Hong Kong Synopsis
天蠶變
Yun Fei Yang is the viciously bullied orphan who takes on the unpleasant tasks at a formidable kung-fu school. Constantly mocked by the other students of the school, Yen counts as his only friend the daughter of the resident master. Any internal wrangling between the various members is put to one side when a swordsman from a rival clan reminds the master of the duel he must take part in once a decade. Unfortunately the defending clan chief is well aware that his rival is more powerful than himself. The expected defeat is further complicated when a wandering swordsman arrives on the scene and joins himself to the injured party, immediately adding to Yen's woes.
Other Titles From Shaw Brothers
The 1982–1984 Hong Kong Window
Bastard Swordsman holds position #21 of 42 Hong Kong films in the 1982–1984 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
The 1980s Hong Kong Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1980s in Hong Kong, 151 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Bastard Swordsman premiered alongside 13 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 13 other Hong Kong films in 1983.
The 187th Hong Kong title from Hong Kong we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1955).
Our Hong Kong catalog contains 836 titles in total (828 films).
Audience Engagement
13 audience reviews — more than 21% of Hong Kong films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 45th percentile among Hong Kong films.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #350 of 836 Hong Kong films indexed here (58th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.2 points above the Hong Kong average of 6.3/10.
Among Hong Kong Action productions specifically: #229 of 516 (top 44%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Cantonese |
| Production Companies | Shaw Brothers |
| Runtime | 1h 35m |
| Release Date | September 14, 1983 |
| IMDb | tt0078393 |