''Duel to the Death'' is a 1983 Hong Kong ''

wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted ...

'' film starring

Norman Chui Norman Chui Siu-keung (; born 16 October 1950) is a Hong Kong actor. He was best known for portraying heroic protagonists in many martial arts films from the 1970s to 1980s and later portraying villainous roles in the 1990s. Chui was contracted wi ...

and

Damian Lau Damian Lau Chung-yan (born 14 October 1949) is a Hong Kong film and television actor, executive producer and film director. Lau has starred in many television drama series of various genres, produced by Hong Kong's TVB and ATV. Biography ...

. It is the directorial debut of

Ching Siu-tung Ching Siu-tung (Chinese: 程小東, born October 31st, 1953), also known as Tony Ching, is a Hong Kong action choreographer, actor, film director and producer, who has directed over 20 films, including the critically acclaimed supernatural fantas ...

Plot

In 16th century, during the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

era, every ten years the greatest swordsman from Japan faces the greatest swordsman from China in a duel to the death for their nation's honor. As a duel approaches, Chinese champion Ching Wan (

) and Japanese champion Hashimoto (

) uncover a plot to rig the fight. Ching Wan, known as "Lord of the Sword", is a peaceful and contemplative martial artist who has trained with

Shaolin monks Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...

as well as a mischievous hermit. By contrast, Hashimoto is a pitiless yet honorable

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

. One night after drinking with his compatriots Hashimoto is engaged by a masked assassin, after a brief but intense clash Hashimoto wins but realizes he inadvertently killed his

sensei Sensei, Seonsaeng, Tiên sinh or Xiansheng, corresponding to Chinese characters , is an East Asian honorific term shared in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese; it is literally translated as "person born before another" or "one who c ...

; his master using his death to cement the Samurai's resolve as a final lesson before the duel. Throughout the days leading up to the duel, ninja led by a Japanese official under orders by the Shogun of Japan collude with the Chinese wardens to kidnap famous fighters and sabotage the duel for Hashimoto so that Japan may study and improve upon their martial arts; as well as that the head of a famous Chinese sword school can credit his students as champions of China upon Hashimoto's death. The honorable samurai, however, does not go along with the plan, Hashimoto instead wants a fair duel. Ching Wan as well rebuffs his Chinese compatriots, telling them that they are only pawns in the Shogun's plan. Together, Ching Wan and Hashimoto fight the various conspirators and manage to free the captives. Afterwards, Ching Wan sees no point in going forward with the duel, having grown weary of the bloodshed the duel had fueled, but Hashimoto believes it his duty to complete what he had journeyed out to do, and kills Ching Wan's master to force his hand. The two warriors engage in a gravity-defying sword fight around a rocky coastline. In one final charge, both swordsmen mortally wound one another, Hashimoto cutting off his opponent's left hand fingers and right arm, while Ching Wan spears the samurai through the gut; both warriors gauge each other with a glare before quietly staring out into the ocean.

Cast

as Hashimoto *

as Bo Ching-wan *

Flora Cheong-Leen Flora Zeta Elizabeth Cheong-Leen (born November 20, 1959) is a Hong Kong actress and fashion designer. Biography Cheong-Leen is an Australian who was born in Hong Kong. Her father Hilton Cheong-Leen was born in Georgetown, British Guyana a ...

as Sing Lam *Paul Chang Chung as Master Han *

Eddy Ko Eddy Ko Hung (; born Ho Yiu-sum ; 1947) is a Hong Kong television and film actor who has worked on the TV stations RTV, ATV (both now defunct), and TVB. Most recently, he has made appearances in several international films including 2015's ''T ...

as Kenji *Yeung Chak-lam as senior Shaolin monk *Kwan Yung-moon as Shaolin abbot * Casanova Wong as Swordsman fighting flying ninjas *Hon Gwok-choi as Bo Ching-wan's master *Stephan Yip as Japanese troublemaker *Wilson Tong as Japanese troublemaker *Wan Fat as Hashimoto's samurai classmate *Lau Fong-sai as Hashimoto's samurai classmate *Gam San as Mr Fok *Tam Chuen-hing as swordsman drinking with Fok *Lau Yat-fan as sketch artist *Cheng Mang-ha as puppeteer's wife *Lee Kin-sang *Lau Chi-ho *Leung Shing-hung *Bruce Mang Long as swordsman *Keung Sau-yin *Kam Sau-fu

Reception

In 2014, '' Time Out'' polled several film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors to list their top action films. ''Duel to the Death'' was listed at 92nd place on this list.

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Duel to the Death 1983 films 1983 directorial debut films 1980s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Ching Siu-tung Golden Harvest films Hong Kong martial arts films Japan in non-Japanese culture Wuxia films 1980s Hong Kong films