It’s been quite awhile since I started up the Daily Grindhouse feature. I think it’s time for another one.

Master of the Flying Guillotine was a direct sequel to another grindhouse kung fu flick called One Armed Boxer also directed by Jimmy Wang Yu. While this sequel didn’t have a follow-up it did unofficially begin the Shaw Brothers of Hong Kong’s line of “Flying Guillotine” grindhouse kung fu titles during most of the mid to late-70’s. As good as those later films from the Shaw Brothers were they can’t match the sheer awesomeness that is Jimmy Wang Yu’s fim to start the sub-subgenre of kung fu films.

The title alone is enough to know what the film is all about. It pits the lead of the self-titled One Armed Boxer with the master of the flying guillotine weapon. A weapon that looks like a hat with an extended chain attached to it. The guillotine part comes from the fact that inside this hat shaped device is a row of razor sharp blades which would decapitate the heads off of any victim unfortunate enough to have the hat land on their head.

The film also helped inspired some one of the most iconic characters in the fighting game genre: Dhalsim of Streetfighter. The film was not just about a one-armed boxer versus a blind kung fu master of the flying guillotine, but a yoga master fighting a Thai boxer fighting a kobojutsu master. While it was the Van Damme vehicle Bloodsport which gave birth to the fighting game genre I must say that Master of the Flying Guillotine gave that video game genre it’s first breath. It just took the gaming industry a little over a decade to get the system right.

So, for all kung fu fans this flick shouldn’t be new to them or a suprise, but for those still new to grindhouse flicks and especially of the kung fu variety I suggest you all go find this….NOW!