Death Duel (1977)

Director Chor Yuen revisits the bloody and chivalrous world of knight errantry created by Chinese author Gu Long in Death Duel, a rich and satisfying swordplay classic culminating in a brilliantly poetic finale.

Considering the state of several characters who reappear from previous film adaptations of Gu Long’s work, Death Duel appears to take place after the events in The Magic Blade (1976). Ti Lung starred in that film as the wandering swordsman Fu Hung Hsueh. He’s since thrown away his spinning sword and now lives the quiet life of a woodsman where our hero, Third Master (Derek Yee) meets him briefly. About the same time, Third Master runs into Lo Lieh as a killer named Han Tang who uses a distinctive circular blade hidden in the brim of his hat. This puts the film before Killer Clans (1976) in which Han Tang is killed.

Third Master is considered one of the top swordsmen in the underworld, a social structure where fighters and clans vie for supremacy. Weary of of the hundreds of challenges he receives from aspiring swordsmen, Third Master fakes his death, changes his name to Ah Chi, and attempts to live a normal life. He falls in love with a reluctant prostitute named Hsiao Li, played by the lovely Candy Yu. Unfortunately, his reputation catches up with him when a vindictive woman played by Chan Ping tracks Ah Chi down in order to get revenge for the deaths of 46 of her martial brothers who had all challenged him at one time or another. Her own attempts to kill him fail, but she has many plans implemented to do him in. But unable to find anyone who can match his skill with the sword, she has him poisoned. Ah Chi’s luck holds out when he finds a stranger able to cure him. Then the stranger turns out to be Yen Shih San (Ling Yun), a peerless swordsman who is persuaded to fight Ah Chi despite a bond that forms between them. A final duel awaits the two combatants with a surprise visit from David Chiang who plays an unstoppable and deranged swordsman who turns on his master.

Like a number of Chor Yuen’s films based on the complex soap operatic stories of Gu Long, Death Duel is difficult to get into initially since little time is taken to introduce the characters. Their names are listed in Chinese on screen when they first appear, but that gives English-speaking audiences no help. Another stumbling block that all of these films face is the fact that practically every swordsman fights for personal glory and to build one’s reputation, concepts that generally seem overly romantic by today’s standards in Western culture. Another common thread is the desire by our hero or heroes to quit their profession. Unless they are bloodthirsty, they invariably come to realize the futility of fighting since the better they become, the more people want to kill them. This sort of deadly conflict with an esoteric pecking order also creeps up in the fictitious stories of the American West where professional gunfighters basically fight for the same reasons.

The film is beautifully shot on Shaw Brothers’ lot. Blood-red autumn leaves and wisps of fog add brilliant color and mood to the sets, while the detailed buildings are expertly filmed. Speaking of blood, be prepared for one gory scene involving a detailed and somewhat realistic close-up of Yee’s arm, cut wide open as Ling Yun starts pounding away at the bone with a chisel and mallet. Not exactly what I’d call evasive surgery! Because nearly all of the film is shot indoors, the combat scenes are filmed up close. The kung fu choreography by Tong Gaai is well done with Derek Yee doing a fine job. This was one of his first roles after joining SB in 1975. As far as acting goes, he’s not the most expressive or interesting personality, but he fills the role adequately. Big name stars such as Yee’s half-brother David Chiang, Ti Lung, and Lo Lieh all have cameo roles that seem to be written in to boost the film’s original box office potential, not that I’m complaining since they’re all fun roles.

None of the performances stand out, but Chor Yuen’s direction does. He’s in top form. The film is slightly confusing at first, but soon settles on Derek Yee’s exploits as a commoner. From there, the tension effectively builds as he’s forced to fight thugs, assassins dressed as peddlers, and lesser swordsmen. There’s a nice little twist when he’s poisoned. Then the tension finally bursts when he returns after being healed to find his girl killed. This sets us up for his final duel with Ling Yun. The way in which the conflict is resolved is incredibly well staged.

With a title like Death Duel, you might expect non-stop mayhem, but there is less than in many of Chor Yuen’s other films. That’s not to say there isn’t enough kung fu, but the story feels more contemplative at times, as if Chor Yuen was consciously winding down the bloody action just as SB’s filmmaking began to do the same thing. This helps rather than hinders the film, making it a choice selection for any swordplay fan.