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Yu Wang, Kam Kong, Lung Kun Yee, Fei Lung, Lau Kar-Wing ... see more see more... , Chia Yung Liu , Fu Chiang Chi , Kam Kang , Lung Wei Wang , Pai Cheng Hau

When the Manchu dynasty employs the Master of the Flying Guillotine (Kam Kong) in hopes of quelling the resistance stirring within than Han people (their dynasty had recently been overtaken) the Maste... read more read more...r accepts, oblivious to the challenges that could impede him. Before long, a fighting tournament is announced, and the participants include the One Armed Boxer, who was responsible for killing two of the Master's disciples. The Master is certain he can down his newfound opponent by means of the Flying Guillotine (which entails hurling through the air at such a velocity that the victim is decapitated on contact), but the One Armed Boxer proves a challenging fighter himself. The film also features Jimmy Wang Yu and Lung Kun Yee. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Flixster Users

82% liked it

5,683 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

20 critics

R, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: Yu Wang

Release Date: January 1, 1977

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DVD Release Date: September 17, 2002

Stats: 396 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (396)


  • August 4, 2009
    Baddest old guy in a kung fu flick ever. Baddest weapon ever created. Indian guy that stretches his arms....i could go on and on.
  • August 5, 2008
    I feel like I've just been let it on a secret.

    One of the coolest, purest and craziest kung fu films ever made.

    The flying Guillotine is one of the most WTF weapons in the genre. Imagine a bladed bee keepers helmet on a chain and it's being wielded by a blind blood thirst monk... read more on a revenge kick.
  • September 23, 2006
    Such fun!
  • August 24, 2009
    Old school kung fu fun (& a Tarantino & Samuel L Jackson favourite) as the one armed goody fights a variety of quirky baddies. Apparently there's a remake in the pipeline for 2010. Noooooo!
  • June 23, 2009
    This is a really masterfully done movie for the era. The soundtrack and background music is amazing and really adds to the film. The fight scenes are superb and the vast array of martial arts specialists that comes to the tournament is impressive. A lone monk receives a letter fr... read moreom 2 of his disciples who are tracking a one armed boxer to kill him. If the monk gets the letter that means that the boxer killed them instead and they wish the blind monk to avenge them. He burns down his home and makes a pact to avenge them or die. He is the master of an elusive style called the Flying Guillotine that involves a weapon that has a long chain and a vale at the end that covers the head and then he yanks the chain and sharp razors cut your head off. A great movie with a cast that involves a few people who show up in some main stream kung fu and martial arts films.
  • March 7, 2008
    Great.
  • August 1, 2007
    Great, fun film with an awesome theme song. Oddly, the Master of the Flying Guillotine is actually the film's villain and the one armed boxer is the hero.
    The fight scenes in this are highly entertaining, especially the introduction of the Thai kickboxer, and the extended compet... read moreition scene reminds me a lot of the excellent extended training scenes in 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in the sense that it totally steers away from the films narrative (maybe not so much in 36th Chamber) to deliver awesome kung fu action. And to think all the critics were praising Fargo for it's scenes that don't involve the plot!
    You can't go wrong with this film if you are a martial arts fan, and listen to the commentary if you have the DVD. It's entertaining and informative.
  • January 1, 2011
    Great all around kung fu flick. The sound effects and the Master's theme are rockin'. Nut kicking leg breaker and Monkey style guy are some of my favorites, but that kick boxer is pretty basass! The final battle scene is great, hatchets, caskets and all.
  • October 26, 2008
    This totally brightened up my day. One of the most inventive (as far as directing and music go) and hip "Kung Fu" classics that I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Wheeeeeeeeeee
  • June 19, 2008
    A flipping AWESOME kung fu movie! If you're only going to see one kung fu movie your whole life, see this one. And then go see Enter the Dragon due to your newfound love of kung fu movies.

Critic Reviews


V.A. Musetto
May 31, 2002
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

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

Elvis Mitchell
May 30, 2002
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

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

Nick Rutigliano
May 28, 2002
Nick Rutigliano, Village Voice

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

Kevin Thomas
May 24, 2002
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

A gem of its genre. Full Review

Michael A. Smith
January 1, 2005
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review

A staple of Kung Fu television.

Jon Niccum
April 9, 2004
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World

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

Thomas Delapa
February 24, 2004
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly

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

Jon Popick
August 7, 2003
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy

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

Jeffrey M. Anderson
July 19, 2002
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

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 entertai... Full Review

Max Messier
July 16, 2002
Max Messier, Filmcritic.com

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

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Master of the Flying Guillotine Trivia


  • In Jimmy Wang Yu's Master of the Flying Guillotine, what Chinese dish does Master Fung Shang order at the restaurant before beheading a one-armed bum?  Answer »

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