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The Legend of the Swordsman

Swordsman II
Swordsman II.jpg
DVD cover art
Traditional 笑傲江湖之東方不敗
Simplified 笑傲江湖之东方不敗
Mandarin Xiào Ào Jiāng Hú Zhī Dōng Fāng Bù Bài
Cantonese Siu3 Ngou6 Gong1 Wu4 Ji1 Dung1 Fong1 Bat1 Baai6
Directed by Ching Siu-tung
Produced by Tsui Hark
Screenplay by Hanson Chan
Tang Pik-yin
Tsui Hark
Based on The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
by Louis Cha
Starring Jet Li
Brigitte Lin
Rosamund Kwan
Michelle Reis
Music by Richard Yuen
Cinematography Tom Lau
Edited by Marco Mak
Production
company
Distributed by Golden Princess Amusement
Release date
  • 26 June 1992 (1992-06-26)
Running time
107 minutes (HK)
99 minutes (U.S)
112 minutes (Taiwan)
Country Hong Kong
Language Cantonese
Mandarin
Box office HK$34,462,861
Ching Hsia Lin/ Swordsman II OST
東方不敗-林青霞 電影音樂紀實
Swordsman II OST
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released 1992
Language Mandarin
Cantonese
Label BMG Taiwan Music Inc

Swordsman II, also known as The Legend of the Swordsman, is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film very loosely adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was the second part of a trilogy: preceded by The Swordsman (1990) and followed by The East Is Red (1993). Directed by Ching Siu-tung,Swordsman II starred Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan and Michelle Reis in the leading roles. None of the original cast from the previous film come back except Fennie Yuen.

Linghu Chong, Yue Lingshan and members of the Mount Hua Sect are planning to retire from the jianghu (martial artists' community). They learn that Dongfang Bubai has seized control of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and is secretly plotting with some Japanese rōnin to rebel against the Ming Empire and dominate China. Dongfang Bubai had castrated himself in order to master the skills in the Sunflower Manual, and his appearance has become more feminine, even though he is now a formidable martial artist.

Linghu Chong meets Dongfang Bubai by chance without knowing his true identity, mistakes him for a beautiful young woman, and falls in love with "her". Dongfang Bubai knocks out Linghu Chong while he is not looking and imprisons him in an underground dungeon. In the dungeon, by coincidence, Linghu Chong meets Ren Woxing, Ren Yingying's father and the former leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. They escape from captivity together. One night, while Linghu Chong is distracted by Dongfang Bubai's lover Shishi, Dongfang tracks down his Mount Hua Sect fellows and kills them.

Linghu Chong brings Yue Lingshan, Ren Yingying, Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian with him to confront Dongfang Bubai at Black Woods Cliff. In the ensuing battle, Dongfang Bubai apparently dies after refusing Linghu Chong's help and falling off the cliff. Ren Woxing regains control of the cult and starts killing the traitors who defected to Dongfang Bubai. Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan secretly escape with help from Xiang Wentian and Ren Yingying because they know that Ren Woxing cannot tolerate them.


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