The two men could not contrast more. On the Chinese side you have Ching Wan (Damian Lau- Last Hurrah for Chivalry, Zu Warriors), a mellow swordsman, who takes pride in his fighting skill but not the results, the injuries or the combative way of life. On the Japanese side, there is the stern and proud Hashimoto (Norman Chu- Return of the Deadly Blade, Tiger on a Beat) who takes fighting as a deadly serious and formal way of life, abiding by the rules of "Don't pity your opponent- Fight fearlessly- and Death, be it yours or your opponents, is the only honor."

The two meet where the duel has taken place for generations, the Holy Sword House, and strike up an odd bond. After looking at the cave where the previous fighters names are etched, they stand in the graveyard of the fallen duelists, where Ching Wan observes that death is the only real winner- a fighters life is a futile struggle of constant challenges until the day you are defeated, death your only relief. Hashimoto agrees, but does not see the struggle as futile; he sees it as destiny, the action of proving oneself (and ones teachers), the ultimate glory of being a fighter. For him, death while in combat is a reward, not a relief.

Hampering the duel, are the appearances of Japanese ninjas, who attack the Chinese fighters converging on the location to watch the duel, and even attempt to assassinate Ching Wan. For Hashimoto, it is a serious blow, his own countrymen defiling the duel. But, as Ching Wan begins to see hints of betrayal in the bitter lord of Holy Sword House, it may not just be the Japanese alone that are backstabbing. Both men find themselves clashing with much more than each other, but with the limits of their loyalty to their countries, to themselves and their personal ethics. Eventually the two converge on an isolated, rocky, seaside cliff, fighter against fighter, man against man, nationality and background becoming meaningless. As the waves crash and seas mist envelops them, the two men clash in one of the greatest finales in Hong Kong action.

Duel to the Death's director, Ching Siu Tung, was a Hong Kong visionary. In the realm of HK fantasy and action choreography he was a director who took things a step further. He inherited the mantle of over the top action from Chang Cheh and pushed the gore and gravity defying to thier limits. Ching Siu Tung's camera can often be just as alive and frantic as any living creature in front of it. He directs action scenes like a funhouse proprietor, you never know what is just around the corner- a character is stabbed only to explode, a character is cut in two only to reveal another person behind him, a 12 foot tall ninja breaks apart in to six men, falling leaves become a hail of shuriken. At his best, Ching Siu Tung is unpredictable, always keeping you guessing, and usually at a mile a minute pace that leaves you dazzled. Duel to the Death was his debut and would be a precursor to the work he would do in the late 80's early 90's with the Chinese Ghost Story Trilogy, Swordsman 2, East is Red, Dr. Wai and as action choreographer on Heroic Trio, Executioners, and Comet, Butterfly, and Sword, films which helped spawn the new wave Hong Kong fantasy.

Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. Overall, when you compare it to the soft HK release and the prints that I first saw the film on, this is a definite improvement. General details like sharpness definition, color, and grain are well defined of a early 80's HK film. Thankfully, the print is also clean and does not have many noticeable spots. The contrast does get a tad worn and shows some graying noise during the night scenes, but this is a forgivable problem when you consider the overall quality and consider the improvement this presentation shows over the imports of the old days.

Sound: Cantonese or English audio tracks, either 5.1 Dolby Digtital Surround or DTS with optional English subtitles (dubtitles actually). Audio presnetation is pleasent. The new mixes thankfully do not overdo it but retain the original mono mixes charm but in a new stereo package. I only bothered, like I usually do, watching the film with the original Cantonese mix. The original track still has some spots where it fades and has some reverby weakness, but these spots are neither frequent or long.

Extras: Chapter Selections— Original and new trailers, plus trailers for other Fox/Fortune Star releases.

Conclusion: A great value. Even if you, like me, already own the HK version, Fox has given US fans a very cheap way to get an improved version of the film and a great way for those that havent purchased the film to get a very good edition of this HK classic.