Blade, The

In a reckless quest to avenge his father's death, sword-maker On loses his right arm and becomes a disgraced outcast in the martial world. On's only hope for retribution lies in his ability to create a new style of fighting that will both compensate for his disability and overcome the savage force of the fearsome opponent who slaughtered his father. Director Tsui Hark's reinvention of the Shaw Brothers classic One-Armed Swordsman (1967) is filled with kinetic, gravity-defying combat of a sort previously unseen. Always an innovator, Tsui reinvigorated the Hong Kong swordplay genre film through this new approach to action and by crafting a nightmarish but fascinating world far removed from the civilized nobility where such stories usually unfolded. Visually arresting and exhilarating in its primal intensity, The Blade is one of the most important and distinctive works in its director's filmography.