Das Todesduell der Tigerkralle

If you are considered one of the best sword man ... well you know you will have others who will test that. And that is putting it mildly. It doesn't matter how you feel about things or how you treat others, it is about the title. Well that is what most would say of course.

Then again how much of a reason do we need to see Sword fights in a Shaw Brothers movie? Exactly! But it is refreshing to see that a plan is put in place, that while wicked and morally very low ... it is something many may have wondered ... like why don't you try a dirty trick on someone that is unbeatable? Here we get something that is satisfying and despicable at the same time. The story may seem like it is knitted together by a string but it still works. And consdering this probably was all shot in a studio ... well it really looks good for that. Not to mention the really good stunts (forget about the fake blood and enjoy it for what it is)

I really enjoyed this movie, but must admit I spent the whole time feeling disappointed at the same time.

The story is really good, delivering an interesting tale supported by mostly good acting. The fighting is a bit hit and miss, some of the fights are good others, not so much.

It then dawned on me that this movie screams 'remake', however I think we have missed the chance to see it at its best.

For those of you into this genre, picture this movie in your minds eye with Jet Li in it during his prime? OMG.

It would have been one of the all time classics!

It's always a treasure to find a martial arts film adapted from a novel, because for once the story and dialogue are extremely solid and taken care of in advance, freeing up the producers to focus on what we really showed up to see: High flying, fast cutting, Martial Arts action.

And the action in DEATH DUEL is almost non-stop, as Derek Yee (Tung-Shing Yee), playing the former Champion of the Swordplay World now renounced and resigned as the "Hopeless Ah Chi" struggles to carve out a quiet life as a wanderer as old rivals turn up to claim the fame of defeating him.

And by God, Derek Yee, probably has his best ever performance here. You truly feel Ah Chi's distress, and this film required a strong lead for such an emotional narrative direction.

Likewise, the film seems very much intent on keeping things dark. A lot of the scenes take place at night, and there's even a fight where two characters are deliberately knocked into ceiling lanterns just to darken the room. Maybe there is a symbolism here, or a contrast that is supposed to highlight when the characters are finally out in the sun, or in the sunset. Interesting to observe.

The world in DEATH DUEL, the way of the wandering swordsman, and the pursuit of fame within the martial arts world, it's all brutal, and it's one where you don't really want to imagine being a part of. But no matter, you enjoy and still watch because it really feels like true hearts and souls are on the line. That is what a good martial arts movie, a dramatic story itself, should set out to be.

Score: 10/10

Yuen Chor was having a good run of films during the second half of the 1970's. Sentimental Swordsman, Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade TIger were all made during this five year period. "Death Duel" is just one more during this time. As with his other films you can expect good photography, unique art direction and dozens of characters.

As with other successful Yuen Chor films, this one succeeds by focusing on one enigmatic main character for most of the film. However, the viewer will still have to deal with a lot of fascinating characters who show up and usually are killed off quickly. The body count in this film is very high. This film is very moody and the withdrawn character of Ah Chi make the story interesting. There are some uneven parts and the constant guest cameos from Shaw stars is a little annoying as you might wish that they would stick around longer in the film. That said, the script is above average, the pacing is good and by the time the ending comes around the film holds up.

Recommended.

Pleasing purposeful and taut Swordsplay - movie based on stories by Gu Long, about the supremacy of the Jiang Hu. Third master [ Derek Yee ] is the #1 at the moment , considered as the best sword fighter, but he's tired of his way of life, pretends his death and begins a simple life. Too early for Yen Shi kwan [ Ling Yun ], who aimed the whole life for fame and the answer if he could be the real #1.

Death Duel is a little different from other Gu Long movies directed also by Chu Yuan, no obscure jumble of plot and persons here, it's strictly concentrated oh Third Master and his tries to survive the power struggle, where he's attacked again and again. The then 20yrs old Derek Yee [ now director of movies like ONE NITE IN MONGKOK, VIVA EROTICA, FULL THROTTLE ] does a strong impression, mainly optically and particularly with his mimic, and performs the action sequences well. These are well choreographed, unbloody swordplay with martial arts and jumps varied, there's also good use of the environment Optically the film is rather lyric - magical, many red and blue contrasts, much fog, added a calm, but appropriate score. Really entertaining 90mins.

Movie has some relation to the other Gu Long picturizations like KILLER CLANS and MAGIC BLADE, Ti Lung has a cameo as his Swordsman Fu and Lo Lieh as the killer Han Tang.