Swordsman III: The East Is Red

Swordsman III: The East Is Red continues the story of the Invincible Asia, the warrior who gained supernatural powers through a sacred scroll and self-castration. A royal officer, Koo Cheung Fung, accompanies a Portuguese warship to the Black Cliffs, the site where Asia was believed to have been defeated, to confirm the death. Asia is in fact alive and living in disguise, and after a confrontation, a bargain is struck: Asia will stop killing if Koo helps eliminate the many impostors who have begun claiming her name and stirring up rebellion. One of these pretenders is Snow, once Asia's loyal lover. The arrangement proves fragile, as Asia shows little mercy toward the false Asias and soon forgets her promise.

The film is a Hong Kong and Taiwan production directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung and Raymond Lee Wai-Man. For Ching, it is the seventh of the thirteen films he has directed, following Heroic Trio 2: Executioners the same year. For Lee, it follows Swordsman and New Dragon Gate Inn. Tsui Hark produced and co-wrote the screenplay with Roy Szeto Wai-Cheuk and Charcoal Tan. Brigitte Lin returns as Dung Fong Bat Bai, with Joey Wong as Snow, Jean Wang Ching-Ying as Dai, Yu Rongguang as Officer Koo, Shun Lau as the disguised Asia, and Eddy Ko as Hon Ching.

Released in August 1993 and running 93 minutes, the action-romance holds a 6.1 rating on IMDb from around 1,800 votes and the same score on TMDB from a much smaller base of 61 votes.