Dragon Inn

Dragon Inn (1967) is a landmark wuxia film from director King Hu, and you can watch it online on iFILM. China, 1457. The all-powerful eunuch Tsao has the Minister of Defense executed and sends his children into exile — then, still not satisfied, dispatches assassins after them.

The exiles' route passes through a lonely roadhouse near the frontier post known as Dragon Gate. Wandering swordsmen drift in too, and the cramped inn becomes a chessboard: strangers size each other up, blades wait under the tables, and a cup of tea might be poisoned. Shih Chun and Polly Shang-Kuan Ling-Feng lead — the latter a rare woman warrior who trades blows on equal footing with the men.

King Hu turned his sword fights into something close to dance, setting a standard that Hong Kong and Taiwanese action would chase for decades. There's a straight line from this inn to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the later films of Zhang Yimou. Stream Dragon Inn (1967) online on iFILM.