The final film in the Sam the Iron Bridge trilogy, One Arm Hero sees Sam as the elected governor of Canton. Gun-toting Japanese pirates are overrunning the coastal godowns and Sam must train the navy in kung fu in order to repel them. The local government has started to issue paper notes instead of silver for currency, but there continues to be skepticism by vendors of their worth. After realizing guns have to be used to defend themselves, Sam borrows silver from the treasury in order to pay for the guns. As a result, he is set up by his arch-rival Prince Mu and visiting dignitary Prince Ting. They frame Sam as a thief and send him off to the capital for punishment. Little does Sam know that he'll never reach there in one piece.

Unfortunately, instead of going out with a bang, the trilogy loses steam with this final installment. There is lots of political intrigue, but the potential terrific fights are few and far between. Chiu Cheung-Gwan (Prince Ting) is an absolutely incredible martial artist in real life, but is woefully used in this film. The same could probably said for Yue Hoi (a top-notch Mantis style practitioner) in the second film as well. There is tragedy aplenty and all sorts of double dealings, but the movie seems plodding and building to an anti-climactic peak. Do Siu-Chun (Sam) is an admirable hero, but his exit from the filmscape is a bit of a let down.


6/10