With so many rewrites and actors dropping out during production, it is indeed quite a miracle that the Shaw Brothers are keen to finish making “The Flying Guillotine 2”. On the other hand, main protagonist Ma Teng ( Ti Lung) has become a fugitive who appears briefly at the beginning and shows up again during the final assassination of Yung Cheng in his palace by the rebels. Apparently, there is a second generation of the flying guillotine which has a double layer of blades and Na is there to steal the blueprint. After charming her way and winning the trust of the Emperor, Na Lan is able to set up her own all-female flying guillotine squad, much to the disapproval of the Emperor's personal advisers Lord Bao Ying ( Lo Lieh) and Lord Tai Kuan (Wei Hung). This time around, the plot essentially focuses on a bunch of Han rebels including a new female character Na Lan ( Shih Szu) who is hell bent on trying to assassinate their ruthless tyrant Qing Emperor Yung Cheng (Ku Feng). Conversely, in 1976 both Chen Kuan Tai and Liu Wu Chi were keen to reprise their roles but Liu unexpectedly disappeared from the movie industry altogether but they quickly replaced her with Hsiao Yao. For a start, Ho was too busy with other projects like “Black Magic”, “The Mighty Peking Man” and “Vengeful Beauty”. This problematic official sequel didn't really take off till 1978, a very long time for a follow-up. Interestingly, when it finally came out in 1978, Ho also released the concluding chapter concerning the flying guillotine for the Shaw Brothers in the form of “ The Vengeful Beauty” or “Bloody Hibiscus” as in the Chinese title. Even so with “ The Dragon Missile” (1976), he did manage to do a quick knockoff version while other directors and actors were finishing off the troublesome sequel. But he was too busy doing other horror projects like “Black Magic”, “Oily Maniac” and “The Mighty Peking Man” that he was not able to do the official follow-up. Starting with “The Flying Guillotine” back in 1975, director Ho unleashed his deadly decapitating machine on the big screen and started a trend. Although lacking in the typical kung fu action popular during its time, this is still a solid and highly entertaining work with rich characters and an engaging plot. “The Flying Guillotine” or “The Blood Dripper” as translated from its Chinese title is definitely one of Ho's better creations, a production which includes some use of special effects. Furthermore, twelve men are put through vigorous training so they can master the dreaded new tool, Ma Teng (Chen Kuan Tai) turns out to be the best and rightly becomes the elite squad leader of assassins. Meanwhile, after being inspired by a diabolo, a sort of Chinese yo-yo gadget operated by using a rope, his trusted royal servant Xin Kang ( Ku Feng) eventually develops the flying guillotine, a killing machine which can chop anyone's head clean off even from a hundred yards away. Set in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Yung Cheng ( Chiang Yang) uses military force and fear to maintain peace and order as well as make sure that no one dares to oppose him. The Flying Guillotine (1975) by Ho Meng Hua In any case, below is a series of films where it makes its glorious presentence felt and yes there will be blood and heads will roll. But this deadly legendary Chinese killing machine sure looks great flying across the silver screens and sending sparks flying and accompanied by some funky sound effects. Though associated with Emperor Yung Cheng and his elite squad of assassins during the Qing Dynasty, no one really knows if such a device actually existed. It is a very effective way to kill and besides it is quiet and almost impossible to defend against. The skillful wielder or assassin throws it from a distance onto someone's head and with a pull of the chain, the blades circle in and cut the poor victim's head clean off. It looks very much like a hat with a netting full of razor sharp blades in the rim and there is a long chain attached to it. If you are into martial arts films, especially those produced by Shaw Brothers Studios in the late 70s, the Flying Guillotine would probably be your favorite weapon from the Qing Dynasty.
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