Master of the Flying Guillotine: Movie Review

I watched a movie from 1976, Master of the Flying Guillotine. This movie stood out from other kung-fu themed movies of its time by being a thoroughly enjoyable movie, using a combination of an exciting plot, masterfully choreographed fighting scenes, original characters, and a more than competent director. The movie starts out with an old man named “Flying Guillotine” seeking out the “One Armed Boxer” (Wang Yu) to avenge the death of his two underlings killed by the Boxer.

The Guillotine’s intentions from the beginning were corrupt, as his original mission was to eliminate the Ching rebels, including the One Armed Boxer, who coincidentally only has one arm. During a prestigious kung-fu tournament, including crazy characters such as “Win Without a Knife” Yakuma, who actually holds a knife secretly, a man who fights using his pigtails, and an Indian Yoga master who could extend his arms by 5 inches, The Flying Guillotine tried to assassinate the One Armed Boxer, but failed.

The Flying Guillotine himself is completely blind, and used a flying guillotine, a hat shaped device that chopped heads right off! What also made this film stand out is its use of creative special effects. A dramatic fight at the end incorporates coffins with spring-loaded hatchets and Wang Yu’s gravity-defying wall-climbing. You could also imagine the kind of public reaction a film like this would receive in 1976, to this day it remains a cult film classic that lives up to its eccentric name by offering one of the most unusual and fascinating kung-fu movie experiences.