[2] Golden Swallow is forced into violence when a figure from her mysterious past goes on a killing rampage while leaving evidence that holds her responsible.

Director Chang Cheh stated that for Golden Swallow he disregarded a historical backdrop for the film to give the story more creative freedom.

I also heightened the romantic sub-plot of 'The Golden Swallow' which centres on the triangular love relationship between Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh and Cheng Pei-pei".

Guarisco found that "the plotting doesn't always make sense and Cheng Pei-Pei [...] is unfortunately sidelined by the film's male-centric story line.

That said, Hsia Yu-Yen delivers all the thrills a kung-fu film should offer and is well worth the time for genre enthusiasts thanks to its historic importance as an early Chang Cheh classic".