Duel to the Death (1983) One of the unsung action movies of the 1980s (Review)

Duel to the Death, 1983, Hong Kong, Dir. Ching Siu-tung (A Chinese Ghost Story)

Set up as a modern facing alternative to the then traditionalist Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest is an icon for any fan of martial arts cinema albeit one that Jackie Chan built. It was through Golden Harvest that Chan become one of, if not the, biggest movie stars on the planet and this wasn’t done through his historical action (Wuxia) films, his star and Golden Harvests success came from modern action comedies (Police Story & Lucky Stars series). During the early to mid-1980s, the historical martial arts film was undergoing a downturn in popularity that still endures to this day. That being the case, it makes Siu-Tung Ching’s 1983 movie Duel to the Death (out now on Eureka Classics Blu-ray) something of a final hurrah or at least one of them for this style of action cinema.

I’ve made the remark previously that martial arts cinema gets a bad rap in regards to how it tells stories, many make the remark that the genre is built upon the “let’s fight, those are fighting words” stereotype, however, that is incredibly reductive. Of course, there is an element which that describes perfectly, but it’s an element made of the easiest and broadest movies this brand of Hong Kong Cinema had to offer. On paper Duel to the Death seems like it would be one such title, as the concept is simply a fighting tournament held every decade between China and Japan during the Ming dynasty to find out whose swordsmanship is superior. Dig underneath that surface and you’ll find that Siu-Tung Ching, David Lai and Manfred Wong’s script has far more going on under the surface. It touches upon the conflict between the personal pride of a warrior and the pride in your country and throws in an undercurrent of corruption and manipulation from those with and without power. That, and it is really weird.

Let’s set the stall first, this isn’t remotely close to being as weird as the fantasy movies which the likes of Holy Flame of the Martial World made popular – this purports to be more real. Just about. Just running through a few things, first is the Chinese half of the duelling nations – Damian Lau – his master lives in the woods and he is best friends with a Parrott called chicken. The big centrepiece of this weird pie, however, is the ninjas. We have kite ninjas, as in scores of ninjas flying in the air held aloft only by a basic wood and cloth kite. There’s also a scene in which a supporting character is minding his own business walking across a field when he should hear an earth-shattering rumble. Is it an earthquake? No, don’t be silly, it’s a giant ninja who jumps in the air only for it to be a ninjutsu trick, see – in reality, it was actually five ninjas in disguise. There’s another female ninja (kunoichi) who beats a senior member of the Shaolin temple by flashing him with full-frontal nudity.

The curious thing about Duel to the Death is that as well as being full of odd little creative choices it also happens to be one of the more mature examples of the movies that set China and Japan against one another. Japanese combatant Norman Chu (Hashimoto) is picked to face off against Damian Lau. Lau has been groomed from a young age to be part of this duel, Chu, however, was chosen from among thousands of the best swordsmen that Japan has. Both sides have people behind the scenes manipulating events for political power and influence, using the two chosen men as pawns to be used or cast aside. The two duellers still have their pride as men and warriors and the conflict of the film isn’t about building up to a big bad badass but the conflict with balancing pride and service to one’s nations and their own self-respect. They do eventually duel, but they do so as friends and rivals, just after all the subterfuge around the sides has been resolved.

The action choreography is brutal. In an opening battle on the beach, the use of “wire-fu” is established only this isn’t the floaty kind of wirework adopted in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero and the like – this is different. When he is told he can fight, Damian Lau flies out of the building like greased lighting and strikes the invading ninjas with unbound fury. This isn’t flowery action this is brutal stuff, with decapitations and limbs cut off at every given opportunity. And it isn’t just the supporting characters who are subject to such violence either, no one is safe – the gore and kill count will surprise or satisfy, depending on your stance. Just for the sake of reference, the character who comes closest to being the big bad – he has an arm chopped off, then decapitated with such force that his head flies through the branch of a nearby tree; he spouts a one-liner and then his head explodes. Like I said earlier, weird.

Duel to the Death was produced by Golden Harvest at a time when they were pushing towards ensemble action comedies aimed at a more global audience and the titan of SB was fading. Given the way the industry was back then, it would be within reason to expect a post-golden era movie designed to keep the hardcore happy. Not only is Tony Ching Siu-tung’s movie, deceptively weird whilst also touching upon some classic themes with a rare maturity but it is also one of the finest action movies of the 1980s. No hyperbole. Completing this blu-ray are some archival interviews and a nice print, only let’s be honest, we aren’t here for any of that, we are here for the visceral action, wildness and one of the greatest stylistic finale hurrahs in Hong Kong cinema.

THANKS FOR READING ROBS’S REVIEW OF DUEL TO THE DEATH

Reportedly drummer Dave Rowntree still finds this film unwatchable; Graham and Ewan are a little more generous. That said, the film’s main asset is the one director Matthew Longfellow barely seems to notice: it depicts the band on the verge of releasing Modern Life is Rubbish, an album which saved them from one-hit wonder status and set the agenda for the next decade of British rock music.

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