Master of the Flying Guillotine

A blind warrior disguises himself as a monk and goes in search of the one-armed boxer who killed his apprentices.

Master of the Flying Guillotine, also known as The One Armed Boxer vs. the Flying Guillotine and One Armed Boxer II, is not about plot. Sure, there’s some loose narration about the government trying to subvert supporters of the Ming dynasty, but it’s nothing more than an device to setup fight scenes. Thankfully, Master of the Flying Guillotine’s fight scenes are more than good enough to make you overlook this.

Featuring a wide variety of weapons and fighting styles (including an Indian who may have inspired the creators of the Street Fighter video games), the battles are fierce and bloody. The flying guillotine itself is somewhat silly looking, but impressive enough when used, and adds a welcome bit of originality.

Writer, director, and star Jimmy Wang Yu demonstrates a great deal of charisma and a flair for shooting the fight scenes as a director.