An exhilarating watch, King Hu’s epic masterpiece A Touch of Zen is his best work, and was internationally recognised with a top prize at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. Full of trademark wuxia thrills and exuberant free-falling heroes and heroines, the film’s eerie cinematography and steady, provocative pacing is enough to make this one a genuine classic of the genre. Based on a ghost story by early Ching dynasty writer Pu Songling (whose writings were also adapted for A Chinese Ghost Story), King Hu spins an involving and evocative tale far beyond the creepy hauntings at Du Ling Fort. The drama also focuses on the plight of political refugees hiding from the Dongchang (security agency) who have occupied the neighbouring home of a middle-aged artist named Ku (Dragon Inn‘s Shih Chun). Pestered by his mother to find himself a wife, Ku falls for a resistance leader (played by the wonderful Hsu Feng) – a gifted knight-errant whose family were killed by the Dongchang, and Ku is summarily pulled into the drama. But this is no mere revenge fable, as Hu adds a distinct flavour of Buddhist mysticism to proceedings by involving the character of Hui Yuan (Chiao), an almost supernatural deity figure who tries to turn his back on the secular world before assisting the fleeing refugees. Hu goes so far to depict Hui Yuan as Buddha incarnate, judging by the film’s last and most memorable image. A treacherous Dongchang official (Han Ying-chieh) stabs the monk, leaving him sitting in the lotus position, silhouetted against the sunset, bleeding gold… And let’s not forget the swashbuckling martial arts action that will have you jumping clean out of your seat. A bona fide classic.