One Arm Chivalry Fight Against One Arm Chivalry (DVD – Fourth Strike)

Fourth Strike’s public domain release of the Jimmy Wang Yu kung fu classic ONE ARM CHIVALRY FIGHT AGAINST ONE ARM CHIVALRY is a rough copy of the original Ocean Shores version released in the U.S. cropped to 1.33:1, given English dubbing and credits, and re-titled POINT THE FINGER OF DEATH.

A full review of the film has already been published but in short, this is a lightly entertaining and schlocky kung fu flick recommended for hardcore genre enthusiasts or completists looking to fill out their Jimmy Wang Yu library.

There is no licensed version of this movie in distribution. According to our forum members, the film has previously been released on VCD in Thailand with a Thai dub and in Holland in a widescreen format although average consumers will have a hard time tracking either of them down. While the label has intentions to distribute their releases more widely, Fourth Strike’s disc is presently only available through Far East Flix, a DVD reseller and co-partner in Fourth Strike.

The label includes a disclaimer on the backside of the cover stating that, “Due to the rarity of this film, certain portions of the picture may have scratches and discoloration from time to time.” It’s the same message that appears on their other initial releases, DRAGONS NEVER DIE and THE REBEL BOXER, but in reality each release varies greatly in terms of quality. ONE ARM CHIVALRY’s heavily cropped picture cuts out a lot of the action. There is heavy degradation with noticeable yellow discoloration, thick speckling, faded contrast, low resolution, and periodic 35mm print misalignment.

Because of the lack of detail on the source print, presumably an Ocean Shores VHS tape, the digital transfer creates a blocky, degraded digital picture that will look worse on digital TVs than on an analog TVs. Despite these considerable problems, the film is still in watchable condition with original English dubbing that sounds decent. As it’s the only commercial version of this movie available for resale in the U.S. apart from periodic availability on eBay, collectors may want to pick it up while it’s available.

FOURTH STRIKE has placed a custom title card over the print’s original to change the title back to “ONE ARM CHIVALRY.” Pausing and jumping back reveals that the title card was applied like subtitles to the DVD master and can be removed.

Included on the disc is the original international trailer, which is a nice bonus for collectors.

Related Topics: DVD, Fourth Strike, Jimmy Wang Yu, One Arm Chivalry Fight Against One Arm Chivalry (1977)