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Swordsman II
Theatrical poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	笑傲江湖之東方不敗
Simplified Chinese	笑傲江湖之东方不敗
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiào Ào Jiāng Hú Zhī Dōng Fāng Bù Bài Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Siu3 Ngou6 Gong1 Wu4 Ji1 Dung1 Fong1 Bat1 Baai6
Directed by	Ching Siu-tung
Screenplay by	Hanson Chan Tang Pik-yin Tsui Hark
Based on	The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Louis Cha
Produced by	Tsui Hark
Starring	Jet Li Brigitte Lin Rosamund Kwan Michelle Reis
Cinematography	Tom Lau
Edited by	Marco Mak
Music by	Richard Yuen
Production companies	Film Workshop Long Shong Pictures Golden Princess Film Production
Distributed by	Golden Princess Amusement
Release date	26 June 1992 (1992-06-26)
Running time	107 minutes (HK) 99 minutes (U.S) 112 minutes (Taiwan)
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese Japanese Sichuanese Mandarin-dubbed version
Box office	HK$34,462,861

Swordsman II, also known as The Legend of the Swordsman, is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film very loosely adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was the second part of a trilogy: preceded by The Swordsman (1990) and followed by The East Is Red (1993). Directed by Ching Siu-tung, Swordsman II starred Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan and Michelle Reis in the leading roles. None of the original cast from the previous film return except Fennie Yuen.

Set in the Ming dynasty, the plot follows Ling Wu-chung (Li), a swordsman from the Wah Mountain school, who travels the Chinese countryside with his female sidekick Kiddo (Reid) who secretly loves him. Caught in the war between the invading Japanese and the Sun Moon Sect, they discover that Master Asia (Lin), the evil Sun Moon leader, has located the Sacred Scroll, which has transformed him into a woman while allowing him a near invincible array of magical powers. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Linghu Chong, Yue Lingshan and members of the Mount Hua School are planning to retire from the jianghu (martial artists' community). They learn that Dongfang Bubai has seized control of the Sun Moon Holy Cult and is secretly plotting with some Japanese rōnin to rebel against the Ming Empire and dominate China. Dongfang Bubai had castrated himself in order to master the skills in the Sunflower Manual, and his appearance has become more feminine, even though he is now a formidable martial artist.

Linghu Chong meets Dongfang Bubai by chance without knowing his true identity, mistakes him for a beautiful young woman, and falls in love with "her". Dongfang Bubai knocks out Linghu Chong while he is not looking and imprisons him in an underground dungeon. In the dungeon, by coincidence, Linghu Chong meets Ren Woxing, Ren Yingying's father and the former leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. They escape from captivity together. One night, while Linghu Chong is distracted by Dongfang Bubai's lover Shishi, Dongfang tracks down his Mount Hua School fellows and kills them.

Linghu Chong brings Yue Lingshan, Ren Yingying, Ren Woxing and Xiang Wentian with him to confront Dongfang Bubai at Black Woods Cliff. In the ensuing battle, Dongfang Bubai apparently dies after refusing Linghu Chong's help and falling off the cliff. Ren Woxing regains control of the cult and starts killing the traitors who defected to Dongfang Bubai. Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan secretly escape with help from Xiang Wentian and Ren Yingying because they know that Ren Woxing cannot tolerate them.

Cast

• Jet Li as Linghu Chong (Ling Wu-chung), the most senior member in the Mount Hua School.
• Brigitte Lin as Dongfang Bubai (Invincible Asia), the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult.
• Michelle Reis as Yue Lingshan (Kiddo), Linghu Chong's junior.
• Rosamund Kwan as Ren Yingying, Linghu Chong's love interest and Ren Woxing's daughter.
• Waise Lee as Hattori Sengun, the rōnin chief and Dongfang Bubai's ally.
• Chin Kar-lok as Sarutobi Kazuki, Hattori's henchman.
• Lau Shun as Xiang Wentian (Zen), an elder of the Sun Moon Holy Cult who remains loyal to Ren Woxing.
• Fennie Yuen as Lan Fenghuang (Blue Phoenix), Ren Yingying's subordinate.
• Yen Shi-kwan as Ren Woxing (Wu), the former leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult who was overthrown and imprisoned by Dongfang Bubai.
• Candice Yu as Shishi (Cici), Dongfang Bubai's lover.
• Cheung Kwok-leung as Eunuch Hong

Alternative versions

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The United States version has nine minutes of the original film cut and was released under the title Legend of the Swordsman. It is dubbed in English and retains the original music score.

The Hong Kong version is in Cantonese and it retains the nine minutes of extended footage and gory violence.

The Taiwanese version, which is dubbed in Mandarin, contains an additional four minutes of rare extended and gory footage that was removed in the United States and Hong Kong releases, bringing the total runtime to 112 minutes. It has some different music scores and features Jet Li's original voice. It has aired on Chinese Television System many times.

Production

In the Mandarin-dubbed version of the film, Rosamund Kwan and Fennie Yuen speak Sichuanese instead of Standard Mandarin. This was meant to enhance the fact that their characters are of the Miao ethnic group.

Music

The original soundtrack album for the film, "Ching Hsia Lin/ Swordsman 2" (traditional Chinese: 東方不敗 － 林青霞 電影音樂紀實; simplified Chinese: 东方不败 －林青霞 电影音乐纪实; pinyin: Dōngfāng bù bài - línqīngxiá diànyǐng yīnyuè jìshí) was released by BMG Music Taiwan in 1992. It contains 20 tracks with 3 sound recordings at the scene.

The theme song from The Swordsman, Chong Hoi Yat Sing Siu (traditional Chinese: 滄海一聲笑; simplified Chinese: 沧海一声笑; pinyin: Cānghǎi Yī Shēng Xiào; Jyutping: Cong1-hoi2 Jat1 Sing1 Siu3; lit. 'A Sound of Laughter in the Vast Sea'), performed in Cantonese by Samuel Hui in the first film, was played in a few scenes in Swordsman II.

Reception

Critical reception

Brigitte Lin's performance was listed as one of the "Great Performances" by Richard Corliss under TIME magazine's "All-TIME 100 Movies". On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6.79/10.

Box office

The film grossed HK$34,462,861 at the Hong Kong box office and remains Jet Li's highest-grossing film in Hong Kong to date.

Accolades

References

1. "Swordsman 2 (1992)". Hong Kong Cinemagic. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
2. Corliss, Richard. "All-TIME 100 Movies". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
3. "THE LEGEND OF THE SWORDSMAN (XIAO AO JIANG HU ZHI: DONG FANG BU BAI) (SWORDSMAN II)". rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.

External links

• Swordsman II at IMDb
• Swordsman II at Rotten Tomatoes

• 1992 films
• 1992 LGBTQ-related films
• 1992 action films
• 1992 martial arts films
• 1990s Cantonese-language films
• Sichuanese-language films
• Films based on Chinese novels
• Films based on works by Jin Yong
• Films directed by Ching Siu-tung
• Films set in the Ming dynasty
• Hong Kong action films
• Hong Kong LGBTQ-related films
• Hong Kong martial arts films
• Hong Kong sequel films
• Transgender-related films
• Works based on The Smiling, Proud Wanderer
• Wuxia films
• 1990s Hong Kong films