4 comments about The New One-Armed Swordsman.

1. ...but not by much. Semi-letterbox (still missing LOTS on the sides) with mix of English (with music from the US version) & German (opening/closing credits-music in opening matches Chinese version) with a few lines shifting to German on soundtrack (evidently for scenes not in the US release). Picture varies from spotty to VERY scratchy (reel changes?). If you MUST have a dubbed version this is at least better than the old VHS mastered blurathon that is now OP. Look for a Thai version of the Celestial Pictures remaster (R0 tho' it claims to be R3) or get youself an allregion player & get the legit version!



2. when it IS a bootleg. This is a copy stolen from the HK IVL DVD of the same name. Be sure to order the HK DVD or wait for the legit release from the Wienstien company.



3. I saw the original US release of this film in 1972 under the title "Triple Irons". The quality of this product is not worth even 1 star. The credits are in German. The dubbing switches between German and English. The contrast is so bad the night scenes are unwatchable.
   
   I contacted the reseller, HKFLIX, and they were very prompt and helpful in my return request. I just hope they can find me a quality copy of the film.



4. This movie was released in the U.S. as "Triple Irons" and it was one of the best Kung Fu movies that I had seen with David Chiang. The first copy I recieved was awful. Green screen, bad picture transfer mixed with German and French language. I contacted the seller and they sent me an excellent copy and I was satisfied! Sorry for some of u that recieved a bad copy, but if u contact the seller and let them know the dvd is bad they may send u a better copy. Good Luck!!!

No comments about Beach of the War Gods (Legendary Collection Edition) DVD.

No comments about Zatoichi Vs the One- Armed Swordsman.

2 comments about Man From Hong Kong (Digitally Remastered) DVD.

1. A not too bad action film from the 70's with George Lazenby as a Aussie mob boss taken on by a karate/kung fu cop (Jimmy Wang YU) from Hong Kong. Lazenby's death is a classic moment to rank with Cagney's top of the world in White Heat. Too bad this isn't yet on region 1 DVD. Film's theme song ("Sky High") was a modest hit on the top 40 charts.



2. Jimmy Wang Yu had been a star of Hong Kong martial arts films and swordplay adventures for ten years (ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN, CHINESE BOXER), first for Shaw Bros. and then for Golden Harvest, when he was assigned by the latter to make THE MAN FROM HONG KONG (1975) in Australia, in English, with an Australian crew, with fight scenes choreographed by Hong Kong actor Sammo Hung. The idea was to try to position Wang Yu as an international star, the "new Bruce Lee," and replicate the success of the Hollywood/Golden Harvest co-production from two years earlier, ENTER THE DRAGON, starring Bruce Lee, who had died in July 1973, a month before the film's release.
   
   In THE MAN FROM HONG KONG (released in the U.S. as THE DRAGON FLIES), Wang Yu had to forego his usual intensity and play a suave, womanizing Hong Kong detective ("Special Branch") who comes to Sydney, Australia to extradite a drug peddler (Sammo Hung), but winds up embroiled in a running battle with Sydney crime boss Wilton, played by George Lazenby, a one-time James Bond (ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE). Like so many 1970s action movies, the flimsy plot is routinely put on hold to indulge in gratuitous chase scenes filled with lame gags. There are a couple of '70s-obligatory love scenes pairing Wang Yu with two forgettable Australian actresses. One of these includes a long, insipid romantic montage involving horseback riding on a ranch in the Aussie countryside, underscored by the song, "A Man is a Man is a Man."
   
   There are plenty of fight scenes, though, and I have to admit that for a mid-1970s made-in-Australia action film, the fights are certainly better-than-average. However, once you've seen what Hong Kong filmmakers were doing so successfully at the time, it's hard to be very impressed. Choreographer Sammo Hung, who went on to become a notable kung fu film director himself, was somewhat hampered by the Australians' demand for more "realistic" fight scenes, meaning he had to subdue his normally active kung fu imagination and concentrate on "street fighting," much of which is quite brutal and bloody. There is one fairly traditional Hong Kong-style kung fu sequence involving traditional weapons at a martial arts school, where Wang Yu takes on a room full of Chinese "students" working for the villain. Sammo appears in a pre-credits fight scene staged on the picturesque Outback tourist site, Ayers Rock. Lazenby has a few fight scenes also, and he's not bad. There's also a clever finale involving a penthouse, a vault filled with explosives and a 90-second fuse.
   
   Wang Yu is dubbed in English throughout. His character speaks Mandarin in one scene with Sammo, forcing the viewer to grab the remote, reverse the disc a few seconds and turn on the subtitles.
   
   Interestingly, the film's theme song, "Sky High," is more famous than the film itself. Performed by a group called Jigsaw, it became a top-40 hit at the time and is still played on oldies stations. ("You've blown it all sky high, by telling me a lie, without a reason why...")
   
   This Region 3 DVD from Fortune Star offers a high quality print and transfer. Extras include the original trailer and two deleted dialogue scenes, one of which fills in a minor, but gnawing plot hole.

No comments about Blood of the Ninja.

No comments about savage killers.

5 comments about One Armed Swordsman vs. 9 Killers.

1. Although there are no One Armed Swordsmen, there is only one One
   Armed Boxer, the movie is still not bad! The movie is actually
   called One Armed vs. 9 Killers which would make since, but I
   guess Video Asia changed the name to get dumb-asses like us to
   buy these films! The picture quality is watchable, but there are
   scenes in the movie to where the screen will start boncing up
   and down and it's annoying! But that only occurs like 7 times
   and usual they appear whenever the camera takes a picture of the
   sky for some dumb ass reason! Other than that, this is a walk in
   the park kung fu flick with Jimmy Wang Yu style brutal fights
   and slow moving story!



2. WHY, for the love of god?! You know, this might be hard for mainstream movie audiences to understand, but some of us would actually appreciate classy packaging and a quality DVD transfer on a kung-fu flick every once in a while. Unfortunately, those of you looking for what I just described will have to look elsewhere.
   I was aware when I bought the film that it wasn't an entry in Wang Yu's "One-Armed Swordsman" series, and I didn't mind that. This is actually "One-Armed Against Nine Killers", a little-seen film from the midseventies that I've been trying to track down for years. What I DON'T appreciate is the fact that Videoasia completely hacked the credits off the beginning of the movie. I'm not thrilled with the condition of the print, either; it's very obviously a direct copy of a shaky, blurry old VHS tape with tracking lines running through it more than once. TRACKING LINES, FOR GOD'S SAKE. Some of the fights are watchable, but the film looks like (...)t overall.
   Kung-fu movie fans shouldn't have to put up with this kind of incompetence and carelessness in the DVD age. We paid our dues with all those cheap videotapes in the eighties, remember? There must be some company out there that's willing to spend a little cash and give these films a decent release. As for Videoasia(which should be put out of business): shoddy work, you ripoff artists. I won't be buying anything else with your name on it. Why not aim a little lower and retitle the movie "One-Armed Swordzman Vs. Nine Killaz, Biatch"? You might sell it to three or four more unlucky people.
   NO STARS.



3. ...the ending receives all the stars- WOW! otherwise this is a bit lower than average Kung fu film, and I am a Jimmy Wang Yu fan. The fight scenes are below average for the most part and only the last 25 minutes of the film are worth watching. This movie shows that comic relief is necessary in any good story (ask Shakespear.... actually a William S. Kung Fu movie would be a good idea... Macbeth has a pretty good plot for it!). Better one-armed boxing appears in the Master of the Flying Guillotine (spelling?).



4. WARNING!! If it's not distrubuted by Celestial Pictures,(the company that legally owns THE ENTIRE SHAW BROTHERS MOVIE CATALOG), DO NOT BUY. If you want good remasterd Shaw Brothers movies from Amazon, I recommend the movies from Image Entertainment and Dragon Dynasty. At least they did acquire the rights from Celestial to release their movies in the proper way. So to all you Shaw Brothers movie buffs like myself, take heed to this.



5. One Armed Swordsman vs. Nine Killers just another Wang Yu film to add to your collection,unfortunately this dvd is of poor quality and it's too bad collectors like us get ripped off like this,a vhs tape would be better than this,then again if it was a tape nobody would complain,it's also too bad because this crappy transfer steals away from the quality of the movie,which is really not that bad,with a descent plot,and alot of shady characters,while Wang Yu investigates and seeks revenge.I'll never buy an Videoasia product again,three stars for the film,minus alot of stars for the non-remastering of this sorry piece of crap dvd.

No comments about Rage of the Master + Snake Crane Secret.

5 comments about Blood Of The Dragon.

1. A MAN NAMED THE WHITE DRAGON MUST FIGHT TO SAVE HIS COUNTRY FROM TYRANNICAL RULE. GOOD FIGHTS BUT THIN STORY. IT'S A GOOD MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE OVERALL. YOU SHOULD ENJOY IT. THAT DUBBING IS HILLARIOUS, THOUGH.



2. I was torn between a 3 and 4 star on this film (It is worth noting that I have the Platinum version rather than this version- so I will not speak of DVD quality). Ultimately the ending convinced me of the need for a 4 star review. The final 20 minutes are the sort of stand off you expect from a classic picture. Unfortunately, the build up could've used a bit of comic relief and/or more character development of the general. Well now I am getting technical for an otherwise entertaining movie. No one can strike a pose like Wang Yu! See more great selections at "Kung Fu for the Sole" Listmania.



3. The main gimmick is that the main character uses a silver spear; to stab, poke and slash with great aplomb.
   Most of the grainy film is pretty boring and it has been directly transferred to DVD with no clean up, BUT there are some good fight scenes to be found here. Fast forward to the last 20 minutes of the film, lots of bloody action.



4. The main gimmick is that the main character uses a silver spear; to stab, poke and slash with great aplomb.
   Most of the grainy film is pretty boring and it has been directly transferred to DVD with no clean up, BUT there are some good fight scenes to be found here. Fast forward to the last 20 minutes of the film, lots of bloody action.



5. This is truly one of Jimmy Wang's best performance using weaponery. Definately a classical ending to be remembered. I too was torn on a 3 or 4 star, it was the ending which really impressed me.

2 comments about Golden Swallow.

1. This show is similar to A chinese ghost story but the former is not as good as the latter. The story and fighting moves are very badly done. Strictly for Cherie Chung's fans.



2. While the theme of this movie is not new, I must say that this movie is a classic and stands on its own as it is Asian Movie Queen Ivy Ling Po's final movie before her retirement. Indeed she breaks out of her usual famous male impersonator roles to play an evil witch with great expertise surpassing the evil spirit in A Chinese Ghost Story. The female ghost as played by Cherie Chung flies around beautifully and is less of a wimp than the Joey Wong character in A Chinese Ghost Story. So, do give this movie a chance even though the familiar theme of scholar falling in love with female ghost has been put on celluloid since the 50s.