Sci-Fi and Comic Wonders

Saviour of the Soul

Dirs: Corey Yuen, David Lai
Scrs: Wong Kar-wai, Jeff Lau
Prod Co: Teamwork
Cast: Andy Lau, Anita Mui, Aaron Kwok, Gloria Yip, Kenny Bee
1991 | Colour | 35mm | Cantonese | Chi & Eng subtitles | 90min

Though borrowing its Chinese title from Jin Yong’s famous martial arts novel, Saviour of the Soul is indeed a loose adaptation of the manga City Hunter. Directed by Corey Yuen and Jeff Lau (credited as his long-time collaborator David Lai) and written by Wong Kar-wai, this visually dazzling film marked the debut of Andy Lau’s company Teamwork Motion Pictures. The star-studded cast includes Andy Lau himself, alongside Anita Mui, Aaron Kwok, Kenny Bee, and Gloria Yip.

Lau plays Ching, a bounty hunter who is both charming and comical. Anita Mui takes on dual roles as twin sisters with contrasting personalities. Ching and May-kwan (Anita Mui) make a living by capturing wanted criminals, but she becomes the target of the vengeful Silver Fox, portrayed by Aaron Kwok in a rare villainous role. Tragedy strikes when Ching’s partner, Siu-chuen (Kenny Bee), who secretly loves May-Kwan, sacrifices himself to protect her. Ching trains Siu-chuen’s sister (Gloria Yip) to assist him while searching for May-Kwan, who has gone into hiding to keep him safe. But Silver Fox is never far behind...

The film features imaginative weapons, with each character wielding a unique one, and blends Chinese martial arts with Western fantasy. Its bold art direction, earned it the Best Art Direction award at the Hong Kong Film Awards and set the trend for contemporary-set swordplay films in the 1990s.

Courtesy of Focus Films Limited

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