One-armed Swordsman

A weapon can kill lives, but it can save lives. Director Chang Cheh takes a bold turn with reference to one of Jin Yong's novels, and gives his protagonist Fang only one arm, a half-burnt sword routine manual, and a broken sabre. With all he's got, Fang teaches himself the unique one-armed swordplay, battles against the arch villain and cracks his enemy's Sword Lock, designed to combat all types of sword but the broken blade used by the single-armed swordsman and even saves the girl who took his arm. The story is fairly straightforward, unlike other wuxia films at the time which tended to have more complex plot structures, except for the twist that sees Fang win his battle in the end. The film's moral – no indomitable soul will be chained, not even by a wrecked physique – holds true even today.

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