The Swordsman of All Swordsmen

Director: Joseph Kuo

1968 / 86min / DCP

“Before Taiwan’s Joseph Kuo dominated the ’70s kung fu movie, he made sword-slinging wuxia, and they’re some of the best in the genre. Newly digitally restored, The Swordsman of All Swordsmen—the centerpiece of this retrospective—begins with Tsai Ying-jie (Tien Peng) setting out to kill the martial arts masters who murdered his parents. After 20 years preparing for this moment, he’s understandably bummed when things go awry almost immediately, and he winds up owing his life to Black Dragon (Chiang Nan) and Flying Swallow (Polly Shang-kuan), whose father orchestrated the murder of his parents. Bloody, brutal, and full of thorny moral conundrums, which can only be solved with killer chopsticks and razor-blade-lined hats.”—Subway Cinema