[OSKFF ’23] ‘The Swordsman of all Swordsmen’ review: Standard wuxia with a twist

The Swordsman of all Swordsmen sounds like just another wuxia movie. Tsai Lai-Chieh is on a twenty year long mission for vengeance. His family was killed and he is out to make all involved pay. Naturally, this involves lots of swordplay, fight scenes, and blood. Some shocking revelations make this much more than what it sounds like, however.

Kung-fu films are one of those genres that is able to closely stick to a formula and still be enjoyable. That is the case with The Swordsman of all Swordsmen. The action is exciting, with the expected battles that involve being outnumbered and some good looking one on one duels. Director Joseph Kuo also does a good job of avoiding the over the top wire work wuxia came to be associated with. (Not entirely, of course. It cannot be a true wuxia film without someone jumping twenty feet into the air.)

There is also a neat subplot in which two of the characters plan to fight to the death – but not before Lai-Chieh has gotten his vengeance. Enemies forced to team up is not uncommon in action flicks, but it is especially well done here. It adds a bit of levity to all of the bloody action.

What truly sets The Swordsman of all Swordsmen apart from similar movies is the decision to explore Tsai Lai-Chieh ’s motivations. The people he loved were needlessly slaughtered, but there is more depth to the story than just “kill the bad guys”. It is a slight tweak that will make what is an otherwise overly familiar story an interesting watch.

The Old School Kung Fu Fest takes place April 21-30