Although Hu would continue to make period pieces full of intrigue, The Valiant Ones is his last true wuxiafilm; his later work includes only occasional bits of action. Perhaps this sense of bidding farewell to a beloved genre is the origin of the deep sense of melancholy in The Valiant Ones. Set characteristically for Hu in the Ming Dynasty (14th-17th century), the eponymous characters are a small band of warriors assembled to defend the Chinese coast against Japanese pirates. Tantalizingly abstract in its fight choreography—action is expressed in calligraphic strokes such as the brief clanging of blades, the whizzing-by of arrows and the rhythmic flight of bodies—the film is nevertheless majestic in its evocation of landscape. But unlike the preternaturally gifted heroes of most swordplay films, Hu’s valiant ones are mortal. His “Picture of Valor” (the film’s Chinese title) is ultimately ironic; its somber resolution undercuts any triumph in victory.