A typical kung fu extravaganza, where two mighty warriors, one an evil and blind mystic, who "senses" the presence of his enemy (in a Starwars "force" way), stalks his nemesis and rival, a one armed fighter who represents the good. The catch is that this evil mystic wields a unique weapon that he uses ruthlessly (can you possibly guess what from the film's title?). The action is exciting, but there are some areas where the movie gets downright cheesy.
In some places it's overdone with the impossible moves you often see in movies like this (jumping 30 feet in the air, catching weapons thrown at you, acrobatic rolls that defy gravity, etc) The "Zzzziiiinnnngggg!!!" of the guillotine is used too much, and becomes funny. The makeup on the Master of the Flying Guillotine is very fake, especially in close-up shots of his face (used frequently), showing that this old man is being played by a guy maybe 25 yrs. old. The numerous preliminary fights with lesser fighters are well choreographed and enacted, but become redundant--you know pretty much when the attacker is going to get killed. And then it's on to the next fight. There is almost no plot; you know that the two experts will have their showdown sooner or later. The dialog is ripe and silly with its stoic pontification, one of the many kung fu movie clichés used.
The final match is nicely done, goes on for a long time, utilizes several strategies by each combatant, and is just a lot of fun to watch. In gets campy because it's so overdone, but still fun.
In some places it's overdone with the impossible moves you often see in movies like this (jumping 30 feet in the air, catching weapons thrown at you, acrobatic rolls that defy gravity, etc) The "Zzzziiiinnnngggg!!!" of the guillotine is used too much, and becomes funny. The makeup on the Master of the Flying Guillotine is very fake, especially in close-up shots of his face (used frequently), showing that this old man is being played by a guy maybe 25 yrs. old. The numerous preliminary fights with lesser fighters are well choreographed and enacted, but become redundant--you know pretty much when the attacker is going to get killed. And then it's on to the next fight. There is almost no plot; you know that the two experts will have their showdown sooner or later. The dialog is ripe and silly with its stoic pontification, one of the many kung fu movie clichés used.
The final match is nicely done, goes on for a long time, utilizes several strategies by each combatant, and is just a lot of fun to watch. In gets campy because it's so overdone, but still fun.