Master Of The Flying Guillotine

Over the last weekend I got my Kung Fu on. I picked up a couple of martial art film classics and here is my review of one. HEE-YA!!!!

Master Of The Flying Guillotine:
I came across this lost gem much by accident. I hadn't seen this movie since the 70's. The one thing I always remembered about it was an Indian character who could stretch his arms while fighting. The inspiration for the Street Fighter video games. With CGI not even a thought, this character was very cool using practical FX. I still found this film fun and entertaining after all these years. The director writer and star Jimmy Wang Yu gave guys like Jackie Chan their start and created a popular franchise of his own in the form of the one armed boxer. As the one armed boxer, Jimmy is targeted by a blind master who seeks revenge for the deaths of his two disciples. The blind master's weapon? Think of it as a hat connected to a long thin chain. When thrown onto an opponents head, the blind master pulls the chain, AND OFF COMES THE HEAD! Since this is an old independent flick the realism in the decapitations are a bit laughable. But it is all a part of the fun. The movie really shines at the very end when the one armed boxer sets up a virtual gauntlet to defeat the blind master. Very well thought out and a testament to Jimmy Wang Yu's abilities as a film maker. If you like classic camp and martial arts, you MUST seek out this movie.