The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

A lower caste servant gives his life in defense of his master, Qi, master of the Golden Sword school. Qi promises the dying man that he will raise his son; the boy retrieves his father's broken sword (which will prove pivotal later), and grows up to be Wang Yu. Belittled for being the son of a mere servant, the adult Yu decides to leave the school- but Qi's daughter, whose advances Yu has rebuffed, takes it upon herself to amputate his right arm in retribution. This impromptu surgery takes place in a snow-bound forest and is foreshadowed by the chopping off of a tree limb. It's a remarkably bloodless affair, and Yu staggers away to throw himself off a bridge- but he falls, instead, on the (conveniently) passing boat of Miss Xiaoman, who nurses him back to health. Meanwhile, Smiling Tiger (whose smile is deceptive) and Long-armed Devil (whose whip and short spears are "extensions" of his reach, one presumes) have decided to hunt down and kill all of Qi's Golden Sword students. The bad guys have developed a "sword-lock" weapon that, coupled with the use of a dagger, makes them night unbeatable. Yu, meanwhile, gets "better," though he's remarkably proficient with his left hand for a man used to fighting with his right. (He even develops Chi to the point where he can push air (?) hard enough to trim limbs from a tree and leave his palm-print in a tree stump. These two incidents happen back-to-back and both involve tree LIMBS and a tree STUMP. One can only wonder if the symbolism was intentional by director Chang Cheh. My guess would be that it WAS.) All of the foregoing leads to a final confrontation at the Golden Sword school that should not be missed.

While sick with the flu, lying in bed, I had the enormous privilege to experience the Shaw Brothers production, "The One-Armed Swordsman", the legendary Hong Kong success from heralded director Cheh Chang. It concerns a young disciple, Fang Kang(Yu Wang) whose skills as a martial artist are enhanced by his master swordsman, Qi(Chung-Hsin Huang). Qi trained him from childhood after Kang's father is killed defending his master against a foe's host of disciples. Qi's arch nemesis is Long-Armed Devil(Chih-Ching Yang), and the two have been at war for some time. Long-Armed Devil has developed a sword with a lock that can trap the long, heavy golden swords which are used by Qi's disciples. Pie-ri(Yin Tze Pan)is Qi's only daughter and she is responsible for cutting off Kang's right arm, rendering him a cripple. She was jealous of her father's affection for Kang, and bothered by his supposed arrogance. Lucky for Kang he falls into the boat of a country girl, Xioman(Chiao Chiao), and she gets her grandfather and cousin to assist in saving his life. Kang and Xioman attempt to make a life for themselves, but the one-armed swordsman's past life never seems to relinquish him from aiding his master. Qi's daughter is temporarily kidnapped by Long-Armed Devil's brother, Smiling Tiger(Ti Tang), so he has to rescue her. And, when Long-Armed Devil's disciples ambush Qi's men in separate situations, using the sword with the lock, Kang will have to help his master yet again. Thanks to a special martial arts book Xioman had, from her dead father, a warrior himself who died for his master, Kang was able to train himself using just his one hand..kudos to Yu for being able to successfully pull of swordfighting against adversaries using only the left hand, and to the director for lensing the choreography, without revealing his right arm. The director opts to shoot the fight sequences mostly hand-held, which provides for lively battles between opposition. The marvelous studio sets are well utilized and the story is well developed, giving good treatment to the relationship of Kang and Xioman. The film's story also has an indictment of martial arts and how being equipped with fighting skills, not to mention the concern of honorably defending your teacher, can produce a lifetime of suffering and death. Through Xioman and Kang, both orphaned because of their fathers' honor code to fight for their teachers, the film shows how there must be an alternative to this kind of lifestyle. "The One-Armed Swordsman" gave me all I could ask for in regards to swordplay, blood, and hacked limbs..a triumph. Really neat is how Kang is able to use his father's broken sword to outduel his enemies who have superior weaponry. The movie has colorful villains, whose lecherous qualities serve the plot well in regards to building the heroism of Qi's men, including Kang. Despite their futile efforts to proudly fight for their teacher, we see how Qi's disciples march straight into peril for Long-Armed Devil's men were simply better equipped for the final climactic showdown.

I have been a huge fan of HK action films for many years and have amassed a collection of 500+ kung fu films. Have heard about this film since forever, and assumed it was ground- breaking, influential, yada yada yada... but never really sought it out. I guess 'cause it's older than most and it's a swordplay film rather than all out kung fu action the likes of which Chang Cheh later specialized in (i.e. the Venoms films). However, finally having sat down and watched the remastered rerelease, I was absolutely blown away. One of the most emotionally intense HK films I have seen. Ignore naysayers... they must be heartless robots. Dramatically it is certainly on par with Lau Kar Leung's own films, and bears unmistakable thematic connections to his body of work (especially 8 Diagram Pole Fighter). Not to mention it's wonderfully filmed. If scenes are too dark, you just have a bad copy. The restored Celestial version is beautifully dark and vivid... no problem following the action. And there is plenty of action. Choreography is slightly dated, but it's 1967! The fighting is easily as good as anything from the era. And yes, I've seen the films the other reviewer mentions... also great films, but by no means superior fighting-wise. In fact, I'd venture to say it's an important milestone in the progression of kung fu choreography... with the fighting playing a pivotal role in the storytelling. Okay, most days I too would prefer to watch a Venoms movie, with my jaw dropped open in disbelief at the superhuman abilities on display... but come on... this undoubtedly deserves the credit it receives. Any true fan of HK films needs to see this.

I'm not a big expert on Hong Kong cinema, or Martial Arts movies, but I've seen my fair share of Kong Fu flicks, and this remarkable picture is definitely among the best. What it has going for it is first and foremost a great story about a one-handed swordsman who wants to quit the "Martial Arts business" but has one last debt of honor to repay. The film sets up its characters and plot in great detail, so we are involved from the outset. The villains are ferocious and the sword battles (this one has only sword battles, not actual Kong Fu) are great. It's a vicious, violent film, but also very tender. Acting is very good for this kind of picture. The heroes are heroic, the bad guys are sneering. Production design is also top-notch, great scenery and props, and be sure to watch it in "SHAWSCOPE" for its Widescreen glory.