Duel to the Death
Encyclopedia
Duel to the Death is a 1983 Hong Kong wuxia
film starring Damian Lau
and Norman Chu. It is the directorial debut of Ching Siu-tung
.
) and Japanese champion Hashimoto (Norman Chu) uncover a plot to rig the fight.
Ching Wan, known as "Lord of the Sword", is a peaceful and contemplative martial artist who has trained with Shaolin monks
as well as a mischievous hermit. By contrast, Hashimoto is a pitiless and honorable samurai
who kills his sensei
as his final lesson before leaving for the duel. Meanwhile, ninjas led by a Japanese official collude with the Chinese wardens of the duel to kidnap famous fighters and sabotage the duel for Hashimoto. The honorable samurai, however, does not go along with the plan. Together, Ching Wan and Hashimoto fight the various conspirators and manage to free the captives. Afterwards, Ching Wan sees no point in going forward with the duel, but Hashimoto kills a Shaolin monk to force Ching Wan's hand. The two warriors engage in a gravity-defying swordfight around a rocky coastline. Both swordsmen become mortally wounded before they separate and quietly stare out into the ocean.
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
film starring Damian Lau
Damian Lau
Damian Lau Chung-yan is a Hong Kong film and television actor, executive producer and film director. Lau has starred in many television drama series of various genres, produced by Hong Kong's TVB and ATV.-Early career:...
and Norman Chu. It is the directorial debut of Ching Siu-tung
Ching Siu-tung
Ching Siu-tung , also known as Tony Ching, is a Hong Kong action choreographer, actor, film director and producer, who has directed over 20 films, including the critically acclaimed supernatural fantasy A Chinese Ghost Story .-Career:...
.
Plot
Every ten years, the greatest swordsman from Japan faces the greatest swordsman from China in a duel to the death for their nation's honor. As a duel approaches, Chinese champion Ching Wan (Damian LauDamian Lau
Damian Lau Chung-yan is a Hong Kong film and television actor, executive producer and film director. Lau has starred in many television drama series of various genres, produced by Hong Kong's TVB and ATV.-Early career:...
) and Japanese champion Hashimoto (Norman Chu) uncover a plot to rig the fight.
Ching Wan, known as "Lord of the Sword", is a peaceful and contemplative martial artist who has trained with Shaolin monks
Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
as well as a mischievous hermit. By contrast, Hashimoto is a pitiless and honorable samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who kills his sensei
Sensei
' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...
as his final lesson before leaving for the duel. Meanwhile, ninjas led by a Japanese official collude with the Chinese wardens of the duel to kidnap famous fighters and sabotage the duel for Hashimoto. The honorable samurai, however, does not go along with the plan. Together, Ching Wan and Hashimoto fight the various conspirators and manage to free the captives. Afterwards, Ching Wan sees no point in going forward with the duel, but Hashimoto kills a Shaolin monk to force Ching Wan's hand. The two warriors engage in a gravity-defying swordfight around a rocky coastline. Both swordsmen become mortally wounded before they separate and quietly stare out into the ocean.
Cast
- Damian LauDamian LauDamian Lau Chung-yan is a Hong Kong film and television actor, executive producer and film director. Lau has starred in many television drama series of various genres, produced by Hong Kong's TVB and ATV.-Early career:...
as Bo Ching-wan - Norman Chu as Hashimoto
- Flora Cheung as Sing Lam
- Paul Chang as Master Han
- Eddy KoEddy KoEddy Ko Hung is a Hong Kong television and film actor who has worked on the TV stations RTV , TVB and ATV. His birthname is Ho Yiu Sum . He adopted the name Ko Hung as a stage name...
as Kenji - Yeung Chak-lam as senior Shaolin monk
- Kwan Yung-moon as Shaolin abbot
- Casanova Wong as Swordsman fighting flying ninjas
- Hon Gwok-choi as Bo Ching-wan's master
- Stephan Yip as Japanese troublemaker
- Wilson Tong as Japanese troublemaker
- Wan Fat as Hashimoto's samurai classmate
- Lau Fong-sai as Hashimoto's samurai classmate
- Gam San as Mr Fok
- Tam Chuen-hing as swordsman drinking with Fok
- Lau Yat-fan as sketch artist
- Cheng Mang-ha as puppeteer's wife
- Lee Kin-sang
- Lau Chi-ho
- Leung Shing-hung
- Bruce Mang Long as swordsman
- Keung Sau-yin
- Kam Sau-fu