Saviour of the Soul

Toronto International Film Festival Program Book
1992

Saviour of the Soul
Yuen Kwai, David Lai
Hong Kong, 1991 96 minutes
Colour/35mm
Production Company: Team Work Production House Ltd.
Executive Producer: David Lai, Chan Pui Wah
Producer: Jacky Pang
Cinematography: Peter Pau
Editor: Poon Hung, Kai Kit Wai
Art Director: Yee Chung Man
Music: Anthony Lun
Principal Cast: Andy Lau, Anita Mui, Kenny B, Aaron Kwok, Gloria Yip, Carina Lau

It is an uncertain age. A greying black-clad swordsman slays the palace guards, as he flies through the air towards an unknown purpose. Centuries (or is it days?) later, gun-toting, Armani-clad super-policemen—Hong Kong’s Saviours—are devastated by a familiar cloaked assassin. Kinetic medieval fantasy; overstimulated, outgunned urban nightmare. And that’s only the first ten minutes.

Saviour of the Soul is simply one of the most entertaining films in recent memory. A genre-bender in every way, it contains elements from the martial arts, melodrama, cop, zombie and slapstick comedy strains of Hong Kong cinema. But Saviour of the Soul is more than just an encyclopedia. A complicated tale of vengeance and undying love, the film centres on the attempts of a star cop (Andy Lau) to avenge the death of one former partner and win the hand of another (Anita Mui). But standing in his way is Silver Fox, master swordsman and keeper of much magic. Adding levity (and somewhat perverse baseball jokes) is the dead partner’s little sister, who also distracts the forlorn cop from reuniting with his true love. Ultimately, all come together in a richly textured (and heavily armed) final battle sequence. Rumour has it that Wong Kar Wai (Days of Being Wild) wrote the first draught of the script; it might well be true because Saviour shares Wong's jaded, MTV nihilism and love of modern mythology. Passionate, enthralling and unbelievably paced, this is a sampling of Hong Kong madness not soon forgotten.
—Noah Cowan