Seven Swords review

Anyone looking for a two and a half hour action-filled romp should keep an eye out for Seven Swords, a Chinese martial arts epic that is presumably being given an international release in order to capitalize on the success of recent films of the same ilk. The film has an old-fashioned feel about it, and often comes across as a comic book adventure from the 1940s. This may leave discerning viewers, used to a little brain with their brawn, slightly disappointed.

Based on the Chinese bestseller by Liang Yusheng, the story follows a fairly simple line. In 1660s China, martial arts have been outlawed by the government, with bounties placed on anyone suspecting of performing the craft. A band of vicious thugs is dispatched to carry out the dynasty's edict, and in a graphic opening sequence, slaughters an entire village in order to fill their coffers with precious silver.

When the residents of nearby Martial village find out what is happening, they know that they are next on the list. An ageing resident, once a grand warrior, decides there can be only one means of salvation: to send the village's fittest young men to nearby Mount Heaven, where they must learn the skill of the sword from the formidable Master Shadow-Glow, a wise hermit who guards the infamous and precious Seven Swords. Only when they have mastered the technique of the steel can they face their enemy. Each sword has its own name - Star-Chaser, Deity, Heaven's Fall and so on - and its owner must bond not only physically but spiritually with the weapon.

This is an often bloody affair - surprisingly only a 15 certificate - which certainly has a relentless pace. However, this is largely its downfall as well: it cries out for some breathing space here and there, to allow characters to develop and drama to evolve. One action sequence after another does not necessarily make a great film, and certainly its exposition and explanation of characters is often confusing. It's quite hard to care about any of the main characters.

The episodic nature of the film isn't helped by the editing, which is often choppy. This may be due to a recut for its international release, as the version on show here is 140 minutes long, compared to an original running time of 153. This doesn't help the whole affair becoming a little bit simplistic: and anyone who has enjoyed successes such as Crouching Tiger or The House of Flying Daggers in recent years may find that instead of advancing the cause of Chinese action films, Seven Swords remains steeply embedded in a world of 80s action movies.

Paul Hurley