SWORDSWOMEN THREE (1970)

This is a casual review of the film Swordswomen Three. 

Swordswomen Three is a 1970 film directed and written by Shen Chiang, that stars Essie Lin Chia, Shen Yi, Lo Lieh, Chang Yi, and Violet Pan Ying-Zi. Shen Chiang was a notable a writer who penned the Temple of the Red Lotus Trilogy and films like The Thundering Sword (1967). He also directed Lady of the Law (1971/1975) and Infernal Street (1973).

The movie centers on a sword, a powerful item that is magnetized to yank weapons from the hands of the wielder's enemies. Chu Tien-Hsing, played by Lo Lieh, seeks to become leader of the martial world by stealing the sword from a woman he is engaged to marry, because she and her two sisters are tasked with guarding it. When he takes the weapon, they must track him down before he is able to cause chaos among the clans. 

While it is ostensibly about three Swordswomen, for me the real breakout heroine is Essie Lin Chia. If she were a Golden Girl, she would be Dorothy: she is wiser and more cautious than the others, but also has an edge to her personality. She seems to be the most skilled fighter in the group and to me she felt like the main protagonist of the film. She is very cunning, and takes initiative to infiltrate Lo Lieh's clan and get back the sword. I particularly liked the evolution of her relationship with a group of men called the Three Bullies. Initially they just seem like run-of-the mill martial world tough guys, but we discover there is more beneath the surface. I was especially impressed with Essie Lin Chia's command of this role. Her character has a will of iron and there is just something about the way she carries herself that made me believe every move. 

Another sister, Han Yu-Mei played by Shen Yi, had a romantic storyline with Lo Lieh's Chu Tien-Hsing that also gave the movie more depth. Lo Lieh, is about as bad as they come here (in terms of wickedness) and so naturally any reciprocation on his end is purely out of self-interest. But Shen Yi's character has real feelings and she appears to be the more sensitive of the sisters, so I liked seeing her figure out a way to get the sword back from him after he takes it (her approach is much less inventive and aggressive than Essie Lin Chia's Han Lan-Mei. 

The third sister is played by Violet Pan Ying-Zi, who is beautiful and has a lot of on-camera charisma but less to do in the movie. People might remember her as the woman who cut off Jimmy Wang Yu's arm in the One-Armed Swordsman. She also had major television roles in the 80s, starring as Xiaolongu in the 1984 Return of Condor Heroes Taiwanese  series. Here I felt she could have been given more. But I say this cautiously because it is possible a nuance of the story escaped me on a single viewing. 

Lo Lieh as the supremely ambitious Chu Tien-Hsing is simply great. While he certainly has bigger and more recognizable villain roles, he is very entertaining in Swordswomen Three. The man just knows how to play someone who wants to rule the marital world, and doesn't care who needs to die for him to rise to the top. His story is also a bit more interesting than usual because he initially meets with failure in his efforts and this is one of the things that prompts him to seek the sword. 

Another character I loved is the disfigured female master called Shadowless. She conceals herself with a hood and kills or blinds anyone who sees her face. I frankly wish we got more of her. Shadowless is very intriguing and I liked the disfigured look under the hood. It appears she is given free reign within the sect, as either Lo Lieh's number two or someone he both trusts and fears. 

The fight sequences are great. The martial arts direction was by Tong Kai and Lau Kar-Leung so it is very solid. There is ample lightness martial arts, complete with wires (which pays off in the final sequence). And we get a lot of internal martial arts, as using the the mighty steel sword can only be used by someone skilled in it. I particularly liked the final battle in the bamboo forest where the hero uses the surrounding terrain against Lo Lieh. This is a movie whose action is firmly embedded in the wuxia genre. 

I should say this is not a slick, super modern looking wuxia film. It isn't quite into that swashbuckling mold of some of the 60s and early 70s Shaw Brothers, but it does have a somewhat old fashioned look about it. More in the presentation of the story than in the action. I think this works though. I didn't mind when things slowed down for example and we spent time with the characters at the inn (and it wasn't wasted because it was used to help us understand the different personalities of two of the sisters). In fact I would say this movie appears deceptively dated, but if you give it a chance, you will see there is plenty of interesting and exciting stuff going on. 

What really sells the movie for me are the fights and the colorful characters. I also quite enjoyed how the film balanced having a large cast, but not losing sight of the story. And while it is a fairly straight forward tale about a a ruffian who wants to dominate the martial world by controlling a powerful sword, the drama among the characters gives it more layers. And I don't really mind movies about figures seeking to rise. They work well for the genre.  

I give it a 3.5 out of 5, but this is only based on a single viewing, and I've found I tend to rate things higher the second or third time I watch them. This is one I would actually like to revisit. I only had time for a single watch and wanted to get my initial thoughts out, but I would like to do a more in depth review of it when I have more time. It is available as part of the Shaw Brothers Collection Volume 6 from Shout! Factory, and comes with a commentary track by James Mudge (which I have not yet had a chance to check out but am looking forward to). The character names are different in the subs than in this review (I used the names on the Hong Kong Movie Database credits page).