Death Duel

Death Duel is a 1977 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Chor Yuen and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. Starring Derek Yee and Ling Yun, the film was also Candice Yu's debut. It was adapted from the novel San Shaoye De Jian by Gu Long, and was remade in 2016 as Sword Master, which was directed by Derek Yee.

Synopsis

Yan Shisan is known for his prowess in swordsmanship throughout the jianghu, and the only one who can match him is Xie Xiaofeng, the third young master of Divine Sword Manor. When he goes to the manor to challenge Xie Xiaofeng, he is disappointed to hear that the young master is dead.
It turns out that Xie Xiaofeng, tired of constantly duelling with challengers seeking to best him, has faked his death and started living as a vagrant roaming the streets. He is taken in by Laomiaozi and his family, and has no choice but to reveal his true identity when he steps in to protect them.
After being poisoned, Xie Xiaofeng is saved by a mysterious, highly-skilled fighter. In a bid to force Xie Xiaofeng and Yan Shisan to duel, their enemies kill Laomiaozi and his family. Just before the highly-anticipated duel, Xie Xiaofeng realises that Yan Shisan is actually the mysterious person who saved him.

Cast

Reception

Paul of hkcinema.com gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "Death Duel is one of the latter wuxia films featuring the enchanting direction of Chor Yuen."
Andrew Saroch of fareastfilms.com gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "Death Duel is a bleak, nihilistic swordplay film that embodies all of the qualities that one expects from a Chor Yuen adaptation of a Gu Long story."