Duel to the Death

"Two Countries. Two Warriors. One Battle. One Survivor."

1983 1h 26m CN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 68

ActionDramaFantasyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 16th century, during the Ming dynasty era, every ten years the greatest swordsman from Japan faces the greatest swordsman from China in a duel to the death for their nation's honor. As a duel approaches, Chinese champion Bo Ching-Wan and Japanese champion Miyamoto uncover a plot to rig the fight.

“Two Countries. Two Warriors. One Battle. One Survivor.”

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Cast

Norman Tsui Siu-Keung
Miyamoto Ichiro
Damian Lau Chung-Yan
Bo Ching-Wan
Flora Cheong-Leen
Sing Lam
Eddy Ko Hung
Kaneda
Paul Chang Chung
Master Hsia-Hau
Kwon Yeong-Moon
Shaolin Abbot
Yeung Chak-Lam
Shaolin Senior Monk
Hon Kwok-Choi
Bo Ching-Wan's Master

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tony Ching Siu-Tung
Writers: Tony Ching Siu-Tung, David Lai Tai-Wai, Manfred Wong Man-Chun
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung, shot by Danny Lee Yau-Tong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Lai Siu-Tin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Cheung Yiu-Chung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Norman Tsui Siu-Keung and Damian Lau Chung-Yan and Flora Cheong-Leen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two Countries. Two Warriors. One Battle. One Survivor.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0084924 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tony Ching Siu-Tung directs. Danny Lee Yau-Tong behind the camera. Michael Lai Siu-Tin scores. Peter Cheung Yiu-Chung cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
243 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung, shot by Danny Lee Yau-Tong. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Michael Lai Siu-Tin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter Cheung Yiu-Chung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Norman Tsui Siu-Keung and Damian Lau Chung-Yan and Flora Cheong-Leen carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Two Countries. Two Warriors. One Battle. One Survivor.".
8IMDB entry: tt0084924 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 68 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.