Your words will fly in “The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate”
By GalaTView Staff
Photo Courtesy
As one of the defining stories of the wuxia genre, the saga of the Dragon Gate Inn has already been the source material for two classic martial arts films. Now legendary writer/director/producer Tsui Hark revisits these legends in THE FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE bringing new characters and ancient conflicts to life through the vivid depth of 3D and the epic scale of the IMAX image.
The film picks up three years after the disappearance of the enigmatic innkeeper Jade and the massive fire that consumed the Inn. A new Dragon Inn has risen from the ashes, staffed by a band of marauders. Masquerading as law-abiding citizens by day, they use the cover of night to continue their true calling as fortune hunters. For legend says that the Dragon Inn is the site of a lost city buried in the desert – and a treasure that spans dynasties hidden deep within.
As they await a storm strong enough to unearth the hidden fortress, they are surprised by the arrival of a pregnant concubine and her mysterious protector, Ling. They have come seeking the sanctuary of the Inn – as two factions from the Imperial City close in on them to claim her unborn child.
Leading the Imperial Assassins is the merciless Eunuch, Yu who hopes to reclaim the Emperor’s child before she can fall into the hands of the righteous General Zhao.
In terms of visual spectacle, Tsui Hark is definitely at the top of his game, both the action choreography and the initiation of 3D into the ‘wuxia’ genre easily establishing itself as one of the must-see classics. All the choreographs are with a exuberant dance between breakneck, 90s-style high-wire action and weapons (especially flying logs) that strike with a graphic impact never seen in 2D films. The ensuing development should consolidate the physical momentum of the first part by easing off the pace to flesh out main characters and intensify the strategic standoff between Yu’s and Zhao’s followers. Sets and costumes are loudly exotic but very colorful so you can enjoy this movie in Theaters August 31, 2012.
