The Magic Blade (1976)

Ti Lung's poncho-wearing swordsman looks as if he wandered in from a spaghetti western, and that mix is the fun of Chor Yuen's Shaw Brothers adventure. Based on a Gu Long novel, it moves from one trap to the next as rival fighters chase a deadly weapon called the Peacock Dart, each encounter staged on lavish studio sets that turn the martial world into a dreamlike maze. Gu Long's stories lean toward mystery, assassins and moody loners rather than sprawling sect politics, and this is a good place to find that flavor. The plot is busy and the effects are of their time; come for the atmosphere and Ti Lung's cool.