The Last Duel

cover

AKA: Dark Skinned Assassin, Brave Man Stops Brave Man, Hero Vs Hero

Year of release: 1981

Genre: martial arts

Director: Ling Yun

Action director: Su Chen-Ping

Producer: Alan Wu

Writer: Gu Long

Cinematography: Wu Kuo-Ren

Editing: Kwong Wong-Hung

Music: Foo Lap

Stars: Barry Chan, Ling Yun, Nora Miao, Hsu Feng, Tin Yau, Cheung Paang

Not rated; contains IIB-level violence

Movie Review Index
Main Page

The Last Duel  The Last Duel

The Last Duel  The Last Duel

Produced toward the tail end of the hey day of the "old school" kung fu film, 1981's The Last Duel isn't the most polished production, nor does it feature outstanding displays of martial arts. But it does manage to set itself apart from the pack by doing things just a bit differently -- there aren't too many other kung fu movies out there where you're going to see a little person taking on a cross-dresser.

As of this writing (June 2014) the only legitimate home video release for The Last Duel seems to be a DVD from Tai Seng, released through their "Martial Arts Theatre" series. Like most of the other films in this line, it is a bargain bin no-frills DVD sourced via an center-framed English-dubbed VHS tape from Ocean Shores. As seen through the clip below, there has also been some after-market tinkering in the form of electronic titles and a score heavily ripped off from western productions, most notably Psycho.

The sub-par presentation is a shame, because the set design, cinematography, and editing are all very well done, setting this production apart from so many of its' ilk, who were seemingly satisfied to sit the camera in the corner of a room and just let the actors go. The enhanced mise-en-scene is much appreciated, because, frankly, some other components are not as good, such as the core story, which is pretty much an incomprehensible mess -- though a bit of that may be due to the poor quality of the English dub on the DVD.

The fight scenes aren't anything to write home about, either. Director and star Ling Yun depends a little too much on wire effects, which are awkwardly employed. It's obvious that Ling was attempting to make this a high-flying wuxia-style film, but didn't have either the talent or budget -- maybe a combo platter of both -- to fully realize his vision. Nonetheless, overall, The Last Duel is an entertaining enough picture, especially for fans of the genre looking to check out something a bit askew.

RATING: 6