Directed by Derek Yee, this movie is actually a remake of the old Shaw Brothers Studio swords and romance wuxia classic "Death Duel." Derek Yee happens to have been one of the lead actors of Death Duel, but has now decided to direct this reinvention of that movie that helped make him popular all those decades ago. Adding some CG effects and modern cinematic visuals to the equation, this movie is like a love letter and fan service to what we grew to love about those old classic wire-fu flicks.
The premise is unashamedly familiar, and the characters are what you expect them to be, but that's besides the point for fans of this film genre. It actually would help to be a fan of wuxia films and the mythologies found in them, because there are some plot turns and reveals that just happen haphazardly, and aren't exactly built up in the typical story telling way. There's a lot that occur in this that just expects you to instinctively understand what's going on, which might be an issue to some. The story telling aside, most people will be in it for the action sequences, and there are definitely some exciting ones found here; especially during the last third of the movie.
While this isn't exactly the best entry to the genre, it definitely has enough merit to check out. Especially for nostalgic cinephiles who grew up on these kinds of movies. Just consider this as a guilty pleasure.
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