This sequel to Wang Yu's ONE-ARMED BOXER offers more of the same and actually manages to surpass that classic film in a number of ways. Although the plot is threadbare, no real genre fans should care about this because the wealth of action on offer is well-shot and always entertaining. For sheer entertainment value alone, MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE is a real classic, a film which packs in plentiful martial arts, outlandish props and weapons devices, bizarre scenes of fantasy and horror, appropriate music, and plenty of unexpected surprises. The story begins as the evil bearded blind kung-fu expert goes berserk, jumping through his roof and decapitating an unfortunate chicken. The reason why? His loyal students - the Tibetan Lamas that Wang Yu fought in the first film - have been destroyed and he's none too pleased.
Travelling to the local village, the evil blind guy uses his unique weapon, the flying guillotine, to kill off any one-armed men he finds. After decapitating a man in a restaurant, he's informed that this isn't the One-Armed Boxer he is seeking. "I don't care," he replies, "I'm going to kill any one-armed men I find."!!! Totally un-PC, I love it! The flying guillotine itself is an imaginative weapon, a box on a chain that has a spiked interior that can rip a man's head clean off (as we see it do many times). Whoever invented this classic device deserves a pat on the back - although it may be unbelievable it makes for great cinematic entertainment and was used in subsequent films.
The One-Armed Boxer, meanwhile, is taking things pretty easy after his workout in the first movie. He's assembled a new martial arts class and he chills out by watching a local staged tournament of kung-fu fighters. This tournament takes up much of the film and is a delight to watch - basically two opponents fight each other to the death. When one or both die, its time for the next round. The long-running tournament is kept fresh and interesting through the various fighters used. The monkey-fighter and the Thai boxer are back from the first film, and new enemies include Without a Knife, a guy in a big hat who kills by using a secret knife (!) and an Indian guy who can stretch his arms out to ten feet long. No, I'm not kidding. The stretchy-armed guy is one of the film's biggest entertainment values. Despite the dodgy effects his appearance is a classic one and adds to the film hugely.
After lots of gory bloodshed (bone-breaking, crushing, slicing, and stabbings abound here folks, along with a nasty battle over a bed of poking swords), the Blind Man arrives and promptly decapitates a fighter with one-arm. Turns out he got the wrong guy again! Wang Yu learns of this and narrowly escapes when the guillotine guy arrives at his school. He thinks of a plan and then the long-running conclusion of the film charts the battle between Wang Yu and three adversaries. A great callous moment from Wang Yu here: he locks himself and the Thai fighter in a hut with a metal floor to fight to the finish. The catch? Fires under the hut constantly heat up the metal. Wang Yu wears shoes and his opponent does not. You get the picture. The most sadistic scene in the film and also one of the funniest.
The showdown between the Boxer and the Blindman is great show-stopping stuff, incorporating some fine martial arts work, slow motion techniques, suspense, and more props than you can shake a stick at. Plenty of bloodshed, overflowing intensity, weirdness, and classic bad dubbing abound and combine to make a sequel that equals. Wang Yu enjoys himself as the One-Armed Boxer and displays some charisma and swagger too. Despite being no Bruce Lee he handles himself well in the action, creating a screen presence that makes him look more talented than he actually is. The characters are imaginative and interesting and the movie has a unique feel to it which propels it into the realm of the classic. The unintentional humour adds another angle to the entertainment. A must for all kung fu fans or those who just like the films plain and simply weird.
Travelling to the local village, the evil blind guy uses his unique weapon, the flying guillotine, to kill off any one-armed men he finds. After decapitating a man in a restaurant, he's informed that this isn't the One-Armed Boxer he is seeking. "I don't care," he replies, "I'm going to kill any one-armed men I find."!!! Totally un-PC, I love it! The flying guillotine itself is an imaginative weapon, a box on a chain that has a spiked interior that can rip a man's head clean off (as we see it do many times). Whoever invented this classic device deserves a pat on the back - although it may be unbelievable it makes for great cinematic entertainment and was used in subsequent films.
The One-Armed Boxer, meanwhile, is taking things pretty easy after his workout in the first movie. He's assembled a new martial arts class and he chills out by watching a local staged tournament of kung-fu fighters. This tournament takes up much of the film and is a delight to watch - basically two opponents fight each other to the death. When one or both die, its time for the next round. The long-running tournament is kept fresh and interesting through the various fighters used. The monkey-fighter and the Thai boxer are back from the first film, and new enemies include Without a Knife, a guy in a big hat who kills by using a secret knife (!) and an Indian guy who can stretch his arms out to ten feet long. No, I'm not kidding. The stretchy-armed guy is one of the film's biggest entertainment values. Despite the dodgy effects his appearance is a classic one and adds to the film hugely.
After lots of gory bloodshed (bone-breaking, crushing, slicing, and stabbings abound here folks, along with a nasty battle over a bed of poking swords), the Blind Man arrives and promptly decapitates a fighter with one-arm. Turns out he got the wrong guy again! Wang Yu learns of this and narrowly escapes when the guillotine guy arrives at his school. He thinks of a plan and then the long-running conclusion of the film charts the battle between Wang Yu and three adversaries. A great callous moment from Wang Yu here: he locks himself and the Thai fighter in a hut with a metal floor to fight to the finish. The catch? Fires under the hut constantly heat up the metal. Wang Yu wears shoes and his opponent does not. You get the picture. The most sadistic scene in the film and also one of the funniest.
The showdown between the Boxer and the Blindman is great show-stopping stuff, incorporating some fine martial arts work, slow motion techniques, suspense, and more props than you can shake a stick at. Plenty of bloodshed, overflowing intensity, weirdness, and classic bad dubbing abound and combine to make a sequel that equals. Wang Yu enjoys himself as the One-Armed Boxer and displays some charisma and swagger too. Despite being no Bruce Lee he handles himself well in the action, creating a screen presence that makes him look more talented than he actually is. The characters are imaginative and interesting and the movie has a unique feel to it which propels it into the realm of the classic. The unintentional humour adds another angle to the entertainment. A must for all kung fu fans or those who just like the films plain and simply weird.