Master Of The Flying Guillotine

A sequel to One-Armed Boxer, Fung Sheung is a blind man, but don’t let that fool you. He is a master martial artist who also has under his employment the dangerous Flying Guillotine, which is like a skullcap with blades that can decapitate a man. After his two colleagues are killed during a fight with The One-Armed Boxer (Yu Wang, who also directed the film). In his quest for revenge, Fun Sheung hires the help of a gang of foreign martial artists, including a guy who’s quick with his feet, a Japanese swordsman and an Indian who can stretch his arms (the influence of Dhalsim from the Street Fighter series). Will the One-Armed Boxer prevail?
If you ever wanted to show someone why Hong Kong kung-fu cinema is awesome, this is the movie you should show them. The movie is perfect and pretty much has everything. Strong, violent action, exaggerated characters, a really overblown revenge storyline and lots of blood. And as for the guillotine, it’s quite a contraption. I know that it has it’s basis on historical fact, but the real-life flying guillotine was a very clumsy contraption that only worked if it feel from the top and it’s victim didn’t move. Not in this one, here the weapon flies high and kicks mayor ass. The action scenes are very well done as well, with each fighter bringing something different to the table, never making it boring.
The soundtrack left me quite surprised, as it uses a lot of experimental bands. Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle and Tangerine Dream are all featured, along with an original score that’s just as strong and experimental. So watch this if you haven’t, it’s a perfect action film.