Duel to the Death (1983)
AKA Xian si jue. Ching Siu-tung's first film, before the more well known CHINESE GHOST STORY series. Basically, a contest between the Chinese (Shaolin) and Japanese (Samurai) is about to be held, but people on both sides want to fix the contest for various reasons. The two contestants themselves appear to be the only ones who want a fair fight. Constantly in the way are the ninjas, working to secure a Japanese victory at the behest of the Japanese contestant's corrupt brother. A nice-looking film, this is a period piece with lots of wire-work and fantastic kung-fu. Films like CROUCHING TIGER can tame the effect of this movie, but the highlights (below) help it stand apart.
Highlights: The ninjas. The ninja stars. The floating-in-kites ninjas. The disappearing ninjas. The exploding-head ninjas. The sand-burrowing ninjas. The Voltron-esque ninjas. The final swordfight between the two contestants also sticks out, but the ninjas are the coolest part by far.
Highlights: The ninjas. The ninja stars. The floating-in-kites ninjas. The disappearing ninjas. The exploding-head ninjas. The sand-burrowing ninjas. The Voltron-esque ninjas. The final swordfight between the two contestants also sticks out, but the ninjas are the coolest part by far.
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