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MASTER
OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE
AKA:
One Armed Boxer 2 ||
One Armed Boxer Vs. The Flying Guillotine
Year:
1974 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
The
reputation of this kung-fu extravaganza has reached vast
proportions throughout its years on the movie scene. Now,
thanks to Pathfinder DVD, 'Master Of Flying Guillotine' has
been painstakingly restored and given the kind of treatment
that will be music to the ears of many fans. More information
on the DVD and its various attributes later, but first the
film itself.
The
One Armed Boxer is known throughout China thanks to his
expertise and the defeats of an assortment of foes in a
previous episode. The master of two of these hears of the
deaths of his pupils and vows to avenge them. The master,
though, is no ordinary fighter - he is a notorious Ching agent
and the exponent of the fearsome 'Flying Guillotine'. Although
blind, the mysterious killer is feared everywhere and decides
to track down the One Armed Boxer.
Meanwhile,
the Eagle Claw clan has organised a martial arts tournament
that attracts the attention of a wild assortment of warriors
from all over Asia. Word reaches the One Armed Boxer who
decides to watch the competition with his students and observe
the various styles on offer. Unfortunately, the master of the
Flying Guillotine also travels to the arena after receiving
information about his foe and a possible anti-Ching meeting.
As the competition progresses, the battle lines are drawn
behind the scenes and the Ching agent calls on a trio of the
foreign fighters to achieve his two-fold goals; one is an
arrogant Thai Boxer, the other an Indian mystic with extending
arms and the final one a Japanese fighter known as 'Win
Without a Knife'. This collection of characters are thrown
together in the final confrontation as the two powerhouses -
alongside their respective cohorts - square up in a series of
showdowns.
As
with his previous hit 'One Armed Boxer', Wang Yu again fills
the storyline with exotic characters and highly original
episodes. This time though, Wang Yu hit his creative peak with
a series of memorable images that have remained ingrained in
the minds of many genre fans. The choreography is also a step
above many of the other films of the time as Hong Kong supremo
Liu Chia Liang crafts realism with surrealism to fine effect.
There's much to recommend 'Master Of The Flying Guillotine';
its hard not to be drawn into director Wang Yu's eccentric
world with its almost Python-esque techniques and fights. As
director he creates an air of tension during the build-up to
the inevitable conflict and a discernable sense of dread every time
the master of the Flying Guillotine appears.
However,
'Master Of The Flying Guillotine' is not without its obvious
problems. Importantly, its impossible not to find moments of
the film unintentionally hilarious; even taking into account
the technical restrictions, there's too many farcical moments
to take things too seriously. As a result, the hard work that
is taken during the early stages to etch out an atmosphere are
undone. The anti-Ching plot thread is also wasted - starting
off as an interesting sub-plot, it is soon thrown away.
Director Wang Yu bathes some of the action in unnecessary
violence that I don't enjoy putting up with, but it is
thankfully infrequent. 'Master Of The Flying Guillotine' is
required viewing due to the aura that surrounds it and some of
its definite strengths. For me it isn't the all-time classic
that it's made to be though.
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