Rating: 
Summary: Great movie--BAD DVD!!
Review: Swordsman II is one of my all time favorite martial arts movies--the movie itself I'd give 5 stars. HOWEVER...this DVD edition is TERRIBLE! The picture quality isn't bad, hence my 2 stars, but the english translation is just AWFUL! Not only are there typos in the subtitles (example: two characters are galloping along on horses, one says, "just keep RIDDING!"), but there are many other blatant errors. Brigitte Lin's great Asia the Invincible is called "Invinvible Dawn" on this DVD. Take a look at the title on the DVD cover here, it's SWORD-MAN not Swordsman--they didn't even get the cover right! As a film, this is fantastic though, and not to be missed. So, unless you can understand Mandarin and/or Cantonese and don't need the English subtitles, please buy the VHS version, you'll be much happier! Don't miss this great movie, just don't try the DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: The greatest Chinese martial arts movie ever!
Review: "Swordsman II" kicks off one year after the events in "Swordsman", although it is not necessary to watch the first movie in order to appreciate its sequel. Both movies are adaptations of Louis Cha's novel, "The Hero who Laughs at the World" ("Xiao Ao Jiang Hu"), although extensive changes have been made to the original story. Most of the main characters from the first movie return but are replaced with different actors. In "Swordsman", the leader of the Huashan clan sacrificed many of his disciples in order to obtain a sacred martial arts manual called the "Sacred Flower Scroll". Disillusioned by his betrayal and by the constant power struggles in the pugilistic world, his remaining disciples, including eldest disciple Ling Huchong (Jet Li) and daughter Yue Lingshan (Michelle Reis) decide to retreat to the Ox Mountain for a life of seclusion. Unfortunately, the Scroll has fallen into the hands of a power-hungry warrior called Tongfang Bubai i.e. "The Invincible Dawn" (Brigitte Lin). Dawn has captured the father of Ling's old flame, Ren Yingying (Rosamund Kwan), and usurped his position as leader of the Miao tribe. He now plans to march north to the Chinese capital with a troop of 300,000 to overthrow the Ming Emperor. Ling agrees to help Yingying rescue her father, and the last of the Huashan disciples are again drawn into a deadly power struggle. "Swordsman II" is absolutely the best martial arts movie ever made. Jet Li is at his charismatic best and is far better as "the hero who laughs at the world" than Sam Hui was in "Swordsman". Ling is not a perfect person - in fact, he is a drunkard and a womaniser, not the best of role models - but he is also upright and loyal, and Jet Li plays him with such good humour and optimism that we easily forgive Ling's flaws. The three lead actresses who play Ling's love interests also give wonderful performances - not to mention they are amongst the prettiest faces in the Hong Kong movie industry. Michelle Reis (who takes over Cecilia Yip's role in "Swordsman") is excellent as the naïve, jealous and tomboyish Lingshan, whom Ling treats as his "little brother". Rosamund Kwan is also great as the world-weary Yingying, who would love nothing more than to leave for a life of seclusion with Ling but remains tied to her father and her people. But the greatest accolades must go to Brigitte Lin for portraying a complex (and male!) character, the Invincible Dawn, a villain for whom audiences could feel empathy. Dawn starts off as a man (Brigitte Lin's voice was replaced with a man's voice in the early parts of the movie) but becomes increasingly feminine as the movie progresses, for reasons revealed later in the movie. He sacrifices everything for power, not for himself, but for the sake of the oppressed minorities he leads. He is quite invincible, except for the fact that he lets his heart and emotional attachments get the better of him during a crucial battle (note: this movie is actually a disguised gay romance!! *grin*). Brigitte is wonderfully icy cold in some scenes but also remarkably vulnerable as the lonely and misunderstood villain in others. So successful was Brigitte (who was a popular actress in romance movies in the 1970s) at portraying Dawn that her acting career, in the doldrums since the 1980s, was spectacularly revived. She later reprised her role as Dawn in the audaciously spectacular but silly sequel "The East is Red". Two other supporting cast members deserve mentioning - Fannie Yuen as Blue Phoenix, Yingying's lieutenant and confidante, and Candice Yu as Dawn's lovely concubine. Fannie was so good as the vivacious Blue Phoenix in "Swordsman" that she was the only character not replaced with another actor in "Swordsman II". Candice, a great favourite amongst Asian TV audiences in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was drawn out of retirement for a cameo in this movie. And finally, while the fight scenes in "Swordsman II" do not have the poetic beauty of those in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" nor the authenticity of those in "Iron Monkey", it uses wireworks to excellent effect. After over a decade, "Swordsman II" is still the definitive martial arts movie yet to be topped by another. Zhang Yimou's "Hero" comes close, but not nearly enough. Tsui Hark (the producer) and Ching Siu Tung (the director) are still my favourite Hong Kong movie makers.
Rating: 
Summary: What were they ON when they liked this movie?
Review: Don't believe everything you read. I bought this movie due to the hype of several Amazon member's reviews that claimed this movie was better than Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger. They were wrong. There were about 3 fight scenes that were fairly interesting (and that was due to the mood and environments, not the actual fighting itself), the rest tanked big time. The plot was ridiculous: a man seeking ultimate power chops off his own manhood and has to become a woman to obtain it. The main good guy Jet Li falls in love with this he/she and is betrayed at every turn by this he/she. The story is confusing and choppy. At every turn you feel this movie could have achieved greatness, that they really tried, but at every turn you realize the writer & director must have been sipping too much wine before every day's shoot. I was very disappointed with this movie, and it will be hard for me to trust Amazon reviewers after this. The irony of this is, some of you will read my review and not buy this and might have liked it as people are so different. I myself did not, though, that can't be helped. If you want a good action movie with good fighting and great, moody locations, try Jackie Chan's Operation Condor.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Wuxia (swordman) films EVER!!!
Review: The excellence of this film is difficult to convey. It can be enjoyed on so many different levels. First of all, the swordfight sequences are all dazzling and handled effortlessly by the venerable Tsui Hark and company. They almost make it look easy. From start to finish, there isn't one dull moment. However, the reason I loved this film so much was for the emotional level. Swordman II easily contains veteran Chinese actress Brigette Lin's finest and most stunning performance as "Asia the Invincible". Her ambiguous and ultimately tragic relationship with the main character (Ling Hu Chong, played by Jet Li) is handled with pure craft and skill by the actress. Brigette Lin perfectly conveys both the sexual ambiguity and undeniable feminine allure exuded by her character. Her fascinating and complex relationship with Jet Li's character is both delicious and disturbing to watch. Even after the breath-taking fight scenes, it is that relationship that will keep you thinking about the movie long afterwards. That said, I must warn Western viewers that this is a fairly "hardcore" Chinese movie, filled with references to Chinese culture and mythology. Think of it as the Chinese version of Lord of the Rings. It's a self-contained universe that a Chinese viewer would easily accept and understand, but Western viewers might find it a little hard to swallow. I recommend that Westerners just starting out to opt for some of the "softer" Chinese movies that are more suitable for Western consumption. However, once you've got the "hang" of it, treat yourself to this masterpiece of Chinese Hong Kong cinema.
Rating: 
Summary: You want "Swordsman II", not "Legend of the Swordsman"
Review: Most of the people in these reviews who are UNhappy with the DVD are so because they bought "Legend of the Swordsman", the one with the "Jet Li Collection" notation on the cover. DO NOT BUY THAT VERSION. These reviews are shared between "Swordsman II" and "Legend of the Swordsman", so some of the reviews that instruct you to buy the "other one", are erroneous, depending on which version you're already looking at. Make sure you look at 2 things which will tell you if you are buying the right one:
1) the title - just to reiterate, get "Swordsman II"
2) the DVD cover - It should by an orange/red, with Jet Li, Bridgitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, and Michelle Reis on it, total of 4 people. It also spells "Swordsman" with only the first "s". You don't want the one that *only* has Jet Li on the cover.Whew. That all said, this movie is epic. Even admittedly confusing at times. Some say it's unecessary to have seen the first one, but right at the beginning, they hit you with a lot of information about what sect is doing what, and how the japanese are interfering, etc... and the english translation isn't superb, so unless you're willing to pause and read the subtitles over a couple times, you will miss information. This is less so the case if you've seen "Swordsman". Nonetheless, even if you don't understand everything, there is a plethora of things to enjoy in this movie. I first watched this movie when I was about 14. I only fully understood what was going on when I bought the DVD when I was 23. I watched the movie periodically throughout my life, and enjoyed it every time. It's a skillfully done movie, excepting the translation. The subject of the transsexualism is treated VERY well. It is neither overly graphic and sensationalist about it, nor is it too prudish. The fighting is good, though if you're a martial arts fanatic, you might be dissapointed because the scenes are more about spectacle than display of kung fu skills. Flying and diversity of weapons and fighting methods play more than single-human prowess. And one other thing - the translation isn't a good one at all, but I really don't think it should take the rating down more than one star. The movie is still great and exciting, and the poor translation doesn't prevent you from understanding the important drama when it happens.
Rating:
Summary: The father to Crouching tiger
Review: This movie can be regarded as the father to crouching tiger, so if you liked that movie, it's very likely you'll enjoy this one also. Swordsman is not really a martial art movie but it's more a fantasy tale. The fighting scenes are are all "fantastic" in the sense they are not "real" but based mostly on magic so don't expect true kung fu action since you'll see men (and a horse) cut in two halves by a sword at 20 meters of distance!
If you don't care about these magical skills (which are much more intrusive here than in Crouching tiger) then you'll surely like it: this movie has a much more emotional involvement than other similar films and it has also a good amount of humor (it was the first time I saw Jet Li playing a not really serious character who does also funny jokes at times!) and, at the end, we even regret the evil one was killed since the character Jet Li helps, shows to be even worse than the evil they defeated.
Overall a very interesting and not trivial movie, recommended mostly to fantasy lovers than to real kung fu aficionados.
Rating:
Summary: Buena Vista Home Vid DVD ruined it!
Review: Im here rating "The legend of The Swordsman" wich is actually "Buena Vista Home Vid" DVD version of a great movie called "SwordsmanII"... First of all, A LOT of dialogues just disappeared, scenes were cut and combat sounds effects RUINED ! ! ! I guess thats what happens when u ask a spanish comapny to re-do a HK classical movie. Anyway dont just buy the "Buena Vista Home Vid DVD" Called The Legend of the Swordsman, aka Jet Li collection... yeah good job ruinning Jet Li classics Buena Vista Home Vid .... grr
Rating:
Summary: Must-Buy
Review: First of all, the movie. I started watching HK movies just a little under a year ago, and mostly because I was very impressed with Jet Li's performance in "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Black Mask," and thus wanted to see some of his earlier work. A year later, I have now watched over 80 HK movies since (all movies by Chow Yun Fat, Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, as well as by those lesser-known (at least in the US) Brigitte Lin, Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok, etc.), and it was all because of this movie. Looking back, this movie was a terrific introduction to the HK swordfighting, fantasy genre. The fight scenes are spectacular and the cast is first rate (Brigitte Lin steals the show, though). The DVD? Yes, the subtitles are bad, but not distracting, and after a couple of viewings I followed the story easily (I absolutely HATE those VHS subtitles which are nearly impossible to read, especially against a white background). Plus, Director Tsui Hark's wonderful use of colors (contrasting blues, reds, yellows) can only be done justice by the DVD format. The sound is in Dolby 5.1, which helps, and the transfer is pretty good. The menus are also presented nicely, better than any other HK DVD made around the same time. Although this was the first HK DVD I purchased, it is still my favorite. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: This is the dubbed version
Review: Dubbed and renamed. See the original Swordsman II instead.
Rating:
Summary: Strange role for Jet Li
Review: When I first saw Jet Li in this film, I wondered. After watching it though, I have to say that he played the role well, and even made the movie. Michelle Reis was excellent as his "sister," and Rosamund Kwan played the role of village chief flawlessly. This is a classic.
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