Review of Duel to the Death (1983) by Joe G — 18 Jun 2010

Master, as he bleeds to death: "Recite the code to me. Say it now!".

Student/Hero, as his master's blood drips from his sword: "Yes. Fight to win. Never be afraid. Be ruthless. Be merciless. Be resourceful. Kill anyone who gets in your way. Your own brother, even God Herself. Show no pity. The strong will survive. The weak deserve death. Always remember these words, and you will always succeed. Look death in the face and show no fear. For to be a warrior means to fight until death. It is the ultimate honor!".

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Our attraction to a film of this genre is simple: kung fu and kitsch.

The title of Duel to the Death is an overblown stab at glory. Whether in Cantonese or English, the dialogue is often overblown gibberish. The cinematography is gloriously overblown, though the visual editing is perfect. The score and sound effects are gloriously overblown. The themes of familial loyalty & political treason are hammered into the script of an overblown melodrama. The various villains, supernatural or mere human, and their movements are often distractingly cartoonish.

So, obviously, the kitsch element of this film is off-the-charts glorious. I wouldn't change a single thing about it.

There will never be a need to apply modern filmmaking techniques to the insane awesomeness of Duel to the Death. The original story would gain nothing, even by tweaking the audiovisual experience.

Now let us examine the kung fu element of this film, and let us be mildly disappointed. It is rare to complain that a movie as violent and dramatically satisfying as Duel to the Death is lacking in onscreen kung fu action mastery. Again, the editing is sharp, the visual effects unimpeachably fun to behold, and the athletic prowess of the actors undeniable. However, the fight scenes, the actual punching & kicking and swordplay, are a little disappointing for avid fans of the genre.

The filmmakers and stuntmen do a fantastic job with the fantasy elements and with several short intervals of the violent scenes that are of course the primary draw for this film's audience. However, to put it punnily, most of the violent physical confrontations lack punch. The spatial relationship among the combatants, the camera, and the audience is a challenge for any action filmmaker to maintain without taking shortcuts. Here, however, it seems the choreographers themselves failed, and they failed to get the best effort from their martial artist-actors.

Thus, Duel to the Death could benefit immensely from the application of modern camera & wire work, even CGI, to enhance parts of the kung fu element of the film. This is what separates perfect or near-perfect kung fu films, such as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, from Duel to the Death.