THE SWORD STAINED WITH ROYAL BLOOD (1993) back to main
Directed by Brandy Yuen Chun-Yeung; starring Yuen Biao, Cheung Man, Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Ng Man-Tat, Anita Yuen Wing-Yee, Tsui Kam-Kong, Wu Ma, Elizabeth Lee Mei-Fung.
Hong Kong producers may be great in spotting a trend and then milk the cow until it's dry, but in 1993 they missed the right time to quit. SWORD STAINED was one of the many martial-arts films that flopped despite it's obvious qualities. The emphasis here is on action, and there's lots of it, presented in an energetic, "anything goes" fashion, mixed with melodrama, less-than-highbrow humour and sizeable chunks of gore. An action-fest as only HK producers can make it. Rather strange though to see Danny Lee stepping out of his usual cop role to play the "Golden Snake Man", a morally ambiguous swordsman with supernatural powers (Naturally!). You may also enjoy the comic antiques of Cheung Man and Ng Man-Tat, goofy special effects and some of the best wire-work in recent memory.
Don't let yourself be fooled by
the pre-Main-Title massacre:
SWORD STAINED WITH
ROYAL BLOOD is
a martial-arts comedy,
not a slashfest.
This proves my point:
Ng Man-Tat being his
usual rumbustious self
throughout the film.
Some doubts may arise about the actual genre this movie belongs to,
but not for long: it's one of those
many, many "flying people" films
that flooded HK theatres in 1993.
But it's a good one.
Danny Lee in fancy dress. It takes
some time for the viewer to adjust to this
concept.
The Lone Wolf and Cub?
Not really: Royal Police officer Yuen Biao has just tightened the grip
on his prisoner, the beautiful - and very
silly - Cheung Man.
Plenty of swash'n'buckle in
SWORD STAINED WITH ROYAL BLOOD. All the time.
A short glimpse of the fanciful special
effects that feature prominently
in the second half of the film.
That's the "Golden Snake Sword",
not the one stained with you know what.