One-Armed Boxer

One Armed Boxer is directed and starring the legendary Jimmy Wang Yu. Wang Yu was the first male kung Fu superstar with also legendary director Chang Cheh's swordplay classic The One Armed Swordsman. Before that the genre was dominated by women and was in a more graceful and operatic style. One Armed Boxer was over a decade after that and is a really fast paced, action packed and innovative martial arts film. Quite violent and bloody, it's quite gritty and has nods to ) both samurai and spaghetti westerns of the period. There is quite an eclectic mix of martial arts styles on display and a awesome array of colorful villains ( which Wang Yu must dispatch). Most notably a Okinawan karate master with fangs! This movie I didn't know much about previously, but I really enjoyed it. A lot of the material here is pretty wild and unpolished, but comes across well and nicely structured and choreographed. I also learned that cult flick The Master Of The Flying Guillotine is the sequel to this. That movie is a must see and is completely insane! Thumbs up for One Armed Boxer!

What ever happened to the good old days? Sitting in a Times Square movie theater all day watching the 3 or 4 movies for the price of one. Well onto the movie, I also remember this movie from the good old days, the effects and story are wild. Watching this one armed man running around on 2 fingers to beat an opponent or popping a hole in the inflating monk. I would love to see this and some of the other oldies ( Duel of the iron fist, Chinese Hercules ) released on DVD. I will keep hoping.

I don't want to write a great deal about this film as I only saw it once in 1971. My best friend and I went downtown and then the film disappeared. We were so struck with the concepts, effects and storyline that we have remembered it still even after all these years. I look forward to finally getting a copy and re seeing it. Perhaps I can add more then.

Oddly enough the young Kung Fu fighter Jimmy Wang Yu has just twenty nine years old and besides being the leading star also wrote & directed the picture, an accomplishment for few only in cinema industry, even in China, the storyline is quite simple and usual when two opposite fight schools in a village entering in clash after a small offence, so the evil ones-loser hired foreign legion of mercenary warriors to wipe out the opponent school.

Then came up several fighters from nearby countries as the Siamese Devils from Thailand, a couple Tibetan Monks, The Judo King from Japan, a Indian Fighter and a menacing Okinawan Karate Champ with two long fangs, among others, all them against the local school's pupil that lost one arm at first match, as expected soon he is recovered to a deadly revenge, well it has many jumping-acrobatics endless fightings, the showdown takes place at meandering canyon nearest of the village, the best is the soundtrack made by Isaac Hayes likewise the classic SHAFT's opening theme.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2025 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

The movie I watched on Amazon Prime was called "One Armed Boxer" but that has nothing to do with the plot. Typical kungfu movie with one school battling another and a perceived slight. Decent movie with English dub and subtitles. Liked the use of the "Shaft" theme during the pivotal fight scenes.