Wow, if only all Asian martial arts movies were this good, the genre would sure get a lot more respect in the West. All too often, the movies I've found at video stores are the horribly dubbed and occasionally quite stupid martial arts films--you know, the ones where the action is so fake that they films are better for their laugh value than for their excitement! However, there are several amazing films (this one included) who set high standards for the genre, such as many of the films of Sonny Chiba, the Bruce Lee films (few as they are) and the Zatoichi series. Remember folks, not all martial arts films are created equal!!

While I could harp on a few flaws that are noticeable in the film (such as the scene at midnight that goes from day to night like an Ed Wood film),the perfection of most of the film greatly outweighs the few mistakes--plus for the time it was made, it was about as good as you can find. And while I am very, very hesitant to give scores of 10, this one deserves it because it is the epitome of a great Chinese martial arts film.

There are two main reasons to love this film. First, being the premier episode of the One Armed Swordsman series, there is much more to the movie than a "boss battle". Instead, you learn the devious and complicated reason for Fang Gang losing his arm as well as the steps he took to learn to fight left-handed. Second, and probably more importantly, you see the best sword fighting and martial arts action...period. Gone are the obvious misses as they pull their swings, gone is the grunting and silly dialog (provided you watch it with the optional Chinese language and English subtitles) and there is plenty of realistic looking blood--though not so much to make it a disgusting or gratuitous movie.

If you like this film (and only an idiot wouldn't),then try watching the other films in the series. Also try the films of the others I mentioned above. Not every Kung Fu or Karate movie involves (uggh!) martial arts fighting gorillas, men with arms that grow to 12 feet in length and the other silly touches you see in lesser films. Now I still watch and enjoy these other films (when I need a laugh),but they just can't come close to class products like this one.

A film I'd not got around to watching for decades, despite having seen many of the spin-offs, remakes and plain rip-offs out there. This is the classic that cemented the reputations of both star Jimmy Wang Yu and director Chang Cheh, linking them to the action genre for the rest of their careers. Both had already made a number of martial world movies by this point, but they tended to feel stagey and dated, whereas this is bloody and vibrant and quite fresh-feeling. Plenty of bloody fight scenes enliven a solid little plot about rivalry and honour, betrayal and chivalry. Wang Yu works hard as the likeable lead and is well supported by many familiar faces including Tien Feng, Chiao Chiao, Cheung Lei, Liu Chia Liang and Ku Feng. Cheh's direction is excellent, with top cinematography throughout and a fast-paced story that keeps on moving.

Fang Kang's father sacrificed himself to save his master Qi RuFeng during an underhanded attack. Master Qi is famous for his Golden Sword Kung Fu and takes Fang Kang as his student. Fang Kang's prized possession is his father's broken Golden Sword. Years later, Qi's only child spoiled daughter Peier and other students hate the humble Fang Kang and look down on him as a servant's son. Fang Kang sets out to walk away from an impending confrontation but Peier insists on fighting. She underhandedly chops off Fang Kang's right arm. He walks off and rescued by XiaoMan. She's an orphan turned pacifist farmer after her swordsman father was killed. She kept a burned swordsmanship book and with his father's broken sword, Fang Kang recovers to be an one-armed swordsman. Master Qi is calling in his disciples to take over as the new master. Old rivals Smiling Tiger and his older brother Long-armed Devil are out to kill them. Long-armed Devil has studied Master Qi's standard Golden Sword and has created a Swordlock to beat it.

This is a great early Hong Kong kung fu classic. The story is filled with duty, sacrifice and the underdog. It's pure melodramatic gold and the action is modern. There's no wire work yet but the modern action is well on its way. The acting is solid. It's a blend of natural and the older melodramatic acting styles. This is a mix of great story, iconic characters and fun action.