The One-Armed Swordsman

Infobox Film
name = One-Armed Swordsman


caption = The Hong Kong movie poster.
director = Chang Cheh
producer = Run Me Shaw
writer = Chang Cheh Ni Kuang
narrator =
starring = Jimmy Wang Yu
music = Wang Fu-ling
cinematography = Yuan Chen-hua
editing = Chang Hsing-lung
distributor = Shaw Brothers Studio Intercontinental Video
released = flagicon|Hong Kong July 26, 1967
runtime = 111 min.
country = flagicon|Hong Kong|colonial Hong Kong
language = Mandarin
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by = "Return of the One-Armed Swordsman"
website =
amg_id = 1:36346
imdb_id = 0061597

"One-Armed Swordsman" (Cantonese-tjp|t=獨臂刀|j=Duk6bei3 dou1|p=Dúbì dāo) is a 1967 Shaw Brothers Studio Hong Kong wuxia film. Directed by Chang Cheh, it was the first of the new style of wuxia films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodletting. It was the first Hong Kong film to make HK$1 million at the local box office, propelling its star Jimmy Wang Yu to super stardom.

Plot

The Golden Sword school is attacked by bandits. The servant Fang Cheng sacrifices his life to protect his master Qi Rufeng. In gratitude, Qi Rufeng accepts the dying Fang Cheng's son, Fang Gang, as his student. Years later, Fang Gang is scorned by his snobbish fellow students because of his poor background. Deciding that he will only cause trouble for his master Fang Gang leaves the school only to run into his classmates and his master's spoiled daughter, Pei-er. In the ensuing fight Fang Gang's right arm is cut off by Pei-er, who is angry at being defeated by him. Stumbling away, Fang Gang falls off a bridge into the passing boat of a peasant girl Hsiao Man.

Hsio Man nurses him back to health and the two fall in love. Fang Gang is nevertheless depressed as he is unable to practice his swordmanship. Reluctantly, Hsiao Man gives him a half burnt kung-fu manual which she had inherited from her now dead parents. With its help Fang Gang is able to master a new one-armed style of swordplay, making him stronger than before.

Meanwhile master Qi Rufeng is preparing for his 56th birthday and has invited all of his students to the celebration to choose a successor from amongst them so that he can retire from the martial arts world. However, his old enemies the Long-armed Devil and the Smiling Tiger Cheng are taking the opportunity to destroy Qi Rufeng. Using a specially designed "sword-lock" they ambush and kill Qi's students travelling to the celebration.

Fang Gang inadvertently learns of the plot and, breaking his promise to Hisao Man not to involve himself in the martial arts world, rushes to save his master. He is delayed en route by the Long-armed Devils accomplices and when he arrives the Long-armed Devil has already killed most of the students and wounded Qi Rufeng. In a vicious battle Fang Gang manages to kill the Long-armed Devil, but chooses to return to Hsiao Man and become a farmer, instead of taking his master's place at the school.

Cast

*Jimmy Wang Yu as Fang Gang
*Pan Yin Tze as Qi Pei Er
*Chiao Chiao as Hsiao Man
*Huang Chung-Shun as Wei Hsuan

*Tin Fung as Qi Rufeng
*Ku Feng as Fang Cheng
*Liu Chia-Liang as Ba Shuang
*Yang Chih-Ching as Long-Armed Devil
*Chen Yen-yen as Rufeng's wife
*Tong Gaai as Killer
*Chieh Yuan as Lu Chen
*Ho Lee Yan as Grandpa Wang
*Tang Di as Smiling Tiger Cheng Tianshou

External links

*rotten-tomatoes|id=onearmed_swordsman|title=One-Armed Swordsman
* [http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/onearmedswordsman.htm Review at Kung Fu Cinema]
* [http://www.hkcinema.co.uk/Reviews/One_Armed_Swordsman_Jimmy_Wang_Yu.htm Review at HKCinema - 40th Anniversary Retrospective]