Swordsman is a martial arts film directed by King Hu, released in 1990. The movie is set in ancient China during the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor's scroll containing valuable martial arts secrets is stolen by a group of bandits. The Emperor responds by dispatching an army detachment led by General Yin (played by Jimmy Wang Yu) to pursue the bandits and recover the scroll.
During their journey, General Yin and his men encounter a young swordsman named Linghu Chong (played by Jet Li), who is also seeking the stolen scroll. Linghu Chong has his own reasons for wanting the scroll, and he joins the army detachment in their pursuit of the bandits.
The search for the scroll leads the army detachment and Linghu Chong to a remote island where they come face to face with the mysterious and deadly martial arts expert, Dongfang Bubai (played by Brigitte Lin). Dongfang Bubai is also seeking the scroll, and she will stop at nothing to obtain it.
As the story unfolds, alliances are formed and broken, and the characters engage in thrilling fight scenes filled with acrobatics, swordplay, and other martial arts techniques. Swordsman is a classic example of wuxia cinema, a genre of Chinese martial arts films set in a world of chivalry, honor, and martial arts mastery.