Bastard Swordsman

The first film introduces us to Yun Fei-Yang, played by Norman Chui. An orphan and lowly servant at the Wudang school, he spends his days being looked down upon by those around him. But there is far more to Yun than anyone realises. By night, he is secretly trained by a mysterious masked master, developing his martial arts skills while a growing conflict between Wudang and the rival Invincible Clan threatens to explode. What begins as a fairly traditional wuxia story soon becomes something much stranger and much more entertaining.

Bastard Swordsman is packed with secret identities, double-crosses, rival clans and increasingly bizarre martial arts techniques. The famous Silkworm Technique is a perfect example of the film embracing the more fantastical side of wuxia, and it helps give the action a personality all of its own.

This isn’t your straightforward swords-and-honour martial arts film. The further the story goes, the more outrageous things become, and that is where Bastard Swordsman really starts to win you over. It is classic Shaw Brothers entertainment that isn’t afraid to get a little weird, a little wild and completely over the top.

Norman Chui is excellent in the lead role. He gives Yun Fei-Yang a sympathetic quality, making you want to see this constantly underestimated character finally prove himself. As the story develops, the film becomes increasingly wild, culminating in a spectacular finale packed with inventive techniques and fantasy-infused combat.

The plot can become a little complicated at times, with plenty of characters and shifting allegiances to keep track of, but the film rarely slows down for long. There always seems to be another duel, another betrayal or another ridiculous technique waiting around the corner. For me, that is exactly where Bastard Swordsman works best.

This is pure Shaw Brothers wuxia madness, and I mean that as a compliment.

Return of the Bastard Swordsman

A year later, Norman Chui returned as Yun Fei-Yang in Return of the Bastard Swordsman, once again directed by Lu Chin-Ku. The sequel picks up with the Wudang clan facing more trouble, while Yun attempts to leave the martial world behind. Unfortunately, as is usually the case in wuxia films, a peaceful life is never going to last very long.

The Invincible Clan remains a threat, but this time the story also introduces a new group of Japanese martial artists into the mix. The cast is expanded with familiar Shaw Brothers faces including Chen Kuan-Tai, Lo Lieh and Phillip Ko, alongside returning stars Norman Chui, Leanne Lau, Alex Man and Tony Liu.

If the first film occasionally feels wild, the sequel is happy to take things even further. There is more wirework, more fantasy, more special effects and more outrageous martial arts techniques. Some of the story becomes even more complicated, and the sheer number of characters can occasionally make it difficult to keep up with exactly who is fighting whom and why, but honestly, that almost feels beside the point.

The appeal here is watching a group of Shaw Brothers legends unleash increasingly ridiculous techniques on each other. Palm strikes, supernatural abilities, flying fighters and plenty of spectacular swordplay make this another hugely entertaining slice of fantasy wuxia.

While I personally prefer the first film, Return of the Bastard Swordsman is a worthy sequel and works particularly well when watched back-to-back with its predecessor.