Bichunmoo: Warrior of Virtue (UK)

Based on a popular comic, Bichunmoo tells the tale of Jin-ha (Shin Hyun-june), a young martial arts expert, training in the secret art of Bichun swordplay, who falls in love with Sullie (Kim Hee-sun), daughter of Mongol general Taruga. As is the way with these things, Taruga wishes his daughter to marry for the better of the family and, with the death of her mother, takes her away to Shao-Hsing and the young son of a rich family. Not best pleased with this, Jin-ha immediately wants to recue her from her family - but events conspire to keep them apart and to push Sullie into the arms of Namgung (Jeong Jin-young), whilst Jin-ha discovers the tragic secrets of his family`s past and the ways of Bichun.

Bichunmoo is a highly enjoyable film very much in the style of Hong Kong fantasy swordplay movies. The comprehensibility of the plot is reduced because of the decision by the Korean film studio to remove certain scenes, but anyone willing to exercise their powers of logical deduction should still be able to follow the story, and the action scenes remain entertaining regardless of whether you attempt to follow the plot or not.

Premier Asia have succeeded in meeting the high expectations for this release, which features a good transfer, great sound, and a wealth of extras. If they manage to keep up this standard, they will soon develop the same strong brand loyalty that Hong Kong Legends currently enjoys.