Dragon inn
Various people including the children of a beheaded general and a master martial artist end up at Dragon inn. Its a place in the desert near the borders of China and serves as the main location for the bulk of the films plot. The Generals rival has set a trap to make sure the kids die there rather than risk them coming back in a few years for vengeance. Simmering tensions come to the boil and we get lots of sword fights and people bouncing about the place.
King Wu's film is an early example of Wuxia. Think crouching tiger hidden dragon and your on the right path. In fact King Wu's films, Taiwanese martial arts epics, were a direct influence on Ang Lee's film.
One of the biggest detectable influence on the film is the Spaghetti western. Most obvious is the influence of Sergio Leone. The desert setting, pacing, framing and camerawork make the film feel like a martial arts take on the Dollars Trilogy (The Good, The Bad & the Ugly came out only a year previously). If you liked Crouching Tiger seek this out. Even if you didn't, seek this out. Its a much better film.
A touch of zen
King Wu's follow up to Dragon Inn is a 3 hour epic of politics, love and treachery all of which are ultimately trumped by Buddhism which is above such earthly concerns.
The film follows Gu, a scholar who is content living in the arse end of nowhere with his mother scraping a living. His mother is concerned as he's past 30 and unmarried. Gu is suspicious of a local castle that appears to be haunted. Investigating he discovers that its the hiding place of an exiled female swordsman. Gu's knowledge of military tactics eventually come in handy when an Army is sent to kill the swordsman and her comrades.
Much slower paced than Dragon inn, Touch of Zen might be off putting to some. It's over an hour before we see any martial arts at all. That said if you have the patience its ultimately rewarded with the impressive framing, camerawork and sets of Dragon Inn scaled up into a three hour epic.
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