Seven Swords

The Manchu invasion of China in the 1660s brought an end to the Ming Dynasty and established the Qing Dynasty. But the new government was challenged by many rebellious uprisings, and so it tried to impose a ban on the study and practice of the Martial Arts; forbidding them altogether in an attempt to gain effective control and order. Fire-wind (Sun Hong-Lei), who had served in the Ming Emperor’s army, sees this crackdown as an opportunity to make his fortune. He sets out to enforce compliance with the new law. Greedy, cruel, and immoral, Fire-wind scours northwestern China eliminating pro-Ming rebels everywhere he goes. His ultimate target is a remote outpost peopled with intransigent rebels and fighters. It is known as the Martial Village.

Fu Qingzhu (Lau Kar-Leung), a retired executioner from the Ming Dynasty, feels a moral obligation to try and put a stop to this brutality and decides to save Martial Village. He convinces Wu Yuanyin (Charlie Young) and Han Zhibang (Lu Yi) from the village to travel with him to the remote and legendary Mount Tian (aka Mount Heaven). His goal is to seek help from Master Shadow-glow (Ma Jingwu), a hermit master of swords who leads a group of disciples with unimaginable swordsmanship. Master Shadow-glow agrees to help, and orders four of his best disciples to accompany Fu back to Martial Village to defend it from Fire-wind. Fu and his companions Wu and Han are joined by Chu Zhaonan (Donnie Yen), Yang Yunchong (Leon Lai), Mulang (Duncan Chow), and Xin Longzi (Tai Li-Wu). This valiant band of heroes comes to be known as The Seven Swords.