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Duel to the Death
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Wikipedia article
'Duel to the Death' is a 1983 Hong Kong 'wuxia' film starring Norman Chui and Damian Lau. It is the directorial debut of Ching Siu-tung.
Plot
In 16th century, during the Ming dynasty era, every ten years the greatest swordsman from Japan faces the greatest swordsman from China in a duel to the death for their nation's honor. As a duel approaches, Chinese champion Ching Wan (Damian Lau) and Japanese champion Hashimoto (Norman Chui) uncover a plot to rig the fight.
Ching Wan, known as "Lord of the Sword", is a peaceful and contemplative martial artist who has trained with Shaolin monks as well as a mischievous hermit. By contrast, Hashimoto is a pitiless yet honorable samurai. One night after drinking with his compatriots Hashimoto is engaged by a masked assassin, after a brief but intense clash Hashimoto wins but realizes he inadvertently killed his sensei; his master using his death to cement the Samurai's resolve as a final lesson before the duel. Throughout the days leading up to the duel, ninja led by a Japanese official under orders by the Shogun of Japan collude with the Chinese wardens to kidnap famous fighters and sabotage the duel for Hashimoto so that Japan may study and improve upon their martial arts; as well as that the head of a famous Chinese sword school can credit his students as champions of China upon Hashimoto's death. The honorable samurai, however, does not go along with the plan, Hashimoto instead wants a fair duel. Ching Wan as well rebuffs his Chinese compatriots, telling them that they are only pawns in the Shogun's plan. Together, Ching Wan and Hashimoto fight the various conspirators and manage to free the captives. Afterwards, Ching Wan sees no point in going forward with the duel, having grown weary of the bloodshed the duel had fueled, but Hashimoto believes it his duty to complete what he had journeyed out to do, and kills Ching Wan's master to force his hand. The two warriors engage in a gravity-defying sword fight around a rocky coastline. In one final charge, both swordsmen mortally wound one another, Hashimoto cutting off his opponent's left hand fingers and right arm, while Ching Wan spears the samurai through the gut; both warriors gauge each other with a glare before quietly staring out into the ocean.
Cast
*Norman Chui as Hashimoto
*Damian Lau as Bo Ching-wan
*Flora Cheong-Leen as Sing Lam
*Paul Chang Chung as Master Han
*Eddy Ko as Kenji
*Yeung Chak-lam as senior Shaolin monk
*Kwan Yung-moon as Shaolin abbot
*Casanova Wong as Swordsman fighting flying ninjas
*Hon Gwok-choi as Bo Ching-wan's master
*Stephan Yip as Japanese troublemaker
*Wilson Tong as Japanese troublemaker
*Wan Fat as Hashimoto's samurai classmate
*Lau Fong-sai as Hashimoto's samurai classmate
*Gam San as Mr Fok
*Tam Chuen-hing as swordsman drinking with Fok
*Lau Yat-fan as sketch artist
*Cheng Mang-ha as puppeteer's wife
*Lee Kin-sang
*Lau Chi-ho
*Leung Shing-hung
*Bruce Mang Long as swordsman
*Keung Sau-yin
*Kam Sau-fu
Reception
In 2014, 'Time Out' polled several film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors to list their top action films. 'Duel to the Death' was listed at 92nd place on this list.
Notes
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