The New One-Armed Swordsman

Chang Cheh had been the leading director of swordplay and martial arts movies at Shaw Brothers for ten years or more before this. A few years later, especially since the break-up of his partnership with the martial arts choreographer Liu Chia-Liang, his career would be on the wane. But there's no denying that he has knocked off a number of minor classics over the years, and this is one of the best: a sombre, Gothic-toned saga of chivalry, denied but finally confirmed. Excellent performances from David Chiang (as the hero who severs his own right arm when he loses a duel), Ti Lung (as his utterly charming buddy), and Ku Feng (as the relishably villainous baddie).