Master of the Flying Guillotine
Encyclopedia
Master of the Flying Guillotine is a 1976 Hong Kong wuxia
film starring Jimmy Wang, who also wrote and directed the film. It is a sequel to Wang's 1971 film One Armed Boxer
, and thus the film is also known as One-Armed Boxer 2 and The One Armed Boxer vs. the Flying Guillotine.
, a yoga
master, and a kobojutsu
user.
The title refers to the assassin's weapon, the "flying guillotine
", which resembles a hat with a bladed rim attached to a long chain. Upon enveloping one's head, the blades cleanly decapitate the victim with a quick pull of the chain.
.
bands Neu!
, Tangerine Dream
, and Kraftwerk
. Rights issues with the score later caused the Australian DVD release to entirely replace the soundtrack.
Clips from the film's soundtrack (particularly Super 16 by Neu!
which plays whenever the assassin appears) have been sampled by Wu Tang Clan and has been mentioned in their lyrics.
Quentin Tarantino
has cited the film as "one of my favorite movies of all time." In his film Kill Bill
, he used the villain's theme music briefly when O-Ren Ishii appeared, as well as the film's protagonist's hiding on the ceiling in the same manner as the imperial assassin in this film.
The character Dhalsim
from the Street Fighter video game series has been compared to the Indian assassin in the film.
In The Boondocks
episode Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy, the Hateocracy member, Lord Rufus Crabmiser, used a flying guillotine disguised as a lobster trap
to attack the Freeman family and ultimately kill Bushido Brown.
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 Jimmy Wang, who also wrote and directed the film. It is a sequel to Wang's 1971 film One Armed Boxer
One Armed Boxer
One Armed Boxer is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts film starring Jimmy Wang Yu. It is about a skilled Chinese martial artist who loses an arm and must exact revenge on his rival school....
, and thus the film is also known as One-Armed Boxer 2 and The One Armed Boxer vs. the Flying Guillotine.
Plot
The film concerns Wang's one-armed martial arts master being stalked by an imperial assassin, the master of two fighters (the Tibetan lamas) who were killed in the previous film. When the One-Armed Boxer is invited to attend a martial arts tournament, his efforts to lie low are unsuccessful, and the assassin soon tracks him down with the help of his three subordinates competing in the tournament: a Thai boxerMuay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
, a yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
master, and a kobojutsu
Okinawan kobudo
Okinawan kobudō is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa"...
user.
The title refers to the assassin's weapon, the "flying guillotine
Flying guillotine (weapon)
The flying guillotine is a legendary Chinese weapon used in the Qing Dynasty in the Yongzheng era.-Etymology, history and description:This weapon supposedly hails from the time of the Yongzheng Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. There are stories and crude drawings detailing their appearance but no...
", which resembles a hat with a bladed rim attached to a long chain. Upon enveloping one's head, the blades cleanly decapitate the victim with a quick pull of the chain.
Cast
- Jimmy Wang as the One-armed Boxer
- Kam Kong as Fung Sheng Wu Chi
- Doris Lung as Wu's daughter
- Sham Chin-bo as Nai Men, the Thai boxerMuay ThaiMuay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
- Lung Fei as Yakuma
- Wong Wing-sang as Indian fighterIndian martial artsThe Indian subcontinent is home to a variety of fighting styles. In Sanskrit they may be collectively referred to as ' or '. The former is a compound of the words and , meaning "knowledge of the sword" or "knowledge of weaponry"...
- Sit Hon as tournament referee
- Lau Kar-wing as fighter with a three-section staff
- Wong Fei-lung as One-armed boxer's student
- Yu Chung-chiu as Wu Chang Sang
- Shan Mao as bamboo cutter
- Wang Tai-lang as Ma Wu Kung, Monkey stylist
- Shih Ting-ken as One-armed boxer's student
- Lung Sai-ga as Wang Jiang
- Philip KwokPhilip Kwok-Filmography:*The Eye 2 - Monk*The Sunshine Cops *Tomorrow Never Dies - General Chang non speaking appearance*The Phantom Lover *American Shaolin - Cab Driver*Hard Boiled - Mad Dog...
as Chang Chia Yu - Lung Fong as Tiger Fists / nose-picking fight
- Sun Jung-chi as Daredevil Lee San
- Wong Lik as Tornado Knives Lei Kung
- Hsieh Hsing as one-armed fighter
- Ma Chin-ku as fighter walking on poles
- Su Chen-ping as blind monk's disciple
- Hau Pak-wai as fighter with long braid
- Cheung Yee-kwai as blind monk's short disciple
- Tang Tak-cheung as Tung Erh
- Au Lap-bo as one-armed fake boxer
- Yeung Fui-yuk as waiter
- Ho Wai-hung as Mongolian fighter
- Kwan Hung as student
- Woo Chau-ping as coffin maker
- Wong Chi-sang as Wu's student
- Ching Kuo-chung as drummer
- Tai Chi-hsien
- Lau Yau-bun
- Chan Sam-lam
- Tsang Ming-cheong
- Ng Ho
Reception
The film had a mostly positive reception, and currently holds a 90% rating on RottenTomatoes.comRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Legacy
Most of the music in the film is taken from KrautrockKrautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
bands Neu!
Neu!
Neu! was a German band formed by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother after their split from Kraftwerk in the early 1970s...
, Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
, and Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
. Rights issues with the score later caused the Australian DVD release to entirely replace the soundtrack.
Clips from the film's soundtrack (particularly Super 16 by Neu!
Neu!
Neu! was a German band formed by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother after their split from Kraftwerk in the early 1970s...
which plays whenever the assassin appears) have been sampled by Wu Tang Clan and has been mentioned in their lyrics.
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
has cited the film as "one of my favorite movies of all time." In his film Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
, he used the villain's theme music briefly when O-Ren Ishii appeared, as well as the film's protagonist's hiding on the ceiling in the same manner as the imperial assassin in this film.
The character Dhalsim
Dhalsim
, is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games.Dhalsim made his debut in the original Street Fighter II as one of the games original eight main characters. In his backstory, Dhalsim is characterized as a pacifist who goes against his beliefs by entering the World...
from the Street Fighter video game series has been compared to the Indian assassin in the film.
In The Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
episode Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy, the Hateocracy member, Lord Rufus Crabmiser, used a flying guillotine disguised as a lobster trap
Lobster trap
Not to be confused with Lobster-tailed potA lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. A lobster trap can hold several lobsters. Lobster traps are constructed of wire and wood. An opening permits the lobster to enter a tunnel of...
to attack the Freeman family and ultimately kill Bushido Brown.
Prequel
In 1977 a prequel called Fatal Flying Guillotine was made by Hong Kong director Raymond Liu. It serves as an origin story for the evil Master: as a young man he was once a Buddhist monk who betrayed his friends to steal the Flying Guillotine, then in the possession of the elderly (and insane) Master Wu.External links
- Master of the Flying Guillotine at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...