The Magic Blade

In imperial China, two rival swordsmen compete for possession of a legendary weapon known as the Peacock Dart, while a powerful villain and his many hired killers pursue the same prize. Ti Lung plays Fu Hung Hsieh, who has twice beaten Lo Lieh's Yen Nan-fei in tournament combat and spared him each time. When the two learn that the wealthy Master Yu intends to have them killed, they set out to claim the dart before he can use it to dominate the martial arts world. Their rivalry and their shared danger become harder to separate as the hunt draws in other fighters.

Chor Yuen directed this 1976 Shaw Brothers production, released between Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) and The Emperor and His Brother (1981) in a career that would continue through such films as Mad, Mad 83 and The Hidden Power of the Dragon Sabre. Ti Lung and Lo Lieh lead a credited cast of sixty that also includes Ching Li, Tang Ching, Tanny Tien Ni and Lily Li. The screenplay was written by Ni Kuang and Szeto On, and Runme Shaw produced the film, which runs ninety-seven minutes.

Audience response has been solid: on IMDb it holds a 7 out of 10 from around a thousand votes, while on TMDB its 6.6 out of 10 comes from a much smaller group of thirty-six voters.