Deep in the Valley of No Return, a reclusive master perfects “Lightning Strike,” an evolution of the flying guillotine with twin whirling blades. When a fighter sets his sights on the valley, he must confront the master’s deadly invention.
Incoherence abounds in director Raymond Lui’s 1977 martial arts film “The Fatal Flying Guillotine.” Questions mount as the movie progresses: Who is this person? Why is this happening? At least the constant action keeps things moving, even when the story leaves viewers struggling to keep up.
Seeking a cure for his sick mother, Shen Ping (Carter Wong) challenges the monks at a nearby temple for access to an ancient medicine book. After besting the monks, he finds the book is a forgery, and his mother dies. The real book becomes a bargaining chip for a faction seeking to recruit a reclusive master (Chan Sing), who has perfected a deadly weapon in the Valley of No Return. His “Lightning Strike” attack uses a pair of flying guillotines that can rip off opponents’ heads. Shen Ping and the monks venture to the valley in pursuit of the stolen book.
It’s a pretty convoluted plot for an 80-minute action movie. The film introduces characters abruptly, with no background, and moves haphazardly between them without clearly establishing connections or motivations. On a more positive note, action and fight sequences occur frequently, offering some relief from the confusing narrative, although they don’t help make the experience satisfying.
Visual Vengeance brings the film to Blu-ray with a warning, both on the packaging and at the start of the disc, that the presentation comes from the best available source material. Temper your expectations accordingly.
The image is watchable but far from pristine. Dirt and debris are prevalent, and the film has been cobbled together from sources of various quality. Brief inserts featuring close-ups of bloody violence look particularly rough, with changes in aspect ratio making them even more obvious. Nevertheless, fans may appreciate the extra blood and gore included.
The audio is presented in lossy Dolby Digital. I viewed the film with the English-language track and found dialogue and sound effects clear. The lack of a lossless option wasn’t a distraction.
The battered presentation has a grindhouse atmosphere that brings its own charm to the material. That doesn’t erase the shortcomings, but having the film available is a much better alternative than not having access at all.
Supplemental features include a commentary track with Justin Decloux, two visual essays, an archival interview with Carter Wong, a Tamo demonstration by Chan Siu-Pang, an image gallery, and a “dirty VHS” version of the film. Physical extras include a mini-poster, lobby-card reproductions, stickers, and a booklet featuring writing by CJ Lines.
This is another film that didn’t manage to win me over. I found the movie pretty incoherent; its frequent action never makes up for its lack of storytelling. However, I understand this could be part of the charm and appeal for some potential viewers. Despite a less-than-stellar presentation, Visual Vengeance has put together an attractive package with plenty of extras for fans to explore.
Now available on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ from VISUAL VENGEANCE
