Return of the Bastard Swordsman (1984) Poster

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7/10
Sheer Psychedelic Martial Arts Mayhem
alisonc-123 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Yun Fei Yung has mastered the Silkworm Skill, but Dugu Wu Di controls his Fatal Skill and both are in a struggle for pre-eminence in the world of kung fu. When Mochitsuki, head of a Japanese clan, decides to take them both out with his Phantom Skill, the world of martial arts will never....

Aw, to hell with the plot, this is a Shaw Brothers movie, and plots are simply a device for bringing non-stop over-the-top kung fu fighting - preferably with random crazy psychedelic "special effects," which were cheesy even back in 1984 when this was first released upon the world! I don't believe there's longer than a 3 or 4-minute stretch in this film where at least two and usually more people are fighting, jumping over each other and otherwise creating constant mayhem! For what it's worth, the good guys win in the end, but you knew that would happen and it really doesn't matter, it's the gloriously loony special skills that steal the show! As hilarious as it sounds, lots of zany fun!
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8/10
Superior sequel
Leofwine_draca28 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A superior sequel to the first film, madder than ever and with an excellent, all-star cast of seasoned performers doing their bit in a lively and colourful "martial world" adventure. Norman Chu's hero isn't seen much after being wounded, but we don't miss him as there are even more entertaining characters around: Chen Kuan Tai's Japanese big bad and his henchmen are portrayed in an insanely magical way, while Tony Liu, Alex Man and new helpers Lo Lieh and Phillip Ko all prove their worth. The action sequences are garish, FX-fuelled and incredible at times, and the whole thing packs more plotting into its 80-minute running time than many three-hour Hollywood slog-fests.
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