Master of the Flying Guillotine (1977)

Such a frustrating disappointment

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

If you read all the reviews here you can see the affection for this unique and bonkers cult classic martial arts movie. I've seen loads of martial arts movies but there ain't nothing like this. I bought it for £2 only because the box art looked intriguing . The best two quid ever !I wont repeat what every body else has said but here are the little things that made this one stand out for me.SPOILERS AHEAD. *One of the baddest villains ever - no talking or fancy speeches, you just loose your head and thats it ! Did I mention he's a blind pensioner. *The signature incidental music for each character *The crazy plot - it is essentially a blind but lethal vengeful pensioner relentlessly pursuing a mild mannered one-armed man who apparently murdered his two disciples. Forget about disability benefit! *The way the cast members play it with straight faces throughout the ridiculous sequences - eg the one-armed boxer teaching his class how to perform 'the flying jump' ! *The extended tournament sequence , with each character more bizarre than the next. *The punk rock intro sequence with pastel coloured freeze-frame montages in a period Chinese movie ?! Its noisy but cool. . . *The slight super natural overtones - stretchy arms, a character who casually walks up walls, another manages to rotate his head 360 degrees without breaking a sweat. *The clever ways the charismatic one-armed boxer uses to defeat his unusual and varied foes ! And more . . . This film is a little delight , its a fast paced plot with not a single dull moment. In fact it might just be the worst film ever made but I give it 10 out of 10 for effort !

I never considered getting into the kung fu genre until I saw Kill Bill and loved it. Granted, Kill Bill is just an homage to the genre but it opened the door for me. I just finished watching Master of the Flying Guillotine and loved it. I haven't seen The One Armed Boxer yet because it virtually doesn't exist on DVD right now but I'm yearning to see it since I liked this one so much. I think kung fu will be my next favorite genre.The transfer is pretty bad at parts but the disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD says that it's the best version thus far so it's fine with me. The fight choreography is brilliant as well as the effects, storyline and acting. The fight scenes are some of the best that I've seen in film. I loved everything about! I can't wait to dive deeper into the kung fu genre and I think I will be finding more great films. Be sure and see this one!

I'm only familiar with vintage Kung-Fu cinema via the Bruce Lee films of the early 70s which I watched as a child on Italian TV. There has been no shortage of contenders trying to take Lee's mantle since his untimely death and Jimmy Wang Yu, writer-director-star of this film, was one of them.It's a fairly enjoyable tongue-in-cheek ride providing any number of seemingly impossible stunts, outrageous weaponry and cheesy special effects. However, at some point, the script kind of runs out of ideas as the mid-section of the film is simply one long tournament sequence (with about 10 back-to-back combats!) - though a couple of violent confrontations later on (including the climactic bout) are given a more elaborate setting. Apparently, a whole batch of films were made featuring Yu's "One-Armed Boxer" character here; after watching this one, though, I can't say that I have any pressing desire to seek out the rest anytime soon...

"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