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Movies / On DVD / Master of the Flying Guillotine
Master of the Flying Guillotine

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Master of the Flying Guillotine (1975)

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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:18

Rotten:2

Average Rating:6.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Introducing what many consider the Holy Grail of 1970's martial arts/Hong Kong films. Master of the Flying Guillotine (also known as One Armed Boxer vs. The Flying Guillotine) combines eye-popping... Introducing what many consider the Holy Grail of 1970's martial arts/Hong Kong films. Master of the Flying Guillotine (also known as One Armed Boxer vs. The Flying Guillotine) combines eye-popping visuals, unforgettable characters, incredible performances, a spectacular electronic soundtrack and one of the most notorious weapons in film history. The cult and legend of Master of the Flying Guillotine continues to grow as martial arts film moves into the mainstream. Both Quentin Tarentino and Samuel L. Jackson single out "Master" as one of their favorite films.

Master of the Flying Guillotine is a unique and timeless masterpiece, presenting mythic themes and characters that predates Star Wars, inventive street fighting that inspired a host of films as well as video games and gravity defying action 25 years before Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

For the past twenty years, Masters was only seen by a limited cult audience via an English dubbed bootleg video of a damaged, scratchy print. Some remember seeing the dubbed, edited version broadcast in the seventies on local "Kung Fu Theatre" television programs. This is the first time the film will be given the respect it deserves, a fully restored wide screen presentation with English subtitles.

The film's director/star Wang Yu (Stars as the "One Armed Boxer") is relatively unknown to American audiences, however many Asian cinema scholars believe that Wang Yu was more of an influential force in martial arts cinema than Bruce Lee. The restoration of this classic is a unique glimpse of Wang Yu in his prime. -- © Pathfinder Pictures [More]

Starring: Jimmy Wang Yu, Kam Kang, Lung Kun Yee

Starring: Jimmy Wang Yu, Kam Kang, Lung Kun Yee

Director: Jimmy Wang Yu

Director: Jimmy Wang Yu

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 17, 2002

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Reviews for Master of the Flying Guillotine

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A staple of Kung Fu television.

comment Comment
01/01/05
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

One of the greatest (and weirdest) Chinese martial arts movies of the 1970s

Full Review Source: Lawrence Journal-World | comment Comment
04/09/04
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World

A Chinese martial-arts master defends himself with the wackiest weapon ever, East or West, giving new meaning to the term "head shot."

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
02/24/04
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

Will there be a ridiculously entertaining orgy of punching and kicking and wonderfully bad dubbing? Lord, yes.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
08/07/03
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
08/17/02
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
08/02/02
Reel.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A film that depends more on its imagination than on its special effects, and more on wide, clear action scenes than the choppy, shaky brand, making it entirely unique in this summer's crop of entertainment.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
07/19/02
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

It stands as the pinnacle of 1970s martial arts films.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/16/02
Max Messier
Max Messier
Filmcritic.com

In the title sequence alone, you feel you may just see one of the greatest kung fu films ever made.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
07/12/02
Kim Morgan
Kim Morgan
Oregonian

Those sufficiently attuned to appreciate its magic and majesty, Jimmy Wang Yu's restored masterpiece may very well be the archival discovery of the decade.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/02/02
Wade Major
Wade Major
Boxoffice Magazine

One of the preeminent examples of 1970s kung fu pulp.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
05/31/02
George Wu
George Wu
culturevulture.net

For old-fashioned raw energy, it's tough to beat.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
05/31/02
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Once you find the groove of this delectable cheese fest, you'll realize how influential Guillotine has been.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/30/02
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s raw and it’s dusty, just as a good martial arts movie should be.

Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
05/29/02
Chuck Rudolph
Chuck Rudolph
Matinee Magazine

Snags the viewer's attention by lacing its martial-arts high jinks with a compelling weirdness.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
05/28/02
Nick Rutigliano
Nick Rutigliano
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite its cult reputation, this is a silly film with very little to recommend it, even to kung fu zealots.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
05/25/02
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

With its nonstop flurry of fighting, ersatz bloodletting and incidental hilarity, this remains [Yu's] signature work.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
05/24/02
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
L.A. Weekly

A gem of its genre.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/24/02
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's refreshing and unusual to see clever strategy trumping ritual honor in a film of this genre, even if one of the tricks seems gratuitously brutal.

comment Comment
05/23/02
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
New Times
 
 
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February 24, 2004: A Chinese martial-arts master defends himself with the wackiest weapon ever, East or West, giving new meaning to the term 'head shot.' Opens in new window
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