The British Film Institute (BFI) published a feature about legendary Taiwanese film director King Hu (胡金銓) on 26 March, aiming to introduce his collection of martial art epics to the British audience looking for new content to fill time during self-isolation and quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saying that although “Hu’s balletic fight sequences have certainly influenced the modern wuxia,“ the director has a movie-making style unique to himself. The BFI adds that although his productions straddle different eras and production styles, his films constantly remain both grounded in both reality and fantasy: “Hu is not simply the progenitor of the wuxia blockbuster as he goes beyond the escapist pleasures of the genre to take the audience on spiritual journeys that confound expectations.”

The BFI then introduces a selection of must-watch movies by the Taiwanese filmmaker, including Come Drink with Me (大醉俠) from 1966, 1967’s Dragon Inn (龍門客棧), and A Touch of Zen (俠女) which was released in 1971.

Read the full feature here