Wuxia Classic? Swordsman (1990) 4K UHD Review

Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

Welcome to a world of flying swordsmen, stolen martial-arts manuals and wonderfully chaotic wuxia action.

In this video, I review Swordsman (1990), the first film in the celebrated trilogy, newly restored in 4K UHD by Imprint Asia as part of their spectacular Limited Edition Swordsman Collection.

Loosely adapted from Jin Yong’s The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, the film stars Samuel Hui, Cecilia Yip, Jacky Cheung and Sharla Cheung and arrived at a pivotal moment for Hong Kong wuxia cinema. With King Hu, Tsui Hark, Ching Siu-tung and Raymond Lee all connected to its famously complicated production, the result is messy, energetic and bursting with imagination.

🔗 Where to Buy

📀 The Swordsman Collection (1990–1993) – Limited Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray

Imprint Asia / Via Vision – The Swordsman Collection

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🎬 About the Film

When the Sunflower Sacred Scroll, a powerful kung-fu manual, is stolen from the Emperor’s library, swordsman Ling Wu-Chung becomes caught in the increasingly chaotic struggle to possess it. Swordsman throws political intrigue, eccentric characters, elaborate swordplay and larger-than-life wuxia action together with an almost reckless amount of energy. The troubled production should have resulted in disaster, but instead it helped create a fascinating bridge between traditional wuxia and the spectacular Hong Kong fantasy films that exploded during the 1990s.

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⚖️ Fair Use Disclaimer

Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.

#Swordsman #ImprintAsia #ImprintFilms #Wuxia #HongKongCinema #TsuiHark #KingHu #MartialArts #4KUHD #PhysicalMedia #ManvFilm

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