The Battle Wizard

A loose adaptation of the first part of Louis Cha Yeung-lung’s book Demi-Gods And Semi-Devils, Shaw Brothers actioner The Battle Wizard delivers all the sexual indiscretion, swordfighting and sorcery you could want in an 80 minute package, with a philosophy cast aside for some other filmmaker to worry about. Directed by Pao Hsueh-li of Iron Bodyguard fame, it’s a punchy little number which slows down only to allow for occasional bouts of exposition, and never makes the mistake of assuming that viewers are there for the plot.

This is fortunate, as the plot is both tangled and obscure, having picked up some useful elements, ditched others, and taken a number of short cuts. If you’re not familiar with the original story, you’re likely to find yourself a bit lost. It doesn’t really matter. The important elements are these: several decades after an illicit affair which ends badly, a jilted woman sends out her only child, Mu Wanqing (Tien Lie) into the world, giving her two instructions: she much never let a man see her face unless she is willing to either marry or murder him; and if she meets her mother’s pat rival, she is to kill her. Meanwhile, a similarly vengeful wizard has vowed revenge upon pretty much all the other characters, and with the aid of his hook-handed henchman, he’s ready to do something about it.

In the midst of all this, nice but dim young aristocrat Duan Yu (Danny Lee) – a respected scholar in the original but not showing much sign of it here – worries his handlers by failing to learn martial arts, because he wants to bring peace to the world. Running away from home on a quest to learn more about the world, he is fortunate to meet Zhong (Lam Jan-kei), who befriends him against his will and rescues him from assorted perils. When she is captured, she sends him off to get help, which leads to him meeting Mu Wanqing. Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing then find themselves fighting side by side, leading to romance, a brush with destiny, and the emergence of a shocking secret.

As you would expect from a good wuxia, there is plenty of action along the way. Duan Yu finds ways of making himself useful despite his lack of training, and in due course he acquires skills of his own. The women can kick ass from the get-go. There are swords and staves and kicks and punches and fiery darts and enchanted snakes in the mix, plus you’ll get to see a wrestling match with a giant python, some fast manoeuvres from a venomous toad, and some very peculiar gorilla action. There are escapes and rescues and chases and some masterfully deployed catty lines from those less inclined to get physical.

It’s all colourfully costumed, of course, with some notably impressive tailoring and make-up work applied to Lee, complementing the actor’s diligent use of his body to create the illusion of physical softness during the first half of the story. The fights are well staged even when there are a dozen or so people involved, striking the right balance between dazzling the eye and making it possible to follow the action. Every participant is acting or reacting to something throughout, not merely waiting in the background for a chance to get smacked down.

Perhaps most importantly of all, as my viewing companion concluded, “If you decide to watch it based on the fact that it’s called The Battle Wizard, you will not be disappointed.”

Battle Wizard screened among the retrospectives at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival.

Reviewed on: 23 Jul 2025