AKA: Du bei dao wang, 獨臂刀王
Chang Cheh’s sequel to his first blockbuster hit, ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), sees Jimmy Wang Yu return as one-armed sword hero Fang Gang to lead a band of inexperienced clansmen in rescuing their elders from the clutches of the evil Eight Kings. Bigger and bolder than its predecessor, RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN bristles with epic and bloody wuxia fighting featuring a broad array of deadly weaponry, elaborate wirework and unforgettable characters.
The Eight Kings, a large and highly skilled clan of evil swordsmen plot to take over the martial world by forcing all of the other clans’ top fighters to participate in a fighting competition that is actually a trap to capture all of their clan leaders. The Eight Kings’ plot is to force all of the up-and-coming swordsmen to sacrifice their right arms in order to secure the freedom of their elders. The Black and White Duo, emissaries of the Eight Kings, attempt to coerce Fang Kang into joining the competition but he refuses and sends them away by the point of his father’s broken blade. After the other clans’ leading swordsmen are killed and their elders taken captive, a delegation of young swordsmen representing all of the clans attempts to convince Fang Gang to help them. Shan Xiong (Chan Sing), one of the less scrupulous members of the delegation goes so far as to kidnap Fang Gang’s wife Xiaoman (Chiao Chiao), prompting the one-armed hero to come to her rescue. Ape’s Arms (Lau Kar-leung), one of the Eight Kings, catches up to the delegation with his band of sickle and chain-wielding bandits. They’re defeated with the help of Fang Gang, who recovers his wife and reluctantly agrees to aid them further after she takes pity on them and recounts how they protected her. With his tactical prowess and superior fighting skills, Fang Gang leads the clansmen in a bloody but successful assault on the Eight Kings’ stronghold to rescue the elders while battling more of the King’s and their men along the way. With most of the Kings defeated, Fang Gang must still face his deadliest foe yet, the enigmatic Furtive King (Tien Feng) and his black-clad assassins.
The large supporting cast of what was at the time mostly unknown performers is filled with future martial arts acting and directing mega-talents. This includes Wu Ma (as one half of the Black and White Duo), Ku Feng (as Hercules King), Lau Kar-leung (as Ape’s Arms King), Tang Chia (as Spinning Wheels King), Yuen Cheung-yan (as Flying Fighter King), Lau Kar-wing (as Hell’s Buddha King), Chan Sing (as Shan Xiong), and David Chiang as a fighting extra. Of special note is the appearance of Ti Lung, future Chang Cheh leading man, making his film debut as a young clansman bewitched by the devilish seductress Thousand Needles King (Essie Lin Chia).
Genre: Wuxia
Companies: Shaw Brothers
Release Date: February 28, 1969
Producer: Runme Shaw
Director: Chang Cheh
Action Director: Tang Chia, Lau Kar-leung
Starring: Jimmy Wang Yu (Fang Gang), Chiao Chiao (Xiaoman), Essie Lin Chia (Thousand Hands King/Hua Niangzi), Tien Feng (Furtive King), Cheng Lei (Lu), Ku Feng (Hercules)
