| Dao/The Blade | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Tsui Hark |
| Produced by | Raymond Chow |
| Written by | Hui Koan Tsui Hark |
| Starring | Man Cheuk Chiu Moses Chan Xin Xin Xiong Valerie Chow |
| Music by | Raymond Wong |
| Distributed by | Paragon Films Ltd. |
| Release date(s) | 1995 |
| Running time | 101 min |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Budget | unannounced |
| IMDb profile | |
Dao (Chinese: 刀; aka. The Blade) is a 1995 action drama martial arts film. It was produced in Hong-Kong, and directed by Tsui Hark. The film is notable for its unusual (for Hong-Kong martial arts films) style which includes dramatic close-ups, employment of color gels, frenetic camera use during the fight sequences and overall dark tone. It is loosely based on Shaw Brother's 1967 the One-Armed Swordsman.
Plot
Ding On (Chiu) is an orphaned worker at a blade factory Sharp Foundry, working alongside many others, including Iron Head (Chan). An old master, On's dead father's friend, runs the factory while his daughter, Ling, who narrates the film, is romantically interested in both On and Iron Head. One day when out delivering the swords On and Iron Head witness a monk fending off a bunch of thugs, who later ambush and kill the monk in retaliation. Iron Head, furious, yells out the name of the factory, swearing revenge and taunting the thugs. Later that day, On discovers that his father died while saving his master from Fei Lung (Xiong), an infamous tattooed assassin who is rumored to be able to fly. Intent on seeking revenge, On takes his father's broken sword (the titular Dao) and goes off. Ling goes after him, but gets assaulted by a local gang of bandits. On manages to save her, but looses his right arm in the process and ends up falling off a cliff.
He is later found and nursed back to health by a poor hermit-farmer girl he calls Blackie. Thinking himself now useless, he abandones his hopes for revenge, buries his father's sword and tries to live a normal life. Meanwhile, Ling and Iron Head set out to find On, with Ling all the while narrating her disallusionment with people and her ideals, becoming especially poignant after Iron Head "saves" a prostitute who he later takes advantage of.
Meanwhile, On endures ridicule for being a "cripple" while working in a diner, building up his frustration. He also spots the heavily tattooed man who he recognises as his fathers's assassin, but is unable to take action and is further frustrated. To add to his trouble, the house he lives in is assaulted by thugs who torch it and beat On mercilessly. Afterwards, while searching for food within the wreckage, Blackie finds a singed Kung Fu manual hidden there by her parents. On, excited, tries to learn the techniques described in it, but is unable to obtain a good sword and digs up his father's broken sword instead. Due to his injury and the book's incompleteness his efforts are futile at first, but when driven to rage by his frustration On suddenly makes a breakthrough, developing a devastating spinning technique allowing him to compensate for lack of an arm and his broken weapon.
External links
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