| Before Bruce Lee came along, a swimming champion named Jimmy Wang Yu became one of the earliest important martial arts film stars, and he did it with one hand tied behind his back. (In those days he was simply known as Wang Yu, but I like calling him Jimmy Wang Yu.)
In 1967, a bloody action flick from Shaw Brothers studios called One-Armed Swordsman became the first film to gross $1 million in Hong Kong. Its success paved the way for countless swordplay and martial arts movies to come, and made a superstar out of Yu, who continued to make action films for three decades, often as a one-armed character.
Jimmy had no formal martial arts training and many kung fu fans gripe about his lack of skill. Still, if you’re an actor who has to do all of your fight scenes with your right arm strapped up under your clothing, you’re going to have to learn some new moves, no matter what your background. Besides, a sword is a lethal instrument and Jimmy does a fine job of good, old-fashioned pointy-end-goes-into-the-other-man style swashbuckling. Even his harshest critics agree that, as a mono-limbed killing machine, Jimmy’s pretty cool.
One-Armed Swordsman starts with a bang. An aristocratic combat expert receives a snoot full of sleeping powder just before a gang of rival swordsmen burst into his home. The Master is groggy and helpless, but a shirtless and muscular servant comes to the rescue. The servant takes on the entire gang at once, breaking his sword in the process, but fighting on regardless. He finally manages to kill them all, but is mortally wounded. The Master wakes up to find the brave servant dying from his wounds. The servant’s dying wish is for the Master to look after his young son.
A decade or so later, the son has grown up to be Fang Gang (Yu), the Master’s stepson and best student. The other students, particularly the Master’s daughter Pei (Pan Yin-Tze), are jealous of Fang Gang because of his skill and the high regard the Master has for him. Pei (who seems to harbour unrequited longings for our hero) confronts her stepbrother and demands that he fight with her. Naturally, Fang refuses. Pei throws a temper tantrum and when Fang goes to comfort her, she suddenly whips out a sword and chops off his right arm.
By the time Pei and her two cohorts get over the shock of what they’ve done, Fang has long since staggered away into the wilderness. They follow the trail of blood to a river and conclude that Fang has drowned, leaving them to shuffle home, burdened with guilt. Fortunately, Fang is rescued and nursed back to health by a compassionate young woman named Xiao Man (Chiao Chiao).
Romance blooms between the maimed warrior and his gentle rescuer. Xiao Man disapproves of a life of combat, but to help keep Fang from feeling "useless" she gives her new husband a book of sword techniques she inherited from her father. Practicing these new moves improves Fang’s skill dramatically, and his self-esteem is restored. He begins to consider a peaceful life as a farmer to be a viable option, and understands Xiao Man’s point that swordsmanship has done nothing but bring tragedy to their respective families.
Nevertheless, when he learns of an evil plot to kill the Master and his students, Fang picks up his father’s broken sword (its abbreviated blade just the right length for his new technique), and sets out to protect his old foster family.
Martial arts films have always been plagued by formulaic revenge plots, in which a wronged warrior returns to kick ass in the big finale. Not so here – Fang Gang never even considers getting revenge for the loss of his limb. He even comes to the rescue of the woman who wronged him most, freeing his stepsister Pei from the sleazy rapists who kidnap her. In this scene, we see the regret and sorrow Pei feels for her selfish and pointless act of violence. We also realize that although Fang wants nothing to do with Pei, he certainly doesn’t want her to come to harm. Here is a movie hero who actually realizes that revenge is a never-ending and destructive cycle. Instead, he only uses violence to protect himself and his loved ones from bullies.
That’s not to say that One-Armed Swordsman is short on thrilling swordplay – on the contrary, there are more than enough breathtaking battles to satisfy action fans.
The outstanding sequel, Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969), ramps up the action and blood considerably and is considered by many fans to be even better than the original. Jimmy kept up his one-armed act in Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971), One Armed Boxer (1971), One-Armed against Nine Killers (1981) and the wildly entertaining Master of the Flying Guillotine (a.k.a One Armed Boxer 2) (1975). With two arms, he’s been in everything from the classic Golden Swallow (1968) to the Jackie Chan flicks Fantasy Mission Force (1982) and Island of Fire (a.k.a. Jackie Chan is: The Prisoner) (1990). Jimmy’s contribution to the martial arts genre cannot be underestimated. Let’s give the guy a hand. |
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