La guillotine volante

I found this on DVD -- some sort of low-budget or bootleg pan-and-scan transfer -- and since it wasn't marked very well hoped it might be the Yu Wang film. Alas it wasn't but this, I suppose the first of the three films involving the flying beekeeping hat of death, stands out on its own terms.

We meet the inventor of the flying guillotine, complete with an origin scene involving a lot of chin scratching. The basic premise is that an evil emperor has a few grudges and trains a crack team of assassins who use the deadly decapitator to carry out his will (complete with a decent training sequence). A few guys on the team get hit in the conscience (with shades of Macbeth) and the story gets moving. A hero emerges, the villains reveal themselves, it's a whole lot more shaded than I expected.

Be forewarned that this isn't a film of great fight scenes. Yu Wang brought those to the flying guillotine genre later. This is an HK action flick with a plot -- more like a grainy, overdubbed Die Hard. Perhaps a shot at emulating Kurasawa or Leone without the budget and great equipment, plus an awesome metalworker with a blade fetish. There are great fights but the first kill without a clean separation of mind and body happens around the 40 minute mark.

You'll also see some nice early wire work -- the assassins bound silently atop buildings in ways that would evolve to Crouching Tiger. The fight scenes are there, they just aren't the whole point of the movie and the guys fight more like real grunts than Bruce or Jackie. The guillotines might here have been like seeing light sabers for the first time.

It may not have the reputation or sense of humour of its successor, aside from the weapon itself you'll barely need to suspend disbelief, but it's heads and shoulders above most other HK films being produced at the time. In fact it's probably the reality-factor that I liked so much and I swear it reminded me of a Shakespearean plot way more than it should have. Add that up with great early effects, terrific editing, and the coolest gadget to behead a censor or two at 100 yards and you've got yourself a winner.

Slightly underrated, I don't think that the influence of this movie is overlooked, but its IMDb rating certainly is. I think that this movie is overshadowed by its successor, Master of the Flying Guillotine, which indeed contained more fight sequences.

However, The Flying Guillotine is a martial arts movie that concentrates on his plot and is aware of his weaknesses.

Is an exceptionally strong plot for a 1970s Hong Kong movie, can engage the viewer with a wonderful camera angle of rooftop instead of using endless fight sequences, many scenes were shot in a realistic natural environment and some cool transition brought up by important objects.

I also have praise to give to the sound effect of "The Flying Guillotine", it's sound is well used to build tension and fear, because you know that something is happening. Unconsciously, as a viewer, I was always trying to estimate the proximity of the danger, which is fascinating.

Was this the film that started the whole decapitating fad?

A very atypical Shaw Bros story here that doesn't involve your typical training to enter Shaolin temple or revenge motif. Instead, you're not sure who to root for or jeer at. My favorite scenes include anyone with the flying guillotine. Just seeing those bodies headless and limbs flailing (the red paint smears were a great gory touch!). By the end, there's double crossing and power corrupts. Really great use of Shaw Studios sets and the colors and costumes looked great on this Celestial DVD release. Also, stick with it and you get a great finish to boot. So, while not a classic Shaw Bros film, this one is a "cut" above the rest.

It's baffling to me that this film is put within the same circle as The One-Armed Boxer and its sequel, Master of the Flying Guillotine (which ironically came out a year after this film), when this film couldn't be anymore unlike One-Armed Boxer. Worse yet is that the latter film seems to have a higher average rating than The Flying Guillotine, which is befuddling. Why? Because the films are leagues apart in terms of quality.

One-Armed Boxer is a sometimes gory, non-stop action fight-fest with ridiculous over-the-top characters and scenarios, sporting equally ridiculous fight scenes. The Flying Guillotine is actually a far more grounded film with more realized, three-dimensional characters who each have their own motivations. The world they inhabit is fully realized and it's hard not to understand the plight they're in given their situation (and their family's situation).

Because The Flying Guillotine has a more realistic portrayal of soldiers and their place in the hierarchy of an imperial monarchy, they aren't larger-than-life heroes, but rather average guys with specialized training in mastering the custom-made flying guillotine, which is really quite the device.

The film follows various characters, most of whom are part of the 12 selected soldiers hand-picked to train using the flying guillotine. A decent portion of the film is dedicated to the complexity and learning curve surrounding mastering the weapon. It's not like Kung Lao's razor-bladed hat from Mortal Kombat that just slices through everything, bounces off of objects like Captain America's shield and then magically returns to the thrower. No, instead the device is controlled by a chain. When thrown the device -- which does look like a hat -- lands on its target where a veil drops down; at the bottom of the veil is a chakram, which usually is neck length with the victim. Within the chakram are razor blades. When the chain is pulled the retracted blades then protract, cutting through whatever is inside the chakram's radius, and if it happens to be someone's neck, then their head goes flying in a spectacular decapitation.

There aren't a whole lot of fights in the film, and the ones that do take place aren't very long, because... well, the flying guillotine usually makes quick work of whoever is unlucky enough to get hit by it. This actually adds a lot of weight to the film. Once you see that guillotine come out, you can be guaranteed someone will lose their head!

With lots of treachery, backstabbing, paranoia, and constant fear running rampant through the people who reside in the land (and especially those closest to the emperor), it gives the film this unnerving tension. The characters all know that they may not be long for the world, and the film reminds you constantly of how dangerous their lives are. It's a film that doesn't shy away from the fact that every action comes with hefty consequences. It also lightly touches on (rather critically) how perilous it is to live under a tyrannical emperor. I was a bit taken aback that the film would portray a Chinese ruler in such a negative light (without making him comically evil or monstrously villainous).

The flying guillotine itself may be something of a sci-fi element to the film, but everything else about the film is extremely grounded. In fact, if it were remade today by a competent writer/director and matched with compelling performances by a dedicated cast, it could easily end up being an award-winning film, and that's no joke nor an exaggeration. Interestingly enough, I doubt most kung-fu (or wuxia, if you want to be pedantic) aficionados will take to this film as much as K-drama enthusiasts. Why? Because it's a lot more moody, morally gray, and light on the actual hand-to-hand technique to appeal to some traditional martial arts fans.

However, if you wanted to see a compelling film about living life under the constant threat of death by a paranoid and power-hungry ruler, and enjoy some devilishly inventive uses of the flying guillotine along the way with gripping action sequences where every move (and counter) means something, then The Flying Guillotine is well worth a watch. Very highly recommended.

(Flash Review)

This is meant to be lightly campy I assume or is it just the 70s and low budget? The Emperor had ordered two important officers executed and has entrusted a stealthy ninja to do a clean job. The ninja needed to invent the Flying Guillotine for the special task. This weapon can lop heads clean off from a long distance. The Emperor has also commanded a group to train with the main ninja to master this weapon and become a killing arm to kill traitors. When ordered to assassinate more than just traitors some question their loyalty to the Emperor vs their morals. When the main ninja questions the orders, now he is the one order to die. Can he survive as the warriors he trained who now aim to lop off his head? Overall, this is lightly entertaining. Quality of early Bruce Lee movies.