Bastard Swordsman

The dawn of the 80s seemed to veer Hong Kong cinema into a frenzy, producing some of the most outrageous, lurid films of all time. These spectacles tended to take a genre-hybrid approach by blending kung fu, fantasy, horror and comedy into manic cocktails. Martial arts was no longer a question of superhuman, but of occult prowess.

Lu Chun-Ku directed two movies in 1983 with a feverish disregard for subtlety. Bastard Swordsman commences true to its title as a coked-up swordplay film but is soon sliding down the slopes of sheer madness. The plot turns into a whirlpool of deception and cartoonish combat. A central element is the Silkworm Style of kung fu. Sounds tame? That's only until it's made clear such a practice enables one not only to become practically weightless but also to shoot EXPLODING LASER BEAMS by harvesting inner powers.

The studio sets, including ancient temple grounds and nocturnal gardens with science fiction lighting, are just beautiful to look at. Everything from the garish costumes to the gleaming weapons ooze lavish charm into the fabric of Bastard Swordsman. This is a movie you simply can't help having a blast watching in its excessive glory.

The Wu Tang clan has the secret of the silkworm kung fu technique, but its Chief has always been defeated by the Chief of the Invincible clan, with whom he fights every 10 years. One day a mysterious stranger arrives at the Wu Tang compound and rapidly rises up the kung fu ladder, while at the same time lowly servant Yun, of unknown parentage, is secretly learning kung fu from a masked master. When the clans inevitably clash, who will survive? Will the secret of the silkworm technique finally be revealed? And maybe some of these people will even find True Love as well…. It's very hard to describe the kung fu movies made by the Shaw Brothers, basically because the plots are so incredibly loopy; this particular example all but jettisons the idea of plot altogether, the better to throw in more and more kung fu contests! One thing I love about this zaniness is that there are always female fighters as well as male, and they are all equal in skill; but regardless of gender, it's the action scenes for which one watches these films, and "Bastard Swordsman" ranks up there with the best of them!

Bastard Swordsman is a damn good kung fu movie and the most interesting kung fu movie i found recently.Directed by Chin-Ku Lu with his most famous flick Holy flame of the martial world(1983) you will know this movie will packed with a ton of awesome over the top kung fu battle you need to be see to believe.I really like the underdog concept in this movie:A nobody guy slowly turned into a kung fu master with one of the weirdest kung fu technique ever put on screen.The wire work in this movie is unbelievable from normal sword fight to middle air sword fight with a lot of cheesy special effect.There are many memorable fight scene in this movie but the one stand out the most is the final fight.Watch it you will not be disappointed