SHE'D HATE RATHER LOVE is another Taiwanese wuxia epic put out by the Union Film Company, which seemed to churn out movie after movie during this era. This one is a typically heavily-plotted story with a reasonable amount of sword play action to keep it interesting. What I found most notable about is that there's a strong Japanese look and feel to the production which puts it more in line with a samurai epic rather than an equivalent Hong Kong production.
The tale takes place during the Song Dynasty and sees a skilled swordsman, played by David Wei Tang, wrongfully accused of murder and going on the run to prove his innocence. The plot thickens when a prominent general is murdered by the invading Jin Empire and his daughter decides to start a rebellion. Han Hsiang Chin is the leading swordswoman and effective in the Cheng Pei-Pei mould. Eventually the two characters come together to take down various bad guys, all of whom seem to sport massive bushy black beards.
SHE'D HATE RATHER LOVE doesn't have a huge budget so don't go in expecting a wealth of battle action. Still, the outdoor locations keep it looking good, and the fight choreography is rather smooth. Expect fight antics in the local woods and some very basic (and bad) camera trick effects. The costumes and armour look very nice. One guy wears a Santa hat and the bad guys scowl a lot and look threatening. There's a little blood and a notable death by cymbal, which I hadn't seen done before.
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