Duel to the Death
directed by Ching Siu-tung
starring Norman Chu, Damian Lau
88 Films
Back in the 1900s before streaming and YouTube, one of the best ways to discover genre movies was via retrospective documentaries. One of the big ones for the martial arts enthusiast was The Deadliest Art: The Best of Martial Arts Films which became the gateway to the Hong Kong New Wave for western audiences, sending them on a desperate hunt for the films showcased. One of the most desired of these titles was Ching Siu-tung’s Duel to the Death. Such a departure from the films coming out of Shaw Brothers Studio, Along with Tsui Hark (Zu: Warriors from Magic Mountain) Ching Siu-tung forever changed the visual language of martial arts cinema mixing fantastical storylines with wire enhanced stunt work, with captivating special effects and kinetic photography. If you’ve seen John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China then you have a peek at the worlds being created in 1980s Hong Kong as Carpenter was paying tribute to these films.
Shaolin fighter Ching Wan (Damian Lau) and Samurai swordsman Hashimoto (Norman Chui) have been selected as combatants in a once a decade duel to prove who has the best martial arts tradition, China or Japan. The battle is about honor not hate or vengeance and the two men form a bond while training for their contest. Meanwhile a conspiracy between Hashimoto’s Shogun and a corrupt official in China is underway using Ninjas to steal secret Shaolin scrolls and to abduct other Chinese warriors in an attempt to build their power. The idea is for Hashimoto to lose so China gets a decade of bragging rights in exchange for Japan learning more of China’s mystical kung fu secrets. The two swordsmen work together to defeat the plot but still have their duel to fight which does not disappoint viewers and makes heroes out of both men.
Although the visual style created by Ching Siu-tung is what lures people to Duel to the Death, it would not be nearly as revered if it weren’t for the strength of its two leads. WHat could have been one dimensional characters: the noble Shaolin vs the evil Samurai, instead becomes a story about two men forged by steel and bonded by the betrayal of their leaders. The final battle stands as a testament to the character and honor of the two heroes who chose not to be pawns of the wicked and corrupt.
Following Duel to the Death, Ching Siu-tung leapt headlong into the supernatural with films like Witch From Nepal and his A Chinese Ghost Story film series which would cement his legacy as one of the masters of the bizarre mixing horror and martial arts in style that would transcend Hong Kong and become a phenomenon across the globe.
