Movie:
Swordman II, originally released in 1991 as Xiao ao jiang hu zhi dong fang bu bai, is the first of two sequels to 1990's Swordman. Ching Siu Tung directed all three Swordman films, as well as Heroic Trio I & II and Chinese Ghost Story I, II, & III. Swordman II continues from Swordman, though the cast is entirely different. Starring in the film are: Jet Li (Ling), Bridgitte Lin (Asia), Rosamund Kwan (Ying), and Michelle Reis (Kiddo).

Upon returning from his travels, young swordsman Ling discovers that the Sun Moon Sect has been attacked. The chief, Master Wu, has been captured by Asia, who is the chief of the Highlander clan. Asia desires to rule the entire region, and to this end, he also steals the sacred scroll from the Sun Moon Sect. In studying this scroll, he discovers the ultimate martial arts. But in using them, he slowly turns into a she. Ling, meanwhile, is preparing to save Master Wu and defeat Asia. However, when they met, Ling is tricked and captured by Asia. He manages to escape with Master Wu, but can they and their friends defeat Asia?

Having not seen the first film nor this one previously, I found Swordman II to be terribly confusing during my first viewing. The movie just doesn't make a lot of sense until you learn that Asia, through studying the sacred scroll, is becoming a woman. It also doesn't help that all the characters are rather shallow. The martial arts "wire-fu" in the film are simply incredible, though. After seeing the film once, I watched it again, and a lot more of it made sense.

Picture:
Swordman II is presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. The transfer fares quite well in comparison to other Tai Seng DVDs, though it is far from perfect. Marks, specks, lines, and scratches are all noticeable throughout the film. There is also a bit of pixelation evident in a few scenes. Colors mainly rich, though are occasionally faded in appearance. Also, some parts of the movie are intentionally monochromatic. Flesh tones are accurate, though blacks are often inadequate.

Sound:
Swordman II is presented in a remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 track in both Cantonese and Mandarin, and the original Dolby Mono 2.1 track in both Cantonese and Mandarin. Sound in the 5.1 tracks is mainly limited to the center speaker, as the surrounds are used mostly for ambient effects. During some of the fight sequences, there is some surround use, but not much. The 2.1 mono tracks were a bit better, though there was some hiss. The English subtitles do contain quite a lot of bad grammar and misspellings, and making sense of them is often a chore. Also included are optional subtitles in Chinese (Traditional & Simplified), Korean, Japanese, Bahasa (Indonesian and Malaysian), Thai, and Vietnamese.

Extras:
Unlike many Tai Seng DVDs, Swordman II features full color disc art, and like many of them, it has no booklet or insert. Extras include a cast and crew list, a film synopsis, a trailer for Treasure Hunt, and a "music video," which is the theme song with film clips.

Summary:
Swordman II is a film that won't appeal to everyone, and in order to understand it, you'll probably have to watch it several times. Those who stick with it and put in the multiple viewings will find a complex fantasy adventure filled with fantastic "wire-fu" action scenes. Rent it.