{ "id": "ep8ddz4fbv", "slug": "master-of-the-flying-guillotine", "title": "Master of the Flying Guillotine (独臂拳王大破血滴子)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "label": "Martial arts films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985", "label": "Released 1943 to 1985", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000: Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Master of the Flying Guillotine (獨臂拳王大破血滴子, aka One Armed Boxer 2) is Jimmy Wang Yu's 1976 kung fu sequel in which a blind Qing assassin hunts the one-armed boxer with a decapitating flying guillotine; noted for its tournament arc and Krautrock soundtrack.", "snippet": "Master of the Flying Guillotine (獨臂拳王大破血滴子, aka One Armed Boxer 2) is Jimmy Wang Yu's 1976 kung fu sequel in which a blind Qing assassin hunts the one-armed boxer with a decapitating flying guillotine; noted for its tournament arc and Krautrock soundtrack.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985", "markdown": "# Master of the Flying Guillotine (独臂拳王大破血滴子)\n\n**Master of the Flying Guillotine** (獨臂拳王大破血滴子, also romanized Du bi quan wang da po xue di zi) is a 1976 Hong Kong and Taiwanese martial arts film written, directed by, and starring Jimmy Wang Yu (王羽), the sequel to his *One Armed Boxer* (1971).[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Master_of_the_Flying_Guillotine) • [2](https://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/enter-the-fist-master-of-the-flying-guillotine-1976/) It follows a blind assassin for the [Qing dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/qing-dynasty) who hunts the one-armed hero with a tethered, head-taking weapon called the flying guillotine, and it is remembered for its tournament structure, its [Krautrock](https://www.edgepedia.org/krautrock) soundtrack, and its lasting influence on later fight-tournament films and video games.[3](https://n.yam.com/Article/20121209040790) • [4](https://cityonfire.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-blu-ray-one-armed-boxer-2-ii-severin-films-wang-yu-martial-arts-kung-fu-cinema-movie-physical-media/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 獨臂拳王大破血滴子 (simplified 独臂拳王大破血滴子); English titles also include *One Armed Boxer 2* and *One-Armed Boxer vs. the Flying Guillotine*[5](https://kungfutube.info/22132) |\n| Release | April 24, 1976 (Hong Kong); November 27, 1976 (Japan)[5](https://kungfutube.info/22132) |\n| Hong Kong box office | HK$1,269,987, ranking 25th for the year[5](https://kungfutube.info/22132) |\n| Director, writer, star | Jimmy Wang Yu, who also plays the hero Yu Tien Lung (俞天龍)[3](https://n.yam.com/Article/20121209040790) |\n| Antagonist | The blind monk Fung Sheng Wu Chi (封神無忌), played by Kam Kong (金剛), wielder of the flying guillotine[3](https://n.yam.com/Article/20121209040790) • [6](https://movie.sogou.com/movie/mzuwy3k7haydemjzgue3nqfr3pek3tpvwtz4nrwrvk245v6t.html) |\n| Action directors | Lau Kar-leung (劉家良) and Lau Kar-wing (劉家榮)[5](https://kungfutube.info/22132) |\n| Runtime | 93 minutes[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Master_of_the_Flying_Guillotine) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story and characters\n\nThe film is set against an anti-Qing, restore-the-Ming background. Yu Tien Lung, the one-armed boxer of the earlier film, runs the Zhengde martial arts school and secretly aids loyalist dissidents. The first-generation flying guillotine master Fung Sheng Wu Chi serves the Qing court as an assassin who kills Ming loyalists; when Yu kills his disciples Zuo Long and Zuo Hu, Fung Sheng swears revenge and comes for Yu's head with his flying guillotine.[3](https://n.yam.com/Article/20121209040790) • [6](https://movie.sogou.com/movie/mzuwy3k7haydemjzgue3nqfr3pek3tpvwtz4nrwrvk245v6t.html)\n\nThe blind master does not limit himself to his target. When told he has killed the wrong one-armed man, he replies that he does not care and will kill any one-armed man he encounters.[7](https://www.avclub.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-1798197846) The plot funnels toward a martial arts tournament in which fighters from India, Thailand, Japan, and elsewhere compete, giving Yu's hero a series of set-piece opponents before the final confrontation.[8](https://www.yesasia.com/global/%E7%8E%8B%E7%BE%BD-%E6%AD%A6%E4%BF%A0%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1-dvd-01-%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E7%89%88/1024721663-0-0-0-zh_TW/info.html) • [4](https://cityonfire.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-blu-ray-one-armed-boxer-2-ii-severin-films-wang-yu-martial-arts-kung-fu-cinema-movie-physical-media/)\n\nThe weapon itself is a bladed, hat-like cage on a long rope or chain: the wielder hurls it at an opponent's head, and the rim of blades decapitates the victim so the head can be drawn back to the thrower.[9](https://www.cavd.com/reviews/fatal_flying_guillotine.pdf) In the finale, Yu defeats Fung Sheng by preparation rather than brute force, setting a trap with a bamboo array and spring-loaded axes that renders the guillotine scrap metal.[3](https://n.yam.com/Article/20121209040790)\n\n## Production\n\nJimmy Wang Yu wrote, directed, and starred in the film, one of several pictures from the early 1970s in which he took on the three roles himself, following *The Black and White Enforcers* (1971) and *Beach of the War Gods* (1973).[10](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-02-Filmmakers-Search/Chinese/Jimmy-Wang-Yu_c.pdf) The fight choreography was by the brothers Lau Kar-leung and Lau Kar-wing, both of whom also appear in the cast.[11](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/master-of-the-flying-guillotine/) • [5](https://kungfutube.info/22132) The production company was First Film Organisation Ltd., and the film was shot in color with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio.[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Master_of_the_Flying_Guillotine)\n\nAs a direct sequel, the film includes flashback scenes from *One Armed Boxer*, in which the hero defeated the Hook Gang and a series of mercenary fighters who are retroactively identified as disciples of Fung Sheng.[2](https://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/enter-the-fist-master-of-the-flying-guillotine-1976/) • [12](https://makeminecriterion.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-jimmy-wang-yu-1976/)\n\n## Music\n\nThe soundtrack is a distinctive feature: most or all of the music in the film was used without the permission of the copyright holders when the film was first released, drawing on German Krautrock acts including Neu!, Tangerine Dream, and [Kraftwerk](https://www.edgepedia.org/kraftwerk).[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072913/) • [14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/master_of_the_flying_guillotine) The borrowed electronic score has become one of the film's signatures among cult audiences.[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/master_of_the_flying_guillotine)\n\n## Reception and influence\n\nThe film was a modest box-office performer in Hong Kong, earning HK$1,269,987 and placing 25th for the year, but its reputation grew over time.[5](https://kungfutube.info/22132) In the United States it circulated for decades only in an English-dubbed bootleg video titled *One Armed Boxer vs. the Flying Guillotine*, with some television airings, before a restored version received a regular theatrical release in 2002.[15](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-24-et-master24-story.html) The Los Angeles Times called it the [Holy Grail](https://www.edgepedia.org/holy-grail) of 1970s Hong Kong martial arts movies, praising Lau Kar-leung's choreography.[15](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-24-et-master24-story.html) On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 90% Tomatometer from 21 reviews and an 87% audience score.[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/master_of_the_flying_guillotine) The Grindhouse Cinema Database lists it in [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s Top 20 films.[1](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Master_of_the_Flying_Guillotine)\n\nIts most cited legacy is the tournament format. The centerpiece kung fu tournament, with an international lineup of eccentric contestants such as a stretchy-armed Indian yogi and a Thai kickboxer, has been credited with pioneering the cinematic tournament arc and inspiring later films and video games including *[Bloodsport](https://www.edgepedia.org/bloodsport-film)* and the *Street Fighter* and *Mortal Kombat* franchises.[11](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/master-of-the-flying-guillotine/) • [4](https://cityonfire.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-blu-ray-one-armed-boxer-2-ii-severin-films-wang-yu-martial-arts-kung-fu-cinema-movie-physical-media/) [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) similarly observed that many of its characters have since been appropriated by popular games.[7](https://www.avclub.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-1798197846)\n\nThe flying guillotine as a screen weapon predates the film: the Shaw Brothers' *[The Flying Guillotine](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-flying-guillotine)* (1975), directed by Ho Meng-hua, introduced the weapon to modern martial arts cinema, and a cycle of guillotine films followed.[16](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2017/02/03/the-flying-guillotine-1975/) • [12](https://makeminecriterion.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-jimmy-wang-yu-1976/) Wang Yu's film, however, became the best remembered of the cycle.[16](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2017/02/03/the-flying-guillotine-1975/)\n\n## Home video\n\nAfter years in which fans had only non-anamorphic DVDs, Severin Films announced a newly restored 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray edition timed to the film's 50th anniversary, with audio commentary by kung fu film historians Michael Worth and Frank Djeng and Jimmy Wang Yu's New York Asian Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award appearance among the extras.[4](https://cityonfire.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-blu-ray-one-armed-boxer-2-ii-severin-films-wang-yu-martial-arts-kung-fu-cinema-movie-physical-media/) A 4K restoration also screened in the Sitges Clàssics section of the Sitges Film Festival.[17](https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/en/film/2026/master-flying-guillotine-1976) Wang Yu did not see the restoration; he died in Taiwan on April 5, 2022.[10](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-02-Filmmakers-Search/Chinese/Jimmy-Wang-Yu_c.pdf)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Master of the Flying Guillotine, The Grindhouse Cinema Database](https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Master_of_the_Flying_Guillotine)\n2. [The Daily Grindhouse: Master of the Flying Guillotine, Through the Shattered Lens](https://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/enter-the-fist-master-of-the-flying-guillotine-1976/)\n3. [王羽36年前獨臂破過《血滴子》, 中時電子報 via 蕃新聞](https://n.yam.com/Article/20121209040790)\n4. [HEAD'd your way! Jimmy Wang Yu's 'Master of the Flying Guillotine' arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, cityonfire.com](https://cityonfire.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-blu-ray-one-armed-boxer-2-ii-severin-films-wang-yu-martial-arts-kung-fu-cinema-movie-physical-media/)\n5. [片腕カンフー対空とぶギロチン／獨臂拳王大破血滴子（1976）, KUNGFU TUBE](https://kungfutube.info/22132)\n6. [《独臂拳王大破血滴子》, Sogou 电影](https://movie.sogou.com/movie/mzuwy3k7haydemjzgue3nqfr3pek3tpvwtz4nrwrvk245v6t.html)\n7. [Master Of The Flying Guillotine, The A.V. Club (Nathan Rabin, 2002)](https://www.avclub.com/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-1798197846)\n8. [王羽 武俠電影 (DVD) (01) (台灣版), YesAsia](https://www.yesasia.com/global/%E7%8E%8B%E7%BE%BD-%E6%AD%A6%E4%BF%A0%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1-dvd-01-%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E7%89%88/1024721663-0-0-0-zh_TW/info.html)\n9. [Fatal Flying Guillotine review, CAV Distribution](https://www.cavd.com/reviews/fatal_flying_guillotine.pdf)\n10. [香港影人小傳檢索：王羽, Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-02-Filmmakers-Search/Chinese/Jimmy-Wang-Yu_c.pdf)\n11. [Master of the Flying Guillotine, Film Society of Lincoln Center](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/master-of-the-flying-guillotine/)\n12. [Master of the Flying Guillotine (Jimmy Wang Yu, 1976), Make Mine Criterion!](https://makeminecriterion.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/master-of-the-flying-guillotine-jimmy-wang-yu-1976/)\n13. [Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072913/)\n14. [Master of the Flying Guillotine, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/master_of_the_flying_guillotine)\n15. [A 'Master' of Style in Martial Arts, Los Angeles Times (2002)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-24-et-master24-story.html)\n16. [The Flying Guillotine (1975), Silver Emulsion Film Reviews](https://www.silveremulsion.com/2017/02/03/the-flying-guillotine-1975/)\n17. [Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976), Sitges Film Festival](https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/en/film/2026/master-flying-guillotine-1976)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Martial arts films › Released 1943 to 1985*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-the-flying-guillotine", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-the-flying-guillotine.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Master of the Flying Guillotine (独臂拳王大破血滴子)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-the-flying-guillotine. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Master of the Flying Guillotine (独臂拳王大破血滴子)](https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-the-flying-guillotine)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-the-flying-guillotine](https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-the-flying-guillotine). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Master of the Flying Guillotine (独臂拳王大破血滴子)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/master-of-the-flying-guillotine. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Master of the Flying Guillotine is Jimmy Wang Yu's 1976 kung fu sequel in which a blind Qing assassin hunts the one-armed boxer with a decapitating flying guillotine; noted for its tournament arc and Krautrock soundtrack." }