The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

Original title

獨臂刀

Directed by

Chang Cheh

Genre

drama film, action film, martial arts film

Country

Hong Kong

Runtime

1h 55m

Rated

18

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 111 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A master swordsman loses his right arm in an attack and is cast out by his fellow students. He must learn to fight with his remaining arm while seeking vengeance against those who wronged him.

grittytragicbrutalfast-paceddefiantmelodramaticvisceralbleak

What happens

The One-Armed Swordsman (獨臂刀) is a 1967 Hong Kong wuxia film produced and distributed by the Shaw Brothers Studio. Directed by Chang Cheh and based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Ni Kuang, the film starred Jimmy Wang in the title role. It was the first of the new style of wuxia films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay, and heavy bloodletting set in the Han dynasty. It was the first Hong Kong film to make HK$1 million at the local box office, propelling Wang to super stardom. This film eventually became the first in the One-Armed Swordsman trilogy. A sequel was released in 1969 called Return of the One-Armed Swordsman, followed by The New One-Armed Swordsman in 1971, all directed by Chang Cheh. It has since achieved classic status in Hong Kong cinema. In the Hong Kong Film Award's 2005 poll, The One-Armed Swordsman was voted as the 15th best Chinese-language film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971)
• Trail of the Broken Blade (1967)
• King Cat (1967)
• Rape of the Sword (1967)
• The Assassin (1967)
• The Thundering Sword (1967)
• The Sword of Swords (1968)
• The Silent Swordsman (1967)