When my kid was taking Taekwondo lessons a decade ago, the instructor was trying to talk me into signing up. I asked him if they taught how to use The Flying Guillotine. I was informed that there wasn’t a real martial arts weapon known as the Flying Guillotine. Thus I decided not to spend thousands of dollars on classes that didn’t involve the most badass weapon known to man. I became fascinated with the Flying Guillotine when in junior high, I spotted an ad for Master of the Flying Guillotine playing at a movie theater. I begged my parents to let me go (since the theater was not close to our house). I was promptly told no! But I remembered the title and the weapon. I was in college when I finally saw the movie on the local UHF’s channel’s Saturday night Kung Fu Theater. The flying guillotine lived up to its hype. It was best described as a fatal Frisbee. The user would fling it at their target and it would land on their head. The user would yank a cord, blades would pop out of the sides and decapitate the victim. A second yank would bring the head back to the user. It was also like a murderous Jiffy Pop container. When the movie ended, I swore to track down more movies featuring the ultimate weapon. Turns out there weren’t that many produced during the era of classic Kung Fu films.
Fatal Flying Guillotine came out after The Shaw Brother’s Flying Guillotine and Jimmy Wang Yu’s Master of the Flying Guillotine. The film created their own version of the weapon. Instead of being a “Fatal Frisbee” that expands out, FFG imagines the mythical weapon into a ceramic bell shape with spikes on the outside for delivering blows. A thick rope is attached to the top instead of a chain. It still has inside metal blade that come out to slice off a victim’s head. There seems to be a motor inside to cause the blade to circulate and even fly. I can only imagine this is what I would have constructed in high school shop class and tried to sneak into the kiln at art class (along with classmates who put in their weed pipe efforts).
Shen Ping (Carter Wong, Big Trouble In Little China) arrives at the Shaolin Temple in search of a book with the cure to his mother’s sickness. He gets a sense that the monks are hiding the book from him. Shen Mo Chao (Chan Sing, Double Impact) has been living in a remote area for 20 years to recover from illness and gain a peaceful mind. Yet somehow during this time, he created his version of the Flying Guillotine. He calls them Lightning Strikes. When a few soldiers approach him looking for the weapons, he shows why they strike like lightning. He tears them up without breaking sweat. Turns out the 4th Prince wants the weapons so he can make a power grab. Eventually Shen Ping must head into the woods to find Shen Mo Chao as part of a deal to get that cure book.
Fatal Flying Guillotine is as great to watch as Master of the Flying Guillotine even if it doesn’t have a Krautrock soundtrack. The noise of the blades inside the flying guillotines more than make up for it. There are also great fights that don’t involve the super weapon. This doesn’t lesson the amazing battles when those blades spin up. Fatal Flying Guillotine elevates the greatest martial arts weapons with a worthy film.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. This is a new 2K transfer from the original film elements. Film archivist Toby Russell has made a version beyond superior to any of the VHS and DVDs that I’ve seen of the film. There are a few moments of extreme bloodiness that he had to reclaim off a home video tape. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 in both English and Mandarin. You’ll hear the fatal nature of the flying guillotines in action. The movie has English subtitles.
Audio Commentary with Justin Decoux of the Important Cinema Club Podcast. He gives plenty of details on the cast, crew and the weapons.
A Brief History of Flying Guillotine Movies (8:20) lets Justin Decoux explore the most important subgenre of martial arts movies. He points out that there might be a real Flying Guillotines, but there’s no proof. The first few movies featuring the weapon aren’t available in the West. The Shaw Brothers made the first Flying Guillotine, but Jimmy Wang Yu stole their thunder with Master of the Flying Guillotine a year later (also known as One-Armed Boxer Vs. The Flying Guillotine). The Shaw Brothers did make a sequel. There are clips and a Nic Roeg reference.
Chan Siu-Pang Was There (9:36) has Decuox talk about the career of the action coordinator who was involved in martial arts cinema in the 1960s. He also worked as a stuntman. He worked a lot. He didn’t get credit at Shaw Brothers as the action choreographer. He left the studio to work on productions in Taiwan. He began playing Abbott characters. He directed a dozen films.
Actor Carter Wong Interview (20:49) has him being interviewed in the corner of a room where it sounds like a dinner is taking place. You will turn this up a little loud to hear over plates and silverware and classical music playing on the PA. He talks about learning kung fu. He was an instructor for Hong Kong police when he got into acting. He made Hapkido with Sammo Hung. He also came to New York City to teach police in martial arts. He eventually gets work in American films for a while including Big Trouble In Little China.
Chan Siu-Pang: 10 Styles of Tamo Demonstration (5:52) has him showing off his moves in a park. This might be my new morning workout.
Fatal Flying Guillotine: Old School “Dirty VHS” Version (87:57) is the world video dub with the company introduction. The best is the opening credits that look like they are being typed out on someone’s TRS-80. This is in 1.33:1 and not in the best color. You’ll be happy with the Blu-ray
Image Gallery (0:36) includes the lobby cards.
Visual Vengeance Trailer (2:03) gives the frightening force of the flying guillotines.
Mini-poster is suitable for framing.
Four mini lobby cards are also suitable for framing and putting on your work desk.
Stickers to make your Blu-ray box look like you rented it from Dave’s Videodrome. “Rewind Or Pay Fine” is a great warning.
Limited Edition Booklet has an essay by C.J. Lines and posters for other Guillotine movies
Visual Vengeance presents Fatal Flying Guillotine. Directed by Raymond Lui. Screenplay by Sheng-Yu Hsu and Raymond Lui. Starring Carter Wong, Sing Chen, Shao-Peng Chen, Szu-Cheng Mu & Lik Cheung. Running Time: 81 minutes. Ratings: Unrated. Release Date: September 1, 2026.
