The Blade
Among the boldest accomplishments of Hong Kong cinema’s golden age, this uniquely visceral martial-arts movie puts a gritty new spin on the story of the one-armed swordsman, an iconic figure from the moment he was introduced by the Shaw Brothers studio in 1967. Composed in a whirlwind of immersive close-ups and fractured editing, The Blade follows the young sword-maker Ding On (Vincent Zhao), who, after losing an arm in an ambush, transforms himself into a furious avenger. With its intentionally disorienting stylization and starkly brutal tone, The Blade was a rare commercial disappointment for Tsui Hark, but it has since been reclaimed as one of the director’s most radical visions—a tour de force of action expressionism, and a scathing reappraisal of the wuxia genre’s code of masculinity, that achieves a feverish intensity.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- New audio commentary featuring Hong Kong cinema expert and producer Frank Djeng
- Action et vérité (2006), a documentary featuring director Tsui Hark, coscreenwriter Koan Hui, and actor Xiong Xin-xin
- New video essay by filmmakers Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting)
- New York Asian Film Festival Q&A with Tsui from 2011
- Alternate English-dubbed track
- English-version opening and end credits
- Trailer
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by author Lisa Morton
New cover by Oliver Barrett
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- New audio commentary featuring Hong Kong cinema expert and producer Frank Djeng
- Action et vérité (2006), a documentary featuring director Tsui Hark, coscreenwriter Koan Hui, and actor Xiong Xin-xin
- New video essay by filmmakers Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting)
- New York Asian Film Festival Q&A with Tsui from 2011
- Alternate English-dubbed track
- English-version opening and end credits
- Trailer
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by author Lisa Morton
New cover by Oliver Barrett
Cast
- Vincent Zhao
- Ding On
- Xiong Xin-xin
- Flying Dragon
- Moses Chan
- Iron Head
- Song Lei
- Siu Ling
- Austin Wai
- Siu Ling’s father
- Valerie Chow
- Courtesan
- Chung Bik-ha
- Black Head
Credits
- Director
- Tsui Hark
- Producer
- Tsui Hark
- Producer
- Lee Jook-on
- Screenplay by
- Tsui Hark
- Screenplay by
- Koan Hui
- Screenplay by
- So Man-sing
- Cinematographer
- Venus Keung
- Editor
- Tsui Hark
- Editor
- Kam Ma
- Art director
- William Chang Suk-ping
- Art director
- Bill Lui
- Art director
- Alfred Yau
- Costume designer
- William Chang Suk-ping
- Costume designer
- To Siu-lan
- Costume designer
- Tai Lai-fung
- Music
- Raymond Wong
- Music
- William Wu
- Martial arts director
- Stephen Tung Wai
- Martial arts director
- Meng Hoi
- Martial arts director
- Yuen Bun
A scene from The Blade
