Return of Bastard Swordsman

Return of Bastard Swordsman is an unusual sequel, one that almost completely dispenses with its title character to spend vast tracts of screentime in the company of Tony Liu, recast here from the treacherous mole he essayed in the previous instalment to an, apparently unconnected, fortune teller. Norman Chui's orphaned superman Yun Fei Yang is a fleeting presence then, his diminished role in proceedings perhaps somewhat premised on the enlightenment the character experienced in the prior film? So, having shown mercy at the conclusion of writer-director Lu Chun-Ku's Bastard Swordsman, by refusing to erase the Wudang martial arts school that had mercilessly bullied him, Yun strode off into an uncertain future rather than stick around and assume leadership of his devastated former home. Yun's ambivalence has left Wudang rudderless though. Easy prey for the nearby Invincible school, who are spoiling for a fight, and a clan of Japanese ninja who have shown up to encroach on this territory.

As an aside, it's hard not to delight in the Ega force's violent assault on Wudang headquarters, slaughtering a selection of newly imported big shots as well as the ageing law makers who, previously, made Yun's life a living hell. If only the silken superman had done it himself. Far less deranged in either its plotting or the film's physical construction, Return is a misshapen retread that ties itself in knots to (re)deliver on the reincarnation beats established in its predecessor. What Lu's sequel does have going for it though is any time spent in the company of Alex Man as Master Dugu, the cuckolded sifu of Invincible school and the means by which Return dissects a specific kind of middle-aged anxiety. Having dedicated his life to training in seclusion, Dugu finds himself alone and unloved as he nears the end of his life. As well as driving his wife into the arms of another, Dugu's mastery of laser-blasting martial arts has, understandably, caused his blood pressure to spike dangerously as well. It's a diagnosis that sees this cackling, well-dressed madman shit out of luck when he battles against an Ega ninja master who can puff out his own, incredible chest then use the oversized, jackhammering organ within to disrupt the rhythm of Dugu's broken heart.