The One-Armed Swordsman
獨臂刀
CINEMA1967-07-26
RegionHK
Runtime111 MIN
Media TypeMovie
PRODUCTION COMPANIES
Nexus Editorial Perspective Nexus Original
“Jimmy Wang Yu's wounded swordsman became a defining archetype of New Wuxia and established Chang Cheh's heroic style.”
“A Chang Cheh landmark that established the wounded hero, masculine brotherhood and tragic intensity of a new wuxia tradition.”
“Chang Cheh’s hyper-masculine blockbuster that revolutionized Hong Kong cinema with broken-blade vengeance.”
“Jimmy Wang Yu's wounded swordsman became a defining archetype of New Wuxia and established Chang Cheh's heroic style.”
Storyline
A noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.
DIRECTOR / Director
Chang Cheh
KEYWORDS
martial artskung fuambushswordteacherlovesnowduelattempted rapeone armed manwuxiaphysical disabilitysevered arm
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Collection: The One-Armed Swordsman Collection
One-Armed Swordsman is a 1967 Hong Kong wuxia film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. Directed by Chang Cheh, it was the first of the new style of wuxia films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodletting. It was the first Hong Kong film to make HK$1 million at the local box office, propelling its star Jimmy Wang to super stardom. This film eventually became the first in the One-Armed Swordsman trilogy. A sequel was released in 1969 called Return of the One-Armed Swordsman, followed by The New One-Armed Swordsman in 1971, all directed by Chang Cheh. It has since achieved classic status in Hong Kong cinema. In the Hong Kong Film Award's 2005 poll, One-Armed Swordsman was voted as the 15th best Chinese language film. The first and second movies are the same director, writer, and stars, while the last has the same director but a new lead actor.
