TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Ghoulumbe Better than most people think

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

dworldeater Duel To The Death is my favorite Chinese swordsman/wuxia film(tied with The Bride With White Hair). The film was directed by Ching Siu Tung, who handled the fights as well. Duel To The Death is top notch entertainment and is an action packed visual feast that should please the most fickle fans of martial arts and action cinema. Unlike many other swordplay films, Duel To The Death has a pretty cohesive plot. While there is no love lost between the Chinese and The Japanese and the themes are familiar in Hong Kong/Chinese cinema, it is presented in an interesting way. Damian Lau and Norman Chu are to face each other in a Duel To The Death which takes place every 10 years where China and Japan have their top swordsmen face each other in combat. There is a lot more behind the scenes going on concerning the fight, of which both sides play dirty and temporarily unite both warriors to have a fair duel. The fight scenes are abundant, bloody and super crazy with possibly the best use of ninjas on celluloid. Leading the ninja clan is Eddie Ko and is an excellent performance. In Duel To The Death the kung fu craziness goes way past 11 and the choreography is the best of the best. Ching Siu Tung in addition to being a director is top action choreographer and is responsible for some of the best action movies in Hk(The Killer, Hero, House Of Flying Daggers, etc). Also, what is interesting is the take on nationalism , which puts a much different spin on the topic than many of the right wing action films coming out in the US at that time. Duel To The Death is a well done, highly entertaining and super violent martial arts classic that has a bit of depth and substance to accompany the flying exploding ninjas,disembowlments, decapitations and sick kung fu. Duel To The Death is a true kung fu classic and a great movie to start with for those unfamiliar, but interested in the genre.

Robert Barrett I'll start by saying I'm in no way an expert on martial arts movies. One night I was awake at 3:30 a.m. and happened to catch this movie, that's all. It was part of a martial arts marathon, or something. I was magnetized the entire time, and by the end I realized I had seen a film that was a direct predecessor of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." I must agree with the other reviewer here, who states so eloquently that this movie knows exactly what it wants to do and does it perfectly. The cinematography is stunning. Almost every frame is beautiful. It's utterly preposterous, of course, but even that makes it a wonderful fantasy film that actually has much in common with Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films. By that I mean it's utter fantasy beautifully and meticulously realized.Put it this way, I'm watching it again right now - about 15 years after I first discovered it, and I'm enjoying it so much I came here to IMDb, just to put SOME kind of review out there in the world for this wonderful movie. Wherever this movie isn't well executed, it's crazy fun, and vice verse. It's impossible to tell where the beauty ends and the craziness begins, too. Just one of my favorite movies ever - and I've watched a lot of movies.

masercot This was a good martial arts flick. There were good special effects, enjoyable fight sequences and decent acting; moreover, there was something that you don't see the Chinese movies from that era: A sympathetic Japanese character.Not to say that the Japanese champion (played by Norman Chu) is a good person...far from it; but, he is honorable. He is also three dimensional. He is kind to children and not a thug. If you've seen martial arts movies with Japanese characters, you can understand how different this is.If you already like Chinese Kung Fu movies, this one is worth an evening...

EVOL666 DUEL TO THE DEATH is an incredible film. Admittedly, I'm not the kung-fu film expert (gore and sleaze being more my forte...), but I can recognize a great film when I see it...and DUEL is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in a VERY long time. I don't throw out 10's often, but I really can't find anything wrong with this one.DUEL is about a tournament that's held between China and Japan's best swordsman. Both competitors are absolute experts in their techniques, and hold honor and patriotism in the highest regard. But along the trek to the tournament location, there are numerous hinderances thrown at our "heroes". Flying ninjas, disappearing ninjas, burrowing into the ground ninjas, poison-wielding ninjas (did I happen to mention the ninjas???....) try to trip up our worthy combatants at every step. Throw in the hosting clan's jealousy at not being allowed to participate in the duel, and a plot by the Japanese shogun to rig the fight - and you have non-stop, insane, kung-fu ninja action...The influence that this film has had on other modern martial-arts action films is undeniable. Films like KILL BILL, HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and NINJA SCROLL give obvious nods to this masterpiece. I really can't rave about this one enough. The cinematography, choreography, costumes, settings, the amazing high-flying acrobatics...everything in DUEL is absolutely top-notch. Being a relatively big Japanese pinky/exploit film fan, I could have used some more nudity and sleaze...but this isn't that kind of film. Judged on it's own merits, DUEL TO THE DEATH is the PERFECT martial-arts film, and deserves a look from any action fan. Highest Recommendation - 10/10