Master of the Flying Guillotine (1977)

Fantastic!

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Blistering performances.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Well to start things at the very beginning, we have the movies title: Master of the Flying Guillotine, which certainly gets my vote for the BEST movie title ever - but it hardly ends there.When viewing this wickedly clever and innovative martial arts classic from the mid-70's (making it an early entry in the post-Lee era), it's apparent from the movies opening credits with it's oddball music selection (Kraut-rock), that it's star/director Jimmy Wang Yu was clearly thinking outside-the-box. "Master of the Flying Guillotine" is the sequel to the "One-Armed Boxer" and it's superior to it's older counterpart in pretty much every way, not that the One-Armed Boxer is bad - not at all, but The Master is an absolute classic of the martial arts genre and once you've seen it you're likely not to forget it.Basic plot structure revolves around a grandiose martial arts tournament and a group of half-a-dozen, vengeful, martial artists from various regions of the East, who along with an old blind priest, who actually is (as it will quickly be obvious) the master of the flying guillotine; they conspire against a certain karate dojo and it's renowned master, the one known as the one-armed boxer. In the first movie titled "The One-Armed Boxer" Jimmy Wang Yu (it's star and director, the same as in this movie, it's superior sequel) kills two of the old blind priest's disciples and when upon finding this out, the old priest seeks to avenge thou who hath slayed his students and what transpires over the course of the next 90 odd, very odd, minutes is perhaps the most creatively colorful and most entertaining of all martial arts films. Starting with Jimmy Wang Yu's stylish sense of direction, Master of the Flying Guillotine works so well in so many ways, from it's tight editing (it's action sequences vantage from this immensely), to it's remarkably unusual and effective soundtrack (an all Kraut-rock soundtrack in a martial arts film was UNHEARD OF at the time and boy does it work well here), plus there's great deal of variety among the villainous ranks of evil martial artists, which showcases many different styles. The long and the short of it is this, Master of the Flying Guillotine is a martial arts film that's simply exemplary in it's combination of style, innovation, humor and creative energy and is said to be the pinnacle of the directors Wang Yu's long career. In fact this great film has SO MUCH style, that it often finds itself bordering on the realm gimmickry, but yet it never does cross the line, nor does it descend into the painfully cringe-worthy depths of supreme idiocy that some movies have gone (such as the reviling "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" for instance).Brimming with no fewer than six individual fight scenes and a lengthy martial arts tournament, Master of the Flying Guillotine has all the action you could ask for (and then some). But with this movie, it's really more about the Quality of such scene's, not the Quantity - though to be accurate about it, it's really both at the same time, LOTS of ass-kicking's (of high artistry) are dealt-out in this unbridled classic of martial arts mastery. The films of this genre are not known for going with the most realistic sound effects (for the kicks and punches, etc.) and this movie has some of the loudest and punchiest sound effects of them all; for instance merely twitching your wrist left to right a few times, will cause loud and dramatic atmospheric turbulence (i.e. loud wind). The finale is, not surprisingly, between: the one-armed boxer (once again the movies star and director) and the master of the flying guillotine himself and let me tell you the flying guillotine is one HELL of a weapon when wielded by the master, a real terror; but our crafty hero the one-armed boxer, cleverly defeats said weapon with his own wit, wisdom and guile. The fight between these two is epic and sprawling in nature and takes place in no fewer than three different locations - I think you'll find the last locale (which Mr. One-Arm has rigged, in advance, with spring-loaded booby-traps) to be wickedly ironic. A ruthlessly intense fight, often in very close confines, finally ending with a POWER PUNCH, which sends us literally THROUGH THE ROOF and then downwards we tumble, head-first, into an open coffin! Sweat is beading on the brow! Yes, there's rarely a dull moment in this one, but Jimmy Wang Yu was considerate enough to include a few slower scenes to this masterwork, in order to establish a few key plot-point's and to let us catch our breath..... OK, it's not full-speed all the way (what movie is?), but almost.On the matter of the movie's preservation, unfortunately The Master seems to have been in rough hands over the years and hasn't aged particularly well. The film has a significant amount of scratching and a few, very minor audio issues. My guess is that in China thing's are seen as being more dispensable and are generally less cared for, then they are over here. But really, just how hard is it (in China) to make some prints and then store properly. I've seen literally one-hundred year-old American-made films with less scratching.Strong Points: Highly-stylized action and SFX, razor-sharp editing, great soundtrack and sound effects (The Master's an orgy for the ears, as well the eyes) and an AMAZING finale.Weak Points: No specific's, other then to say, it's modest budget prevents it from having an overall "oppulent" visual presentation - with more money it would have been even better.One last thing to mention: It's a fact that The Master has a lofty, A-List ally in the form of director-extraordinaire Quentin Tarantino, he champions this movies innovative bad-ass-ness. Now obviously, this doesn't mean you have to like it - but HE does.....

Master of the Flying Guillotine (1975)*** (out of 4)Outrageously entertaining Kung-Fu flick has Lui Ti Lung, aka the One-Armed Boxer (Yu Wang) killing two men who happen to be friends with Fung Sheng (Kang Chin), a master at the weapon known as the flying guillotine. Fung Sheng sets out for revenge by killing any one-armed man he comes across. I take pride in watching as many weird movies as I can and I must admit that I'm kicking myself for not checking this one out sooner. Yes, the plot is simple, the acting fair to poor and the camp level is high but there wasn't a single second where I was bored, which is the important thing. Just when I thought I had seen it all something else extremely crazy would happen and just pump more energy into everything going on. There's no doubt that this film influenced countless others and one can even see the influence certain characters had on the game Mortal Kombat. What I loved most about the film is all the imagination that went into the various characters, stunts and fight sequences. The tournament that happens early one features countless fights. The first one is crazy. The second crazier. The rest just keep topping one another in pure craziness and it's so explosive, over-the-top and violent that you can't help but have a smile on your face. The craziness doesn't stop here as we get several other crazy fights including one that takes place in what's pretty much an over where a guy is getting his feet cooked by not being able to escape. Another memorable character is the swami who has the ability to stretch his arms out. Both Wang and Chin are very memorable in their roles even if neither give what one would call a "great performance". The supporting players fit their roles just fine but once again one shouldn't be expecting Oscar-level performances. The main reason to come to this film is for the camp value and all the outrageous and non-stop fight sequences. Fans of action are going to eat this thing up and those who just want to have fun will have to add this to their collection. For the longest time I thought the flying sphere from the PHANTASM series was the coolest weapon in movie history but that has been replaced by the flying guillotine and the various heads that it chops off.

"As you may have gathered, a rational plot summary is pretty pointless - but rest assured there are epic martial arts battles and ludicrously inspired moments galore" - IMDb plot summary."Master of the Flying Guillotine" is one for the ages, no doubt. Those above words just about sum up everything there is to discover in this film. The plot is absolutely ridiculous and only lasts about five minutes total in the whole film. The rest of the movie is devoted to ludicrous yet well-staged action scenes that are sure to live long in memory after it's gone. "Master of the Flying Guillotine" is the most popular martial arts flick from the post-Bruce Lee age, and it's lingered for years on the late-night grindhouse circuit.I sat through the first five minutes and I fell out laughing. Mind you, I wasn't laughing because I couldn't believe it all (I couldn't) but because when you realize it, it's the most over-the-top kick to the head you'll ever experience. It's virtually impossible to take anything in the film seriously, but there's no way that should let you not walk away from it without getting something. The plot, as I mentioned before, is non-existent and any attempts in trying to rationalize the action are pretty pointless.The plot can be summed up like this, in one sentence: After the beginning of the Ching Dynasty, the blind assassin, Fung Sheng Wu Chi (Kam Kang), goes on a murderous rampage, becoming a serial killer who starts offing one-armed fighters left and right, after receiving news (via carrier pigeon) that his two disciples have been murdered by the One-Armed Boxer (lead actor, writer, and director Jimmy Wang Yu) from the first film, and tracks his quarry to a martial arts tournament a la a plot device used in "Enter the Dragon" (1973).That's about all there is to the plot. The Blind Assassin and his weapon of choice - the Flying Guillotine - a tethered device that looks like a hat is swung in any direction he chooses and hooks itself to a victim's head with the aid of razor-sharp blades on the inside and with one good jerk, he rips their head clean off. I don't think I mentioned that other than the fact he's blind, he is able to throw the flying guillotine with pin-point accuracy.Other unbelievable instances occur, including an Indian Fakir whose arms can stretch to twice his own body length, and in one sequence, the One-Armed Boxer battles a Muay Thai fighter (Tsim Po Sham) in a hut while his men light fires under it, essentially turning into a frying pan that literally gives both men hot feet. Then there's the equally unbelievable final confrontation between Wang and the Blind Assassin. The action is pretty bloody and intense, and the punching sounds are so exaggerated I honestly couldn't help laughing uncontrollably.It's wildly insane stuff and it's no wonder Quentin Tarantino idolizes it so much and was able to pay some homage to it with his "Kill Bill" movies.10/10

I had heard good things about this movie, but words can't really do it justice. This is pure, raw, un-cut 'porn fu', people; it is completely uncompromising and internally consistent in its world-view and aesthetics. It's old school kung fu film making, pure and simple, with absolutely no concession to mainstream expectations or conventions, and you have to admire its director and producers for their dedication to their vision.I think the most incisive thing you can say about MOFG is that once you've seen it, you will always remember it, no matter how many kung fu or sword play movies you've seen before or see after-wards. Although it incorporates almost all the standard motifs and story ideas from traditional Hong Kong films, the filmmakers made dozens of choices, both major and minor, that implement these old-time plot devices and visual clichés with a vehemence like few films you've ever seen. From the sheer viciousness and cruelty of the featured weapon ( the Flying Guillotine, which yanks off heads at the neck), to the implacable ruthlessness and seeming unstoppability of the Master (who is a genuinely unsettling and scary guy) to the carefree brutality of the tournament duels, to the ear-splitting Foley and sound effects to the offbeat and ruthless strategies and tactics of the one-armed boxer to kill the killers who are after him...man, you will be talking about this movie to anyone who will listen for years after you see it.Any fan of Hong Kong film making ought to see this film at least once.