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King Hu took martial arts films a whole new direction with the epic A Touch of Zen, something that almost seemed so unusual with wuxia films. Yet amongst the other wuxia films that I’ve seen, there’s something to A Touch of Zen which ultimately makes itself a more distinctive work when placed amongst the rest, it would be from the fact that it suggests something more thoughtful. Within its own sprawling three hour length, the experience of watching A Touch of Zen only comes out rewarding, not only because it feels like half of said running time, but also in part because of what it provides all throughout. A Touch of Zen may very well be the greatest martial arts film ever made. Even with my limited experience with such films, I feel confident enough in that statement because I’d be hard-pressed to find something else like it. As often repeated when talking about some of the very best, “they really don’t make them like this anymore.”

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