The One-Armed Swordsmen (1976)

[Drunk Monk]

Not to be confused with The One-Armed SwordmAn (1967). The '67 film was one of the very first Cheng Cheh directly wuxia flicks that catapulted Jimmy Wang Yu to stardom, typecasting him for years in the titular role. The '76 film also stars Yu, as well as the ever charming David Chiang, and it's got several one-armed swordsmen characters. The first one was Shaw Brothers. The second, this one, was some rogue studio.

I never cared for Wang Yu. He was a swimming champion, not a Kung Fu man, and while his athleticism shows, he's just not very solid as a swordsman. Plus he was a controversial actor, once charged with murder but managed to escape (this was back when HK film was deep under the thumb of the triads). Anyway, this film is amusing in that oh-so-cheap-knock-off way. Mostly swordfights. There's some great Shaolin fightin' robots and those are just irresistible to me. There's also a hysterical bar swordfight where a gaggle of hooligans just can't get the edge on Chiang and Yu, as they merrily drink and kick butt - lots of silly drunken Kung Fu effects, like tossing a wine pot up in the air, cutting a foe, and then catching it for another drink.

I caught this on Hulu+. It was a horrible version, not letter-boxed, and was even scratchy as if filmed off a TV. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but think what a fine remake this would be in the hands of someone like Tarantino or Del Toro.

[Drunk Monk]

Another Chang Cheh under the official Shaw Brothers banner featuring Wang Yu in the titular role. I still don't like him. It's not just his Kung Fu. He has no screen presence - he's totally flat with his deadpan stoicism. Fortunately, this film is redeemed by sword fights. Lots of them. The 1-armed swordsman has retired to be a farmer and an evil sword clan is challenging all the remaining honorable sword schools and killing them off in the duels or just killing them off when they refuse. Each of the evil swordsmen have special blade skills. There's a telescopic sword, a poison sword that shoots gas or bullet or something that makes other swordsmen bleed, a clan of fighters that wield shields rimed with sword blades that can be tossed like frisbees or just hack and chop in swordfights, and my fav, an excellent femme fatale, Kuan Yin, thousand blades - a sword hottie that shimmies up to stupid swordsmen and stabs them in the back, or in the front, or with flying daggers. Lots of swords stuck through the belly. Lots of fighters who keep fighting after the get a sword stuck through their belly. Very sanguinous... in a good way.

Part of an El Rey One-Armed Swordsman trilogy. However, I missed the first film, the '67 one that launched the franchise. I must see that again some day. I just caught this one and the one below.

[Drunk Monk]

David Chiang takes over the titular role with the most honorable Ti Lung as a co-star and the ever impressive Ku Feng as the villain, directed by Chang Cheh. This is actually my fav of the series. Chiang is a much better one-armed swordsman - he has a sadness to him that works well, and I've always been a huge fan of Ti Lung and his seriously pinched eyebrows. I knew this film as Triple Irons as the villain uses a crazy 3-section staff. If you're only going to see one one-armed swordsman flick, this should be it. Or the 1995 remake Blade starring Zhao Wenzhou. That one isn't 'classic' Shaw, but it's an outstanding film.