Duel To The Death (VCD) (Joy Sales Version) (Hong Kong Version) VCD

The film focuses on the latest in a series of secret duels between China and Japan fought by the countries' top fighters, in this case Bo Ching Wan (Damian Lau, later in the likes of Wu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain and Kada Hashimoto (Norman Tsui, who was previously in classics such as Flying Guillotine and later went on to star in the immortal 36th Chamber of Shaolin). As the fight draws near, it becomes clear that there is some skullduggery lurking behind the scenes, and the two men very slowly realise that far more may be at stake.

The plot itself is basically generic stuff, though is pleasingly familiar and contains all the themes which fans know and love, presented in cavalier manner which neatly sidesteps the need for too much logic. There is heroic posturing a-plenty, coupled with some philosophical musings on the nature of the warrior's life and the value of honour, needless to say, all of which is complemented by a good number of slapstick comedy scenes and the usual gimmick of having a character who is quite blatantly female (played by actress Flora Cheung), despite half the cast determinedly referring to her as a young man. The Japanese villains are suitably underhanded, though it has to be said that their schemes only work due to the fact that neither of the two protagonists are the sharpest of swords. Still, all of this makes for perfect entertainment in the time-honoured form, and although the ending itself is never in much doubt, the near-hysteria of the proceedings means that there are at least a few surprises along the way.

The action scenes come thick and fast, and are impressively imaginative and frequently bloody, enough so to remain thrilling after more than two decades, putting many po-faced modern martial arts films to shame. Some of those involving the ninjas are wonderfully crazed, with plenty of bizarre magic powers on show, including one standout scene in which they attack en masse riding a fleet of kites, and another in which for no discernable reason they combine to form a giant. Ching Siu Tung's direction and choreography are excellent, giving a sense of fluidity lacking in similar films, and he wisely never allows things to slow down. Indeed, there is never a dull moment, which is probably the film's greatest strength, and it manages to include more action and energy than in a dozen lesser efforts put together.

Like the director's later works, the film is surprisingly beautiful, with lavish sets and great use of the surrounding countryside, making for atmospheric viewing, and there are a number of breathtaking moments amongst the bloodshed. Ching has a real eye for detail, giving the film a look which, if not actually historically accurate, is certainly evocative. The new DVD release makes the most of this, coming with vastly improved picture and sound quality that give the film a new lease of life, a fact which marks it as a worthy purchase not only for genre fans, but for anyone looking for a wild slice of typically Hong Kong martial arts mayhem.

by James Mudge - BeyondHollywood.com

China and Japan clash in a duel (to the death!) that occurs every ten years. The Chinese swordsman, Po Ching-wan (Norman Chu), is a well-balanced guy trained at Shaolin who has a bit of the arrogant jerk bubbling away under his surface. Japan's Hashimoto (Damian Lau) is a grim fellow whose joie de vive has been crushed out of him by rigorous training. The youngest swordsmen ever to duel, they both know that the fight ends with one of them dead, and the other a murderer, and they struggle to find a way out of this zero sum equation. The old guys aren't making it easy for them as elderly traitors inflamed with nationalist venom begin rubbing out the competition with a band of super ninjas.

If Eisenstein only had three days to live and wanted to put his subconscious on film, it would look a lot like a Ching Siu-tung movie. Cuisinart constructivism forces the viewer to rely on instinct in order to follow the subliminally fast editing, and the frames resemble dreams on film, thick with layers of spinning, flying figures. Ninjas appear and disappear, grow to giant size, and clog the skies with battle kites. The simple plot keeps the kaleidoscopic events from devolving into incomprehension, and the three passionate young warriors (Norman Chu, Damian Lau and Flora Cheung) opposing the tyrannical dictates of nation, family and tradition as they try to hack a non-violent world out of the chaos keeps you focused.

Subconscious moviemaking at its deepest and most sustaining, Duel to the Death is a classic of the genre. It deals with the interiorisation of suppression, the internalized gaze of power which produces self-destructive, masochistic madness, and weaves a Foucaultian critique of hierarchy. It also deals with a naked lady ninja bursting up out of the sand and planting her foot in the middle of a Shaolin monk's face.

by Grady Hendrix