Movie:
The Sword was originally released in 1980 as Ming Jian. The film is now available uncut on DVD from WA in an all-region release, though the DVD case and menus are entirely in Mandarin. Starring in the film are: Adam Cheng (Li Mak-Jan), Norman Chu (Lien Huan), Eddy Ko (Lien's Assassin), and Feng Tien (Hua).

*Note that how the character's names are spelled differ: the ones used for this review are taken from the film's subtitles.

Li Mak-Jan has but one goal after training the past ten years: he wants a duel with Hua. Only in dueling with Hua, who is revered as one of the greatest swordsman, will Li find out how good he is. In his quest to find Hua, he comes across Ying Chih, who is being pursued. Li comes to her rescue and promises to protect her in her journey home. But on their journey, Li encounters Hsiao Yue, a girl from his childhood whom he loved. Unfortunately, she's married now to Lien Huan. Lien is rather unhappy that Li has resurfaced, and sends his assassin out to deal with him. Meanwhile, Li and Hua finally meet and duel to see which is better…but will Lien's personal quest conquer both men?

Though I enjoy many Hong Kong films, I really couldn't get into The Sword. The story itself is fairly straightforward, though the addition of an "evil" sword makes things slightly more confusing. The actors all do a decent job with their roles, though the main attraction here is the swordplay, which is admittedly quite good. The film had just too many slow spots to keep my attention.

Picture:
The Sword is presented in approximately 2.35:1 widescreen and is not enhanced for widescreen TVs. The transfer has quite a few marks, specks, and scratches throughout, though a few scenes contain very few print flaws. There is also a fair amount of visible grain, though it is mainly confined to the darker scenes. The transfer also appears soft and there is some shimmering as well. Colors are generally natural, though the blues in several nighttime scenes are overly so. Flesh tones are natural and blacks are too light.

Sound:
The Sword is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in Mandarin, with optional subtitles available in English and Simplified Chinese. The subtitles fare much better than many Hong Kong films I've seen and are generally easy to understand. The 5.1 track is mainly front based and there isn't much activity in the surrounds. Dialogue throughout has echoes, which is both distracting and annoying. There are also a few scenes where there are audible pops and scratches.

Extras:
Besides chapter stops (nine in total), there are no extras.

Summary:
The Sword is a decent swordplay film marred by a few slow areas. The DVD's presentation leaves a bit to be desired as well, so while fans might want to purchase, newcomers should definitely consider renting first. Rent it.