Master of the Flying Guillotine

After hearing that his two disciples have been killed by One-Armed Boxer Liu Ti Lung (Yu Wang), blind Ching master Fung Sheng Wu Chi (Kang Chin) vows to avenge their deaths. Travelling to a martial arts tournament where Liu Ti Lung is expected to attend, Fung Sheng Wu Chi proceeds to whip the head off anyone unfortunate enough to only have one arm (rather strangely, the town where the competition is being staged seems to have a surfeit of one-armed men!).

Ordinarily, a fight between a sighted one-armed man and a blind guy would be a pretty lame affair (and the outcome inevitable: in the land of the blind, the one-armed man is king!), but in the world of martial arts movies, such a battle proves less predictable and hugely entertaining, the One-Armed Boxer scooting up walls and delivering mighty blows, the blind fellow using his extra-sensory powers to fling his 'flying guillotine' with deadly accuracy.

But this isn't the only amazing duel on offer in Master of the Flying Guillotine: the tournament consists of several equally astounding one-on-one battles between a wide variety of foes, each with their own distinctive fighting style. Thai boxer Nai Men (Chien-Po Tsen) does a funny dance routine before each fight, kung fu babe Shao-Tieh (Chung-Erh Lung) uses her Eagle Claw to tear the clothes off her monkey style opponent, Daredevil Lee Sen pokes out the eyes of the resilient Iron Skin, Japanese fighter Win-Without-a-Knife Yakuma actually uses a knife to win, and Indian Yoga Tro La Seng extends his arms to incredible length. The fights are well choreographed and wonderfully vicious, with broken limbs, gougings, and impalements galore.

There are also some cool fights outside of the arena, the best being between Liu Ti Lung and Nai Men in a small hut with a searing hot floor, and Tro La Seng against Liu Ti Lung, who smashes his opponent's telescopic arms.

Eventually Fung Sheng Wu Chi tracks down Liu Ti Lung and the scene is set for the final battle, the One-Armed Boxer having laid a few traps for his bitter foe. As the pair duke it out in a coffin shop, spring loaded hatchets are activated by our one-armed hero, giving him an advantage over his head-snatching enemy. After lots of craziness, including a fun moment where Fung Sheng Wu Chi goes one better than Linda Blair by doing a 720 degree head turn, the blind man is hurled through a window to land dead in a coffin.

With so much inventive action and so many colourful characters, Master of the Flying Guillotine is a hugely entertaining old-school kung fu classic, essential viewing for any self-respecting fan of the genre.