Have Sword, Will Travel (4 Stars)

This Chinese film, made in 1969, starts out like a love story. A young couple are out walking. The man offers the woman a flower and askes her to marry him. She pins the flower to a tree, gives him a dagger and tells him that if he can hit the flower with the dagger she'll marry him. Beautiful. Then they're interrupted by a gang of robbers. He fights with them, cutting them down with his sword, while still proclaiming his love. He throws the dagger in the middle of the fight and hits the flower. After killing a few more men, they walk away together.

The man is Siang Jin, the son of Lord In, the leader of the Invincible City. The woman is Yun Piao Piao, the niece of a famous kung fu master. On the way back to the Invincible City they meet a lone rider called Yi Lo. Siang doesn't trust him and attacks him, but Yi Lo's skills are too great. He defends himself, but he's careful not to injure Siang. Piao Piao says this proves Yi Lo is a good man, but Siang isn't convinced.

Once a year Lord In transports 200,000 newly minted silver coins to the nearby city Loyong. Nobody dares attack the transport, because Lord In is a legendary sword fighter. However, he's lost his fighting skills due to illness. Despite attempts to keep it secret, others suspect the truth. The Flying Tiger Stockade gang wants to steal silver this year.

Yi Lo presents himself in the Invincible City, asking for a place to sleep. Siang still doesn't trust him, and there's another fight. Lord In orders the fight to stop, and he welcomes the stranger as a guest. Piao Piao begins to have romantic feelings for Yi Lo. He doesn't know that she's already engaged, so he returns her feelings, in words if not in deeds. It's all very laid back; the two look at one another with amorous gazes, but they don't even hold hands. It's still enough to make Siang jealous.

When Yi Lo discovers Lord In's weakness, he volunteers to accompany the transport. Siang says his help isn't needed, but Yi Lo comes anyway. The Flying Tiger Stockade attacks, and it becomes obvious that Yi Lo's help is essential.

The fighting is called kung fu, but there is no fist fighting or kicking. It's all about sword fights. Even Piao Piao is a skilled swordfighter. The battles are well choreographed, and they look totally realistic. This is the oldest Shaw Brothers film I've seen, and it's excellent. Even though the film's pacing is slow, the film is thrilling, and the love triangle makes it all the more poignant.