Verdict
Summary
An inventive martial arts extravaganza with eye popping practical effects and wild (and shockingly sudden) decapitations. There’s a lot here to enjoy, and purveyors of Shaw Brothers films and old school kung fu epics will likely have a good time with all this craziness.
Plot:
An evil emperor wants to eradicate all rebellions, and his weapon of choice is a newly modified flying guillotine!
Review:
An evil emperor (Feng Ku) is discontented that his realm still has rebellions thriving in the countryside, and he has his quartermasters working on a new and improved weapon that will surely help quash the rebels. Meanwhile, valiant rebel Ma Teng (Lung Ti) and his family have been trying to live a peaceable life, but Ma Teng’s honor demands that he help spearhead the assassination of the despicable emperor whose ruthlessness and cunning continue to prove that he won’t be easy to kill. Several have already tried … and failed. The emperor’s inventors come up with a new design for the already deadly flying guillotine – the two-tiered decapitating lasso! We see as the emperor himself uses it on one of his own subjects, and if the rebels don’t get wise with their own defense, then the rebellion will sure fail against him. Improving on his own army, the emperor brings into his fold a female squad of assassins, led by La Lan (Szu Shih) whose first assassination is to be her father as proof of her loyalty, but we already know that her heart is with Ma Teng and the rebellion … so what happens next is going to be bloody and unexpected.
An inventive martial arts extravaganza with eye popping practical effects and wild (and shockingly sudden) decapitations. There’s a lot here to enjoy, and purveyors of Shaw Brothers films and old school kung fu epics will likely have a good time with all this craziness. I’ve seen a few of the Flying Guillotine movies, and this is definitely one of the good ones. From directors Kang Cheng and Shan Hua.
88 Films recently released Flying Guillotine Part II onto Blu-ray, and while they conspicuously didn’t release Part 1 first, this film could easily stand on its own. The Limited Edition release comes with a double-sided fold out poster, a slipcover, an audio commentary, and more. If you’re collecting all the Shaw Brothers films on Blu-ray, make sure not to miss this one!
