Master of the Flying Guillotine (1977) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I saw this in the theatre just a couple of weeks ago. This movie was not only a big influence on kung-fu movies, but also on the fighting genre of video games. After watching this movie you will notice certain similarities between it and the "Street Fighter" video games. (Including the yogi with the stretching arms.)
The movie is actually the second movie in the "one arm boxer" series. (There are flashbacks to the previous movie.) The blind monk (the master of the flying guillotine) gets word that his two disciples have been killed by the one arm boxer. He goes on a hunt for the one arm boxer. Being blind, he tends to kill a number of the wrong people along the way, but that does not matter to him in the slightest. (Being the nasty next to unkillable uber-villian he is.)
While the blind monk is out looking for the one arm boxer, there is a kung-fu tournement being held. This is a great excuse to have a bunch of martial artists with various styles. Did I mention that this was a fight to the death or severe maiming? There are some great over the top kung-fu battles up until the tournement is interupted by the blind monk. The one arm boxer is , of course, at the tournement.
Many of the styles are just plain impossible. But that is half the fun!
I won't spoil the rest of the film. It is very enjoyable. The print I saw had some odd defects from the negative used to print the film. There are also some scratches and other misc problems. They do not detract from the experience in the slightest. It was also subtitled and not dubbed. Hopefully the DVD will not suffer the same fate as most Chinese films released in the US. (Cut to ribbons and dubbed with bad translations.)
If you are a kung-fu fan, especially of the old Shaw Brothers films, then you will want this one.
It is a big bloody. People do die in this film. It is not one where people just get beaten-up real bad and then run away. People can and do get hurt in this one. The film is probably better because of that.
One of the best kung-fu movies of all time.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Master of the Flying Guillotine (1977)

Introducing what many consider the Holy Grail of 1970's martial arts/Hong Kong films. Master of the Flying Guillotine (also known as One Armed Boxer vs. The Flying Guillotine) combines eye-popping visuals, unforgettable characters, incredible performances, a spectacular electronic soundtrack and one of the most notorious weapons in film history. The cult and legend of Master of the Flying Guillotine continues to grow as martial arts film moves into the mainstream. Both Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson single out "Master" as one of their favorite films.

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about Master of the Flying Guillotine (1977)

Read More...

The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Jimmy Wang Yu starred in many Shaw Bros. swordplay films in the 1960s, but it was THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), directed by the prolific Chang Cheh, that put him on the map as the leading action star of Hong Kong cinema at the time and shifted the direction of HK sword films to a harder-edged, bloodier style with a greater emphasis on martial arts. It was the first film of its type to stress the training aspect of swordplay and gives the hero a half-burned manual which teaches him left-hand sword techniques after his right arm had been chopped off in a jealous pique by his master's beautiful but impetuous daughter. Having gone into hiding with a loyal farm girl (whose father had been a swordsman and was the original owner of the manual), Wang Yu goes back into action, after the requisite training period, to aid his former master when his school comes under attack from evil swordsmen led by Long-Armed Devil and Smiling Face.
The villains have a lethal device on their swords which locks on to the sword of their opponent and enables them to deliver the killing blow with a dagger held in their right hands as they fight. Only Wang Yu's broken sword (left to him by his dead father, who was killed when he was a boy) can counteract the effects of the sword-lock.
Wang Yu had the proper dark and brooding quality for such a role and he is well served by the violent, bleak tone of the film. He returned to the role in one official sequel, the nonstop slaughterfest, THE RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1968), and later went to a rival studio to star in ONE-ARMED BOXER (1971). Shaw Bros. countered with THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1971), starring David Chiang in the title role, which had less intensity and more spectacle.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

(Action/Comedy) A young woman marries a dying senior member of a martial arts family in order to protect her family's fortunes, leading to a duel with a greedy relative.

Get 23% OFF

Click here for more information about The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

Read More...