Review of Sword Master (2016) by Viet Phuong N — 30 Jul 2017

The obnoxious emphasis on 3D of this film made me really one to give up watching several times, but its sincere adherence to Gu Long's original characters and writing style helped me to stay until the end.

The cheap 3D effects of this film only highlight Derek Yee's disappointing negligence about settings and cinematography. Thankfully, Gu Long's spirit of "jianghu", of Chinese-style unrequited love, of existentialist heroism was kept intact with beautifully-built characters, slow pace of choreography, and simple plot.

Of course, this film is far from a decent adaptation of Gu Long's novels, but at least it is watchable - a feat that has become more and more difficult of the modern Hong Kong cinema.