Movielogr
The Three Swordsmen (1994)
Directed by Taylor Wong
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
Samurai and Smiling Sam are two famous martial arts masters in Central China. On the night before the big martial arts competition, someone murders the Empress, and the two swordsmen are framed for the crime. Determined to clear their name, they soon uncover a heinous plot that must be stopped. Meanwhile, a third swordsman, Big Knife, tries to track the pair down so he can join their fight.
Length 86 minutes
Actors
Andy Lau | Brigitte Lin | Elvis Tsui | Yu Li | Cao Ying | Siqin Gaowa | Leung Si-Ho | Te-mao Jin | Xu Zhan | Jian Zhao | Lisa Tung
Viewing History (seen 2 times)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/03/2025 | TV | DVD | Owned | 6.5 stars |
| 11/12/2012 | Computer | Streaming | Video on Demand | 6 stars |
| (Average) 6.25 stars |
Viewing Notes
RIP Taylor Wong
Taylor Wong passed away on July 16, 2025. Wasn’t in a position to view one of his films then because I was travelling.
This is one of his crazier movies that barely makes any sense. The old import DVD is not great, looks awful and the burned-in subs are often cut off at the bottom of the screen. The file I have for this movie probably looks better. I may give it a watch after I find a good summary of what exactly is happening; the overview on TMDb is not entirely accurate.
Besides all the wacky fantasy and stunts, everyone looks so young and beautiful. It’s nice.
1 week ago
From Paul’s review of the movie on CityonFire.com:
“Apart from causing much strife on the part of the expectant audience, it also turns out that one of them has been framed for murder.
The swordsman in question is The Smiling Man, played by Andy Lau, and the main driver for the plot becomes about Lau clearing his name and the conspiracy he uncovers in the process. At least, that’s as much as I could make out. In 1994 Hong Kong cinema was still very fond of the ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ approach to filmmaking, and while said approach has lent a certain charm to many of the territories favorites, it didn’t lend itself well to plots which require a level of coherency in order to keep up with what’s going on.
However if you’re willing to forego the need to understand the intricacies of the story in order to enjoy Three Swordsmen, then there’s entertainment to be had.”