Can ku da ci sha (1978)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Directors:

Kang Cheng
Shan Hua

Writers:

Kang Cheng (screenplay)
Yung-Chan Li (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 January 1978 (Hong Kong)

Plot Keywords:

Kung Fu | Flying Guillotine | Martial Arts

Cast

Feng Ku	...	Emperor Yung Cheng
Chung Wang	...	Pai Tai-kung
Szu Shih	...	Na Lan
Lung Ti	...	Ma Teng
Lieh Lo	...	Suen Pao-ying
Szu Chia Chen	...	Ma Yu-ping
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kang-Yeh Cheng
Mei Hua Chen
Miao Ching
Mei Sheng Fan	...	Yi Sheng-lei
Kuan-chung Ku
Wen Chung Ku
Fai Wong Lam
Hui-Ling Liu
Locke Hua Liu	...	Chiang Chang-feng (as Liu Lu-hua)
Lao Shen
Chung Tien Shih	...	Kan Feng-chih
Gwan Tak Tai
Han Chen Wang
Hung Wei	...	Kang Chen-feng
Chih-Ching Yang
Nancy Yen	...	Lu Szu-niang (as Nan Hsi Yen)

Also Known As:

Ching goon dai chi sat (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Flying Guillotine 2 (Hong Kong: English title)
Palace Carnage (International: English title)
Qing gong da ci sha (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Xue di zi xu ji (Hong Kong: Mandarin title) (original subtitled version)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Movie Connections:

Follows Xue di zi (1975)

Worthy sequel to the original

There're four movies with Flying Guillotine as part of its title. This one closely follows the plot of the first Flying Guillotines (1975) where the main character Ma Teng was played by Chen Kuan Tai. Chen did a masterful job of portraying this character, and in this sequel, Lung Ti plays the part with equal authority. Beautiful Taiwanese actor Szu Shih plays the female lead in this movie.

The plot picks up where the original Flying Guillotines left off. Ma Teng and his family has now established their life in the country, but they can never let their guards down because the emperor's assassins are after them. Emperor Yung Cheng is still the tyrant he was in the first movie, and demands that a modifications be made to the flying guillotine to counter Ma Teng's iron umbrella defense. Now a two stage flying guillotine is invented as a result. Na Lan (Szu Shih) is hired by the emperor to train a squad of women assassins to wield the flying guillotine, but she is righteous at heart, and sides with Ma Teng. A plot is hatched to assassinate the emperor, and together they go to the palace.

In my opinion, this and the first Flying Guillotines are the two with first class quality which makes them classics amongst the kung-fu movies from Shaw Brothers. The other two, The Fatal Flying Guillotines, and Master of the Flying Guillotine is of lower quality production, and are not in the same league as these.

Beautiful kung-fu action along with good story, good acting and great cinematography makes this one of the best movie to come out of Shaw Brothers. This is a really exciting movie and all the right talents have gathered to create one of the masterpieces of kung-fu movies.