It's baffling to me that this film is put within the same circle as The One-Armed Boxer and its sequel, Master of the Flying Guillotine (which ironically came out a year after this film), when this film couldn't be anymore unlike One-Armed Boxer. Worse yet is that the latter film seems to have a higher average rating than The Flying Guillotine, which is befuddling. Why? Because the films are leagues apart in terms of quality.
One-Armed Boxer is a sometimes gory, non-stop action fight-fest with ridiculous over-the-top characters and scenarios, sporting equally ridiculous fight scenes. The Flying Guillotine is actually a far more grounded film with more realized, three-dimensional characters who each have their own motivations. The world they inhabit is fully realized and it's hard not to understand the plight they're in given their situation (and their family's situation).
Because The Flying Guillotine has a more realistic portrayal of soldiers and their place in the hierarchy of an imperial monarchy, they aren't larger-than-life heroes, but rather average guys with specialized training in mastering the custom-made flying guillotine, which is really quite the device.
The film follows various characters, most of whom are part of the 12 selected soldiers hand-picked to train using the flying guillotine. A decent portion of the film is dedicated to the complexity and learning curve surrounding mastering the weapon. It's not like Kung Lao's razor-bladed hat from Mortal Kombat that just slices through everything, bounces off of objects like Captain America's shield and then magically returns to the thrower. No, instead the device is controlled by a chain. When thrown the device -- which does look like a hat -- lands on its target where a veil drops down; at the bottom of the veil is a chakram, which usually is neck length with the victim. Within the chakram are razor blades. When the chain is pulled the retracted blades then protract, cutting through whatever is inside the chakram's radius, and if it happens to be someone's neck, then their head goes flying in a spectacular decapitation.
There aren't a whole lot of fights in the film, and the ones that do take place aren't very long, because... well, the flying guillotine usually makes quick work of whoever is unlucky enough to get hit by it. This actually adds a lot of weight to the film. Once you see that guillotine come out, you can be guaranteed someone will lose their head!
With lots of treachery, backstabbing, paranoia, and constant fear running rampant through the people who reside in the land (and especially those closest to the emperor), it gives the film this unnerving tension. The characters all know that they may not be long for the world, and the film reminds you constantly of how dangerous their lives are. It's a film that doesn't shy away from the fact that every action comes with hefty consequences. It also lightly touches on (rather critically) how perilous it is to live under a tyrannical emperor. I was a bit taken aback that the film would portray a Chinese ruler in such a negative light (without making him comically evil or monstrously villainous).
The flying guillotine itself may be something of a sci-fi element to the film, but everything else about the film is extremely grounded. In fact, if it were remade today by a competent writer/director and matched with compelling performances by a dedicated cast, it could easily end up being an award-winning film, and that's no joke nor an exaggeration. Interestingly enough, I doubt most kung-fu (or wuxia, if you want to be pedantic) aficionados will take to this film as much as K-drama enthusiasts. Why? Because it's a lot more moody, morally gray, and light on the actual hand-to-hand technique to appeal to some traditional martial arts fans.
However, if you wanted to see a compelling film about living life under the constant threat of death by a paranoid and power-hungry ruler, and enjoy some devilishly inventive uses of the flying guillotine along the way with gripping action sequences where every move (and counter) means something, then The Flying Guillotine is well worth a watch. Very highly recommended.
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