''Swordsmen in Double Flag Town'' or ''The Swordsman in Double Flag Town'' () is a 1991 Chinese film directed by He Ping, starring

Gao Wei Gao Wei (高緯) (29 May 556 – November 577According to volume 10 of ''History of the Northern Dynasties'', Gao Wei was killed in the 10th month of the 6th year of the ''Jiande'' era of Yuwen Yong's reign. This corresponds to 28 Oct to 25 Nov ...

and Zhang Manna. It is a hybrid sort of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted f ...

film, acted by a cast of largely unknowns, and was produced by

Xi'an Film Studio Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqing ...

Plot

A quiet teenage boy about sixteen to seventeen, Hai Ge (Gao Wei), ventures to

Western China Western China (, or rarely ) is the west of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers one municipality (Chongqing), six provinces (Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively r ...

at the edge of the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world. Geography The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...

to claim his bride, betrothed to him since birth. His father has just died and the lad makes his way to Double Flag Town, the dusty border town with no marshal or governor to keep its townsfolk safe. Along his way he meets Desert Eagle, a fighter who allegedly robs the rich to feed the poor. Desert Eagle invites him to look him up in case he encounters any trouble. Hai Ge manages to find young Hao Mei (Zhang Manna), his betrothed, and her father, who is lame in one leg and who runs a restaurant in the town. At first Hao Mei feels disgusted by the dirty, unkempt boy, but gradually succumbs to his taciturn charms. It appears also that Hai Ge has inherited martial arts skills from his late father—he keeps the long daggers in his boots which once made his late father a consummate fighter. One day, a group of bandits appear in the restaurant and one attempts rape on Hao Mei. Hai Ge intervenes and with his deft skills manages to kill the assailant. The dead man is none other than the second brother of renowned desert bandit Lethal Swordsman. After marrying his daughter to Hai Ge, Hao Mei's father tries to let the two run off, but the townsfolk insist that Hai Ge be handed over to Lethal Swordsman to prevent a town bloodbath. To fight Lethal Swordsman, Hai Ge goes to find Desert Eagle, who promises he will be there to slay the bandit. He promises to turn up at high noon two days later when the bandits appear. On the fateful day Lethal Swordsman and his gang of bandits ride to Double Flag Town in the heat of noon. Heading for a showdown, the chief slays everyone in his way attempting to block his revenge mission, including Hao Mei's father. Lethal Swordsman faces off with Hai Ge who realizes he has been tricked by Desert Eagle, who does not turn up. The two has a swift showdown. As blood trickles down Hai Ge's head Lethal Swordsman makes off, impressed by the young man's skills. As he moves away slowly, he suddenly realizes he is fatally wounded by Hai Ge's daggers and slumps to his death. At this point Desert Eagle appears and claims his spoil—Lethal Swordsman's sword, as Hai Ge walks away wearily, stating that Desert Eagle has betrayed him. The closing shot shows the silhouettes of Hai Ge and his bride riding away from Double Flag Town during sunset.

External links

* {{He Ping 1991 films 1990s adventure drama films 1991 Western (genre) films Chinese adventure films Films set in China 1990s Mandarin-language films Films directed by He Ping Wuxia films 1991 drama films