Sun Valley (1996)
"Ri guang xia gu" (original title)

The Avenger, a brooding swordsman armed with a blade marked "Slayer of 1000 Armies" claims he's waiting for a long-missing friend, at an outpost in Northwest China's Sun Valley. The Avenger... See full summary »

Director:

Ping He

Writers:

Ah Chung, Rui Zhang

Stars:

Zhenbo Chen, Yang Gao, Feng Ku

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Zhenbo Chen	...	Sha Zao
Yang Gao
Feng Ku	...	Crazy Old Man (as Gu Feng)
Xueqi Wang	...	Hei Niu (Black Bull)
Kuei-Mei Yang	...	Hong Liu
Chen Yuan	...	Huang Mao (Yellow Skin)
Fengyi Zhang	...	The Avenger

Storyline

The Avenger, a brooding swordsman armed with a blade marked "Slayer of 1000 Armies" claims he's waiting for a long-missing friend, at an outpost in Northwest China's Sun Valley. The Avenger suffers an intense fear of blood, from being the only survivor of his clan's massacre. The sight of blood propels him into a killing fury. Winter is setting in, so the local horse trader Black Bull, and most of the valley's men, prepare to drive a herd to market, leaving behind Black Bull's girlfriend, a feisty innkeeper.

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Plot Keywords:

chinese western | sword fight | mountain | buddhism | blood | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

30 May 1996 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Sun Valley

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

China Film Co-Production Corporation, Huanya Film Corporation Ltd., Media Asia Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Interesting chinese/western with spectacular visuals

I saw this movie on SBS (in Australia) as the saturday night cult movie. This movie however is way too good to be a cult movie. it has some of the best sceneries I have ever seen. They are at par with Crouching Tiger (if not better).

The movie is based in the hills of China, seems suspiciously close to Mongolia (judging by landscapes and general look and feel). The time period is not entirely clear as I could clearly see some modern inventions like matches, water taps etc.

The central character is a lady(Hongliu) who runs an inn in the middle of nowhere(Sun Valley). She is a widow and has a son(Shazao). She is also happily involved with a local who is out of town most of the times.

Things become interesting with the advent of a stranger with a nifty sword and an uncanny reaction to blood. Its obvious that he has a dark side and a secret past.

The stranger starts living at the inn waiting for a "friend". Others reckon he is an "avenger" and would only bring trouble.

Without trying to give any more details about the plot, I can say that the movie is more of a character study than a typical kung fu/swordsplay or western.

The movie is worth watching just for the visuals alone. The characters are likeable and acting passable.