The New One-Armed Swordsman

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AKA: Triple Irons, The New One Armed Swordsman

Year of release: 1971

Genre: martial arts

Director: Chang Cheh

Action directors: Lau Kar-Leung, Tong Gai

Producer: Runme Shaw

Writer: Ni Kuang

Cinematography: Kung Mu-To

Editing: Kwok Ting-Hung

Music: Frankie Chan

Stars: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Li Ching, Ku Feng, Chan Sing, Wong Chung, Lau Gong, Wong Pau-Gei, Wang Kuang-Yu, Wong Ching-Ho, Shum Lo

Not rated; contains IIB-level violence

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The New One-Armed Swordsman  The New One-Armed Swordsman

The New One-Armed Swordsman  The New One-Armed Swordsman

What do you do when one of your major stars and lead of a promising new franchise leaves your studio? If you're the Shaw Brothers, and you're dealing with Jimmy Wang Yu and the character of the One-Armed Swordsman, the answer is easy. Showing that the notion of reboots are not germane to modern-day Hollywood, the Shaws tapped Chang Cheh to craft another origin story of sorts, this time with David Chiang in the starring role.

Chiang plays Lei Li, a headstrong knight who is framed for robbery by a corrupt kung fu master, Long Yizhi (Ku Feng). Lei Li is too cocky and loses a duel with Long Yizhi and his arm is taken in penance. Regulated to working as a busboy, Lei Li seems destined to a path of misery before he meets the heroic Feng Junjie (Ti Lung), whose friendship give Lei Li the will to live. But after Feng Junjie also loses a fight with Long Yi Zhi, Lei Li's thoughts turn to revenge.

The story here is really nothing that special. It's your standard kung fu vengeance vehicle that veteran Shaw Brothers screenwriter Ni Kuang churned out by the dozens by the dozens back in the 1960's and 70's. Acting wise, we, again, have nothing really noteworthy. The pairing of Ti and Chiang (aka "The Blood Brothers") is always welcome, but they, and most of the rest of the cast, seem to be on a bit of autopilot. Chang Cheh's pacing may also be off-putting to some, as he favors dramatics just as much (if not more) than martial arts action.

But when The New One-Armed Swordsman is firing on all cylinders, it's fine oldschool kung fu action. In particular, the last half hour or so is great stuff, with several great examples of how to onscreen fighting right, as helmed by action directors Lau Kar-Leung and Tong Gai. In particular, the finale with Chiang laying waste to hordes of enemies -- a sequence echoed in many subsequent films, most notably Kill Bill: Volume 1, is quite satisfying and make the somewhat flat exposition worth sitting through.

RATING: 7.5