In feudal China, power belongs to whoever is strong enough to take it. The Manchurian Ching Dynasty is in control, banning the practice of martial arts in order to avoid rebellion and dealing brutally with anyone that flouts the edict. Local warlord Fire-wind profits from the law by ruthlessly enforcing it. The only place to hold out is Martial Village, the inhabitants of which send envoys to the mystical Mount Heaven. There they find seven master swordsmen and only they can defeat the despotic Fire-wind and save Martial Village.

Hark sets the historical scene quickly, establishing the heroes and villains through an initial attack on a village. Fire-wind's Chinese Goth mercenaries turn up with all manner of implausible fighting gizmos, hell-bent on killing or maiming as many of the inhabitants as possible. The implied violence is brutal and messy, leaving you in no doubt of the kind of people we are dealing with. Leaving desolation in their wake and trying to stop a lone villager from spreading news of their massacre, we are introduced to the daydreaming Fang, who will no doubt be integral to the plot. Issues like good and evil are presented in black and white terms, as are themes like honour and duty. Once you've been told you're a hero, you can't back out and go home. However, there are some issues with pacing as the initial trek up to Mount Heaven is rather long and event free, and passing time is only denoted by time-lapse cloud photography. Hark also has a tendency towards languid shots of sweeping vistas that look beautiful but don't do much to advance the narrative. It's only during the action sequences that the pace picks up and you feel breathless excitement as the actors show off feats of acrobatics and traditional wire-work stunts that make them appear superhuman. And of course many are shot with the now obligatory slow motion. The film clocks in at a whopping hundred and fifty-three minutes and though there are plenty of thrills and spills, it does occasionally drag.

I don't think martial arts star Donnie Yen gets his due often enough because the films he chooses to make don't necessarily have massive international appeal. But in terms of fighting skills, he's one of few actors that can match Jet Li for speed as he proved in "Hero". He's also not a bad actor, especially when required to play the strong silent type, like Dragon Sword here. It always looks as if there's something going on behind his eyes and you can practically see the cogs whirring.

It's hard to believe that Liu Chia-Liang is seventy. The guy otherwise known as Gordon Liu and star of many a shoddy Shaw Brothers chop-socky actioner from the 70s is still going strong. Here he plays yet another in a long line of wise mentor types as Mount Heaven's Fu Qing Ju as well as choreographing all the stunts. Admittedly he doesn't do as much punching, kicking and flying around as the other characters, but you've got to admire his chutzpah at an age where most people's idea of excitement is a Barbara Cartland novel to go with your Ovaltine.

The fight choreography is superb; speedy and accomplished. It incorporates a great deal of traditional and quite obvious wirework - people just aren't able to defy the laws of physics quite as easily as the film makes out. They hang in the air just a fraction longer than is plausible and can make leaps and bounds that usually requires a serious trampoline. The movement is fluid and acrobatic and the fights, though elegant can be extraordinarily brutal. The highlight is definitely the corridor fight between Dragon Sword and Fire-wind that barely touches the ground and features the two men flying at each other like whirling dervishes.

"Seven Swords" is the sort of movie you will enjoy of cross-over films such as "House of Flying Daggers" whetted your appetite for period martial arts epics. However, if you're hoping for chop-socky without context, you'd be better off renting a Jackie Chan film. You do need to read the excellent subtitles to follow what's going on. Here the emphasis is on detail. That being said, there is a lack of character development where some protagonists are concerned and there are perhaps too many concessions to the traditional wu xia format. But it is beautifully shot and the stunt choreography is great. It may not be the best introduction to the genre, but to fans it may be a worthwhile addition to your collection, even if it is a trifle overlong and hammily acted in parts.