Note: this review is for the English dubbed version

Hears Shed No Tears is a Shaw Bros wuxia flick that is much heavier on the talking then it is on the action. Alliances are formed, broken, and reformed as a set of top martial artists scheme against each other. The principle characters each have their own shtick that helps to make them feel unique and each get a decent amount of character development. Being a Shaw Bro.'s production the sets and costumes are gorgeous.

Sadly it is not very enthralling due to several issues. The stakes are not clearly defined as they are seeking to be the best martial artist but nothing is ever said of why this is important. The voice actors who did the dub offer little in the way of excitement or energy and they all deliver very forgettable performances.

Another point against the film is the writing. The dialog is often repetitive with characters restating their intent multiple times in a single scene. Many of the twists come off as lazy with writers choosing to no build up to the twist, opting instead to have the twist come out of nowhere. Much of the dialog revolves around angst of the characters and how they sad they feel, which does not feel terribly heartfelt given some of the above stated issues.

Some of the fight scenes are fun as the choreography is decent and there are a few instances of weird weaponry being used. The fights are not terribly violent as the movie only uses very mild blood effects (e.g. Someone is stabbed/slashed and their clothes will now be bloody). None of the fights are terribly psychotronic with this going for being more of a serious, historical drama then something zanier. The film does break from this tone in one scene when a dancer does cut off her own leg to get back at her partner (!) and then proceeds to indigently hop away (!!).

If you like the idea of Shaw Bro.'s putting on what is essentially a some kind of serious, stage play but with sword fights then you might like this. Otherwise my suggestion would be to skip it.

Whilst searching for info on John Woo's Heroes Shed No Tears (1984-also reviewed) I discovered that a film with the same title had been made by the Shaw Bros in 1980. Taking part in a poll for the best films from '80,I got set to witness heroes cry.

View on the film:

Reflecting the single tear stain shimmering on the sword, co-writer/(with Long Gu) director Yuen Chor & cinematographer Chieh Huang draw a spectacular spellbinding atmosphere in long ultra-stylised panning shots across the beautifully painted sets bursting with vibrant primary colours that get tainted by slivers of blood.

Staging a sparkling Musical/dance number, Chor closely works with fight choreographer Tang Chia to present the thrilling action set-pieces in a dance composition manner, unrolling the martial arts master twirling in the sky, (star Sheng Fu shattered his right leg when his harness broke) Chor lands them on a canvas with a extremely theatrical foreground of trees, rocks and flowers which bring out a fantastical mythical mood to Chor's Wuxia twist.

Undergo several procedures after the bone in his right leg didn't set properly,and not recovering until a year later when he made his return with The Treasure Hunters (1981),Sheng Fu (who was only 28 when he died in 1983, after his brother took one of the winding curves on Clearwater Bay Road too fast when driving, and hit a cement barrier) gives a wonderful turn as Kao,who wears a traditional warrior respect for the sword, with a edge of the blade urgency from finding himself entwined in backstabbing battles,as the heroes shed tears.

HEROES SHED NO TEARS is a typical martial world story from Shaw Brothers director Chor Yuen. He wrote the screenplay himself which may be why this one is a bit less confusing than most of his novel adaptations (although it's still quite confusing). The film has a slightly dated look to it and thinks aren't helped by doltish hero Alexander Fu Sheng playing one of his dumber protagonists. As usual, there are rival martial arts masters with their own styles and one of them is a villain, trying to eliminate the competition. This film has a great visual look to it with fine sets and the like, but the action is merely adequate. As is usual with the Shaw films of this era, the exemplary ensemble cast helps to make it quite palatable: watch out for Ku Feng, Jason Pai Piao, Derek Yee, and Yueh Hua playing various degrees of bad-ass.