When this film begins, a loyal retainer is given a mission--but it's actually a trap and he is maimed and left for dead. Time passes and this now one-armed and one-eyed warrior is out to make things hard for his old clan. He's out to steal a valuable treasure hidden in an urn--and lots of folks seem eager to get it as well.
I think how much you'll enjoy this film will depend a lot on how many Asian films you've seen. As for me, I've seen several different martial arts films from Hong Kong involving one-armed swordsmen and blind ones. And, I've seen all the Zatoichi films--and he's blind. It seems that in Chinese and Japanese films having a guy with a handicap that MUST destroy his abilities but doesn't is pretty normal. It's one of those odd clichés you just need to accept. This isn't my problem with the film--my problem is that I've just seen so many handicapped warrior movies that "The Secret of the Urn" seems passé--a case of 'been there, done that'. And, on top of this, the film itself isn't as good as many of the others in the genre. Part of it is because the films is occasionally talky but also because you really don't like any of the characters very much. I'd say it's worth seeing but that it all.
I think how much you'll enjoy this film will depend a lot on how many Asian films you've seen. As for me, I've seen several different martial arts films from Hong Kong involving one-armed swordsmen and blind ones. And, I've seen all the Zatoichi films--and he's blind. It seems that in Chinese and Japanese films having a guy with a handicap that MUST destroy his abilities but doesn't is pretty normal. It's one of those odd clichés you just need to accept. This isn't my problem with the film--my problem is that I've just seen so many handicapped warrior movies that "The Secret of the Urn" seems passé--a case of 'been there, done that'. And, on top of this, the film itself isn't as good as many of the others in the genre. Part of it is because the films is occasionally talky but also because you really don't like any of the characters very much. I'd say it's worth seeing but that it all.