Swordsman II
| Swordsman II | |
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Theatrical poster | |
| 笑傲江湖之東方不敗 | |
| Directed by | Ching Siu-tung |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong |
| Produced by | Tsui Hark |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tom Lau |
| Edited by | Marco Mak |
| Music by | Richard Yuen |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Golden Princess Amusement |
Release dates |
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Running time |
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| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | HK$34,462,861 |
Swordsman II (笑傲江湖之東方不敗), also known as The Legend of the Swordsman, is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film loosely adapted from the novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong. It was the second part of a trilogy: preceded by The Swordsman (1990) and followed by The East Is Red (1993). Directed by Ching Siu-tung, Swordsman II starred Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan and Michelle Reis in the leading roles. None of the original cast from the previous film return except Fennie Yuen.
Set in Ming dynasty China, the plot follows Linghu Chong, a swordsman from the Mount Hua Sect, who travels the countryside with Yue Lingshan, who secretly loves him. Caught in the war between the invading Japanese and the Sun Moon Cult, they discover that Dongfang Bubai, the evil leader of the Sun Moon Cult, has located the Sacred Scroll, which has transformed him into a woman while improving his martial arts prowess to near-invincibility. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.