Le règne par le sabre

this is one of my new favorite movies...yes it may be odd for them to not show more significance of the sword...yet i think overall a great movie and not quite like hero or crouching tiger...so go get this awesome movie...and don't forget all movies not heard of with big release dates or announced as "THE SUMMERS BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTER" can be sick...just to mention though it has subtitles and if you haven't seen a movie with subtitles this could be your first...go to you closes movie retailer and pick this up...also those girls are a added bonus (guys you know what i mean ;) and now on to another movie and more reviews toodles...

This is a great little film, lots of action to keep you glued to your seat. I wasn't bored for a second. The beautiful So-yi Yoon is reason enough to watch this film as she acts as a very convincing bodyguard for the hapless prince. She is the best warrior of Balhae sent to bring him back to take up rulership after all the other Princes are killed. The female villain isn't half bad looking either. The villains are all very cartoon like but the fight scenes are really well done, so if you like this genre of film and if you enjoyed 'House of flying daggars' you will enjoy this film as long as you aren't expecting an in-depth storyline. The only downside of this film for me was the silly flying through the air scenes, I know they are part of this type of film but it spoils it for me. It is probably why I preferred 'House of flying daggars' to 'Crouching tiger, hidden dragon'. So I would certainly recommend this film and would definitely watch it again.

I saw an extended version of 116 minutes (apparently there is a 104 minute version as well).

First off, the title makes you expect something else. I expected this "Shadowless Sword" to play some pivotal role, but no show. This film should better be named "Back to Balhae" or something, because that's what it's all about: a trek to Balhae. The storyline is pretty thin, but a martial arts movie with an original and strong story is a rare thing, so you shouldn't be too surprised about that.

Technically this movie is very beautifully shot, with excellent art direction and costumes. The stuff on screen really is exquisite and should satisfy costume-aficionados and the artists among us. The actors do a good job too, no overacting or amateurish stuff, but at times over-directed it seems. The two main actresses are very pretty, so very nice to look at. Clearly intended to attract the mainly male target-audience, I guess. No ugly women to be seen, not even with the extras. The fighting scenes are very enjoyable, but they miss the rawness and directness seen in HongKong martial arts movies. And unfortunately some stuff badly copied from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. And overall the pace of the movie was excruciatingly slow. I hope the director and editors will learn that even pretty shots shown too long do get boring.

So bottom line: Don't get me wrong, it IS a rather enjoyable movie, no question about that. But you'll forget in a week or two. Good shot by the Koreans at the Wuxia genre though. Keep 'em coming!

Sometimes, films are just about color and movement- action and thrills. SHADOWLESS SWORD will not change your life, it won't make you think about the meaning of existence- but if you enjoy great fights and gorgeous actresses- then this film is for you ! Yun Soy is wonderful as the cool headed bodyguard - a much better role for her than ARAHAN- whilst she is beautiful, I found her to be very convincing in this film. So sit back , relax and just be entertained by the two lead actresses, the ultra cool underwater fight scene and the superb fight with the long mace inside the hut .

Three words can easily describe this film- FIGHTS, FEMMES and FUN !!

Well, what can I say -- great movie. The comparison to House of Flying Daggers of course is inevitable ;-) Shadowless Sword is more humorous (but not comedy-fun), there is a bit of adventure theme, the story is simpler (so there is less who-is-who guessing), and has two dazzling beautiful (!) women as leading characters. I almost would say I like Shadowless Sword more if only director didn't made special effects awkward.

Maybe it is just me, but I expect that after hitting objects can explode, but not after cutting. And here some objects fall apart (with great speed and energy) what looks amazing (with proper music) but some... explode, which is not funny, not spectacular, not magical, not mysterious -- it is simply bizarre. It is so out-of-place that it spoils every fight scene when director decided to put explosion after sword cut. Pity...