The Sword Identity

I found it initially long and boring like most artsy-fartsy (avant-garde) movies, but because of my knowledge in military history, it became fascinating. The cinematography is more modern than traditional kung-fu flicks. The primitive dialog and long pauses were very risky forays into the Cinéma vérité style. The scene of the four masters semi-recumbent along a table domino-style represented the solidarity and unyielding stubbornness of traditional Chinese Martial arts. It symbolized Traditionalists as unwilling to allow new weapons/fighting styles, labeling them as foreign, even though these new forms were made by their own people. The Yua Fei Dao (two-handed sword used during the 1st Dynasty Qin) was the precursor to the Chong Dao, the weapon featured in this movie. This movie was a small glimpse into the rich military history of early unified China and how Chinese weaponry adapted to the enemy and evolved with each succeeding dynasty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR7RlwSGj50