To many, Invincible Swordsman probably looks like just another made for streaming martial arts movie. Well, to be brutally honest, that’s exactly what it is. It may have initially got a cinema release, but coming from streaming giants iQIYI and Tencent, it is only one step removed from typical web based content. However, it has a few things going for it that makes it stand out from what has become an overcrowded market.
Firstly, it is based on famed writer Jin Yong’s novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. Whilst I had never personally read it, I knew it was the basis of 90’s classic Swordsman II (1992). Now, of course I wasn’t expecting it to live up to Ching Siu Tung’s epic actioner, but I was still interested to see what approach director Luo Yiwei would bring to the material.
Secondly, the film is written and produced by the prolific Wong Jing. This could be a warning sign for some, but personally it’s one aspect that attracted me to the film. Jing is no stranger to Wuxia, having a hand in the likes of Legend of the Liquid Sword (1993), Last Hero in China (1993) and Kung Fu Cult Master (1993), itself a Yin Jong adaptation. Some may think I’m crazy in my praise of such films, but these 90’s martial arts films have a vibrancy that is mostly absent from modern martial arts films. Additionally, with the knowledge of Jing’s involvement I wasn’t surprised by the thinly written critics or inappropriate attempts at comedy.
Thirdly, Invincible Swordsman has something that other streaming movies don’t, and that is the mighty Sammo Hung. Sure, it’s essentially an extended cameo but any martial arts movie fan would jump at the chance to see Hung on screen. Not as iconic as his best work, Hung is still every inch the superstar, with him being great fun with his limited screen time, with him giving the film some gravitas that it would otherwise struggle to achieve.
Similar to Swordsman II, Invincible Swordsman only loosely adapts Jin Yong’s novel. Tim Huang plays famed swordsman Linghu Chong who is looking to leave the martial arts world behind only to be dragged into a conflict with the dangerous Invincible Asia (Zhang Yuqi). Leading an evil demonic cult, Invincible has vowed to take over the martial arts world, forcing Chong to pick up his sword once again.
Facing off against the cult, Chong comes into contact with Invincible, but doesn’t realize who she is, instead assuming she is in need of rescuing. This begins a doomed romance between the two as it becomes only a matter of time before Chong finds out who his love truly is.
For his sophomore feature, director Luo Yiwei has made a reasonably entertaining swordsplay drama, bringing a great deal of energy to the variety of action scenes that feature throughout.
Interestingly, the action choreography is undertaken by the perpetually underrated Wu Yue, who many may know better as an actor, contributing standout performances in such films as Paradox (2017), The Brink (2017) and Ip Man 4 (2019). Like another personal favorite of mine Zhang Jin, I did expect Wu Yue to have become a bigger star. While he is certainly prolific, I honestly expected him to be headlining films rather than mostly showing up in supporting roles.
For Invincible Swordsman, Yue is solely behind the camera, with him doing a commendable job with the film’s multitude of fight scenes. As expected, there is a fair amount of wire work. It is a Wuxia after all. It can become overbearing on occasion but for the most part Yue makes sure that it is incorporated well.
What isn’t incorporated as well is the poor CGI that constantly rears its head during the film. By this point, I’m not surprised by the inclusion of CGI. It is almost a given these days. It is very telling how much better the wire assisted action from the 90’s holds up better than the CGI infused action of today. It certainly makes Wu Yue’s choreography pale in comparison to the imaginative action Ching Siu Tung employed in his adaptation of the same material. What does help the on screen action is that Yiwei appreciates real world locations, additionally incorporating some excellent set design which makes up for the sub par CGI.
As mentioned, the script is the work of producer Wong Jing. Inexplicably, I have found myself through the years praising Jing for his contribution to Hong Kong cinema, something which even surprises me as lets be honest. He has produced some amount of shit. But for every one of his poor films he manages to come back with something like God of Gamblers (1989), High Risk (1995) or more recently Chasing the Dragon (2017).
Unfortunately, Invincible Swordsman isn’t one of his better scripts, with the plot being overloaded with too many characters who for the most part are thinly drawn. This even goes for the lead characters who come across as one dimensional.
Luckily, the performances in some way make up for the drawbacks in Jing’s script. I wasn’t expecting lead actor Tim Huang’s portrayal of Linghu Chong to come close to that of Jet Li’s, or even Sam Hui who played him in the first Swordsman film. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see him give such a playful performance, with his take on Chong being somewhat livelier than I expected.
Zhang Yuqi certainly looks striking as Asia the Invincible, but she can’t bring the same intensity to the part that Brigitte Lin did prior. This is more to do with how iconic Lin is than the quality of Zhang’s acting, although I did feel that she was lacking the necessary chemistry with Huang which definitely affected the film.
The fact that Asia the Invincible is actually a male, as Lin had played the character, is also all but forgotten for this iteration. This is a major plot point for the character, so it seems strange that it would be left aside, especially when it would be more culturally acceptable in 2025 than it was when the story was originally written.
The supporting cast do what they can with their underwritten roles, but other than the previously mentioned Sammo Hung, most of them fail to make an impression. I did enjoy seeing Hong Kong movie stalwart Terence Lin make an appearance even if the filmmakers don’t use him to their advantage.
Recently released digitally by the good people at Well Go USA, Invincible Swordsman is definitely better than I expected. It is no classic, but its entertaining action makes up for the shortcomings in the script and some sub-par CGI. I would recommend it to lovers of classic martial arts tales rather than casual action fans who may be less forgiving of the film’s drawbacks. It may not leave a lasting impression but I doubt you will be bored during its two hour runtime.
Plot: 2.5/5
Acting: 3/5
Action: 3/5
Overall: 2.8/5
