"The Swordsman" has some riveting action sequences that have a tactile feel since the swordsman, who is nearly blind, relies on amplified sound to navigate the dangers around him. So the sound work is visceral, with metallic sounds of swords, rain, guide bells, feet skidding on the dirt. The Swordsman encounters many kinds of skirmishes, from one on duels, to hordes of stealth assassins, and those who fight in both Korean and Chinese fighting styles.
I enjoyed the action, and the Swordsman is fairly believable in his impaired but skilled role. He is unusually passive as well. However, it was unclear throughout the film just how blind he was, and at a certain point his blindness really felt like no impairment at all, as he dodged not only swords but multiple close range bullets from different directions. Perhaps the Swordsman was really just nearsighted or farsighted?
The plot was similarly confused. Did the villain actually have an agenda, or was he just a bully? What is the ancestry of this one character, and does it actually matter to the plot at all? Does the actions of the Swordsman have any real consequences-did he just incite an international war, by rescuing an important person to him? If not, why not?
Anyway, if you can forget things making sense, "The Swordsman" is an enjoyable action film based on a familiar trope of the underdog master killer.
I enjoyed the action, and the Swordsman is fairly believable in his impaired but skilled role. He is unusually passive as well. However, it was unclear throughout the film just how blind he was, and at a certain point his blindness really felt like no impairment at all, as he dodged not only swords but multiple close range bullets from different directions. Perhaps the Swordsman was really just nearsighted or farsighted?
The plot was similarly confused. Did the villain actually have an agenda, or was he just a bully? What is the ancestry of this one character, and does it actually matter to the plot at all? Does the actions of the Swordsman have any real consequences-did he just incite an international war, by rescuing an important person to him? If not, why not?
Anyway, if you can forget things making sense, "The Swordsman" is an enjoyable action film based on a familiar trope of the underdog master killer.