Butterfly and Sword poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai#25665, Joey Wang, Michelle Yeoh, Donnie Yen, Tony Leung Chiu Wai ... see more see more... , Hideaki Sato , Jimmy Lin , Elvis Tsui

Michelle Yeoh (aka Michelle Khan) began her comeback bid with this flamboyant Hong Kong action film from director Michael Mak and choreographer Ching Siu-tung. Based on a novel by Ku Long, previously ... read more read more...filmed in 1976 as Killer Clans, the film stars Yeoh as Sister Ko, part of the Happy Forest clan led by the dying eunuch Tsao. Before he expires, Tsao orders Ko and her friends to kill the head of the Elite Villa clan, Master Suen (Elvis Tsui), and steal a precious scroll. Yip Cheung (Donnie Yen) leads the first assault and fails, so Ko gets the skilled killer Sing (Tony Leung), whom she has a crush on, to help. Sing is engaged to Butterfly (Joey Wang), who has no idea that he is actually a trained assassin. When Sing infiltrates Master Suen's clan, he meets his childhood friend, Ho Ching (Yeh Chuan-chen), who is also working undercover for Sister Ko. Ho Ching's murder sets the stage for an angry encounter between Sing and Sister Ko, the final assault on the Elite Villa clan, and the revelation of a secret betrayal. Pop singer Jimmy Lin appears as Prince Cha; some of the fight scenes were later re-used in Chu Yen-ping's erotic Category III melodrama Slave of the Sword, which was filmed on the same sets later in the year. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Flixster Users

45% liked it

1,871 ratings

R, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Donnie Yen, Elvis Tsui, Jimmy Lin, Joey Wang, Michael Mak, Michelle Yeoh, Siu-Tung Ching, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Tony Ching Siu Tung

Release Date: January 16, 1993

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: December 5, 2000

Stats: 75 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

sister ko sister ko
Upload a Photo | View All Butterfly and Sword Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (75)

  • DragonEyeMorrison
    November 29, 2009
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Throw-everything-at-your-face old school wuxia crazyness. The credits say it was written by just one person, but you can tell there was probably a dozen of hands writting everything from stand alone scenes to one or two dialogues. What truly gives the movie it's juice is the char... read moreacters and their interactions. A love triangle between Yeoh, Tony and Donnie, plus a good supporting cast and of course, Ching Siu-Tung pulling some wild over the top fight sequences. Nothing stands against the flying arrow bitch!
  • garyX
    June 21, 2007
    garyX
    In these post Hero and House Of Flying Daggers (which actually has some ideas and sequences in common with this) times we have come to expect rather more from martial arts stories. The action is non-stop and impressively staged, and it has all the same ingredients; balletic fight... read more scenes, flowing fabric and themes of love and honour. Unfortunately it suffers tremendously as far as production value and cinematography are concerned, as it all looks rather crude and artless in comparison. Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung Chiu-wai are always watchable and hardcore martial arts fans will enjoy the breathless (and constant!) action, but it offers precious little else.
  • Claraity
    August 3, 2008
    Claraity
    Butterfly and Sword is a typical Hong Kong martial arts movie from the early 90s. Its fast paced, and it has a lot of funny action scenes (splitting guys in half, kicking heads off, running through bodies, etc.). Watch only if you have nothing else to watch.
  • hayabusa3
    March 7, 2007
    hayabusa3
    Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh in a fantasy wuxia film. Like a martial arts soap opera, this is the kung fu movie your kung-fu-hating girlfriend could actually sit through and enjoy.

View All Butterfly and Sword Reviews

Critic Reviews

January 1, 2000
Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 11, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Joey O'Bryan
January 1, 2000
Joey O'Bryan, Austin Chronicle

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Sien nui yau wan (A Chinese Ghost Story)
    Sien nui yau wan (A Chinese Ghost Story) (100%)
  • The Heroic Trio (Dung fong saam hap)
    The Heroic Trio (Dung fong saam hap) (0%)

More Movies like Butterfly and Sword

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Butterfly and Swo... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Butterfly and Sword. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Butterfly and Sword Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Butterfly and Sword to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?