. Lin is completely magnetic and Li is at his buoyant, charismatic best. There's something so delightful and inviting about the special effects in Hong Kong films that it's simply more fun to believe them than not, even if they aren't realistic by Hollywood standards. At their best, Hong Kong fantasies (like A Chinese Ghost Story or Green Snake) become much more than camp. An epic of amazing scope and surprising richness, Swordsman II is quite possibly one of the greatest movies ever made. --Bret Fetzer


Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: Lanuage
Comment: Well al was as aspected although I was disapointed regarding
the spoken language in this version of the film, While it sais when you look at the fetures of this movie the spoken language is "Japanese" a slight misstake i thought as this is an chinese movie and asumed that it should have said Cantonese but when i recived it the only language that I could select was Dubbed English. And I do belive that this kind of film loses some of its potency when not viewed in its original lanuage.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: A fantastic story of action and sacrifice but beware the terrible subtitles
Comment: Fans of Hong Kong cinema will definitely want this famous martial arts epic in their personal library. This was Jet Li's highest grossing HK film and it made Brigitte Lin a star. The martial arts are entirely of the supernatural wuxia variety here so don't expect something realistic like Li's "Fist of Legend". The visuals are eye-popping and you won't believe your eyes as you watch ninjas ride supersized airborne shurikans as though they were magic carpets, sexy Blue Phoenix shoot snakes out of her shirt sleeves, and Master Wu's "Essence Absorbing Stance".

In addition to the frenetic action, the plot and character development is interesting, although significantly hampered by the terrible subtitles. Rather than using the subs in the theatrical and laserdisc versions, new, incomprehensible subtitles have been added. A lot of the subtlety has been lost and I particularly was frustrated that villian "Asia the Invincible" was referred to simply as "Dawn" in the new subtitles. The whole point of the movie is that Asia has become seduced by his/her newfound power to the point that she starts referring to herself as "Invincible". "Dawn" just doesn't convey that sense of overconfidence.

Each character wrestles with their own conflicts. Jet Li wants to retreat from the world of martial arts with his "brothers" and do nothing more than drink wine, yet he gets pulled into an epic conflict. Kiddo can't decide whether she wants to be treated like a lady or one of the guys. The tribal leader wants to tell Jet Li that she loves him but feels her first duty is to protect her troupe and find her father. Blue Phoenix wants to be a loyal second-in-command but can't help but mouth off one too many times. And Asia the Invincible makes an incredible personal sacrifice to bring power to the oppressed Sun Moon Sect, but is ultimately seduced by the incredible power without realizing it.

This is one of my favorite HK films, but the awful subtitles kept me from granting it the full five stars it deserves. I have no idea why they got rid of the original theatrical subtitles, but that was clearly a mistake. Still, if you're a fan of over-the-top action and films where characters are trapped between their desires and their duties, this is a must-have movie.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
Summary: Note nearly as good as my memory of it...
Comment: I had fond, but vague memories of this movie from years back... then watched it again in this dubbed version and was apalled. Even beyond the dubbing, the movie itself is just so cheesily directed and cut that even the martial arts don't play well. It just doesn't hold up to the best of the genre, especially now that it's been taken to such a higher level with recent films like House of the Flying Daggers.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: I liked the song
Comment: Hey Kiddo. Loyalty, and friendship. Swordsmanship and magic. I enjoyed the scenery. Interesting how a woman hides the fact she is a woman and her class mates do not know. Very much like the original Swordsman. La La la la la la, la la la la la. Listen to the singing of the Sun Sect. How two old men unite after many years and sing this song. Jet Li and Kiddo sing as well. How one takes possesion of a stringed instrument. Watch the movie. Makes you want to la la la.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: the best of the JET LI COLLECTION DUBS, still sucks, but it is the best
Comment: I hate the fact that I have to review this movie AND the dubbing. I saw this on spike a year or so ago and thought the dubbing was the worst. I guess that I have been seasoned in watching this stupid Jet Li collection because after watching 10 or so of the american dubs of jet, I watched this again and whoever that guy is who always dubs Jet, puts on one of the better performances of his career.

Now that I got that out of the way I can talk about the movie. I watched this without seeing the first swordsman. But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna like Jet more than bucktooth from OUATIC. Even if the fole doesn't fit him very well, jet shows that he really is an actor in this movie. Good battle scenes. Also a good movie to watch with guys so that you can make comments about the always fabulous Bridgitte lin. She is so freaking hot I actually went on a major binge and bough ALL of her movies. So go ahead and check ou Fire Dragon, Bride With White Hairm and my fav. Deadful Melody. I haven't seen the 1st or 3rd movies, but after seeing this, I will seek them out nomatter what it takes.

Truly one of the greatest movies ever and it really makes you think.

EDITED


I got the Meieh version and it is the uncut version(108 minutes). If you are going to get this movie, make sure you buy the Mei-Eh/Tai Seng version under the title of Swordsman II.


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