FATAL FLYING GUILLOTINE (1977) Visual Vengeance Collector's Edition Blu-ray
Label: Visual Vengeance
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 80 Minutes 19 Seconds
Audio: Mandarin or English Dolby Digital 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen
Director: Raymond Lui
Cast: Carter Wong, Sing Chen, Shao-Peng Chen, Szu-Cheng Mu, Alan Chung San Chui, Ming-Wai Chan
Taiwanese 'Flying Guillotine' knock-off Fatal Flying Guillotine (1977), directed by Rayond Lei (Shaolin Deadly Hands) is a low-budget shadows of the Shaw Bros. Master of the Flying Guillotine, with a plot that is both threadbare yet goes everywhere, but I loved it. Inthe movie Shen Ping (Carter Wong, Big Trouble in Little China) arrives at a Shaolin Temple to obtain a rare almanac of cures to heal his mother who is in failing health. He has to take on a bunch of monks to it, he succeeds and is given the book, however, upon returning home he is attacked by a masked assassin, who throws him from a cliff into the shallow water below. Miraculously, well, impossibly, he somehow survives and returns home where he brews the cure as described in the book, but despite some temporary relief she dies. Feeling betrayed he returns to the temple ready to kick some ass, only to discover that the book he was given was a forgery, and it is revealed that a rogue monk stole the original, and given it to the 4th Prince who plans to use it to obtain a flying guillotine device perfected by reclusive master Shen Mo Chao (Chan Sing, Double Impact) over the course of twenty years, while living deep in the forbidding Valley of No Return, the decapitating device he has dubbed the "Lightning Strike," a bell-shaped device on the end of ropes that the wielder can harness with deadly precision, the bell-shaped guillotine chock full of whirling blades, and with one snap of the rope, the heads are lopped off!
Now the vengeance-driven Shen Ping sets his sights on the valley, seeking justice for his mother's death, facing off against the deadly master's head-chopping invention, while also dealing with factions of the 4th Prince's soldiers and Buddhist monks hell-bent on obtaining the head-chopping device,
This one a fun slice of low-budget chop-socky, foot and fist fighting galore, clanging knives, cheap wire work and of course the decapitating device, which I thought was pretty fucking cool. The fight choreography is never too convincing, but the sheer amount of kung fu spectacle and double-dealing happening are fantastic. Less coherent than the fight choreography is the plot here, I could not keep track of who was out for what and what their motivations were, but thankfully the kinetic action and gory violence dulled by senses enough that I just didn't care. True to its name there is plenty of head-chopping action, even if the decapitated corpses are not at all convincing, but Carter Wong as the noble hero hellbent on vengeance is quite entertaining, and those "lightning strike" decaps are fantastic. Also, the rogue monk in this film has the most exaggerated eyebrows I've ever seen, they're so long, comically they hang of his head like a second Fu Manchu moustache growing off of his forehead, it's wild, and just one of many weird and wonderful things about this bottom-of-the-barrel Taiwanese flying guillotine flick.
Audio/Video: Fatal Flying Guillotine (1977) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Visual Vengeance in 1080p HD framed in 2.35:1 widescreen, offering a new 2K transfer from original film elements supervised and composited by film archivist Toby Russell. The film has scratched and various dig, dirt and debris, but generally colors look solid, if a tad soft. The main source used for the transfer is surprisingly strong, though there are composited gore inserts sourced from what looks like dupey VHS sources to make this as complete as possible, it's not HD perfection but it's a sight better than what I've seen on YouTube in the past. Audio comes by way of both Mandarin and English-dub Dolby Digital 2.0 dual-mono with optional English dub-subtitles. There are audible hiss, snaps and pops heard throughout, but I found it quite watchable, and I preferred the English dub during my viewings.
VV give us some solid extras, starting off with an enthusiastic Audio Commentary with Justin Decloux of the Important Cinema Club Podcast which dives deep into the cast and crew the weaponry and where this film falls in the Flying Guillotine sub-genre. Next is the 8-min A Brief History of Flying Guillotine Movies: Video Essay with Justin Decloux who gives us a quick highlight of flying guillotine flicks, and he shows up again in the 10-min Chan Siu-Pang Was There: Video Essay, discussing the career of the action coordinator who worked for Shaw Bros. for years before leaving to work in Taiwan. We also get a 21-min Actor Carter Wong Archival Interview who speaks about his early martial arts career, training police before breaking into acting. Next, the 6-min Chan Siu-Pang: 10 Styles of Tamo Demonstration, an archival piece with the fight choreographer demonstrating his moves.
A nice extra here, especially for fans of Visual Vengeance's usual SOV oddity fare, is the inclusion of the 88-min
Fatal Flying Guillotine: Old School ‘Dirty VHS’ Version in 1.33:1 fullscreen, looking like the beat-up VHS rip that it is. VHS junkies will rejoice, the rest of us will appreciate how good the Blu-ray looks compared to what we get here. Disc extras are buttoned up with a brief Image Gallery, plus the 2-min Visual Vengeance Trailer for the movie, and a selection of other martial arts themed Visual Vengeance Trailers.
The single-disc Blu-ray arrives in a clear keepcase with a Reversible Wrap featuring alternate VHS art. Inside there is a Folded Mini-Poster featuring alternate original theatrical art. The limited edition first-pressing also includes exclusive packaging extras by way of the VV's patented ‘Stick Your Own’ VHS Stickers, 12-Page Illustrated 'Imitation Decapitation' Booklet featuring liner notes booklet by C.J. Lines, three full-color Lobby Card Reproductions, plus a Slipcase with excusive artwork by Uncle Frank.
Special Features:
- New 2K transfer from original film elements supervised and composited by film archivist Toby Russell
- Audio Commentary with Justin Decloux of the Important Cinema Club Podcast
- A Brief History of Flying Guillotine Movies: Video Essay (8:20)
Chan Siu-Pang Was There: Video Essay (9:36)
- Actor Carter Wong Archival Interview (20:49)
- Chan Siu-Pang: 10 Styles of Tamo demonstration (5:52)
- Fatal Flying Guillotine: old school ‘Dirty VHS’ version (87:57)
- Image gallery (0:36)
- Includes both English dubbed and original Chinese language options
- Optional English Subtitles (English Dub version only)
- Visual Vengeance Trailer(2:03)
- Visual Vengeance Trailers: Born A Ninja + Commando the Ninja (0:58), The Nine Demons (1:49), Ninja Operation: Night & Warrior (1:38)
- Folded mini-poster featuring original theatrical art
- Reversible sleeve featuring alternate VHS art
- Optional English Subtitles (English Dub version only)
- ‘Stick Your Own’ VHS stickers (FIRST PRESSING ONLY)
- Imitation Decapitation - liner notes booklet by C.J. Lines (FIRST PRESSING ONLY)
- Lobby card reproduction set (FIRST PRESSING ONLY)
- Limited Edition slipcase art by Uncle Frank (FIRST PRESSING ONLY)
Sales Points
Stars Hong Kong cinema legad Ming-Wai Chan (A better Tomorrow, Police Story, Enter the Dragon)
For fans of: Master of the Flying Guillotine, One Armed Boxer, Five Deadly Venoms, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Executioners from Shaolin, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Shaolin vs Lama, Invincible Shaolin, Duel of the Iron Fist, Crippled Avengers
Offbeat entry in the immensely popular 'Flying Guillotine' global phenomenon
Stars iconic martial arts legend Carter Wong (Big Trouble in Little China, The 18 Bronzemen, When Taekwondo Strikes)
Packed with insane fight choreography and physical / weapons combat
First time ever available on Blu-ray.
New 2K transfer and composite from original film elements.
Screenshots from the Visual Vengeance Blu-ray:
Extras:
Buy it!
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