An assassin, trained in the use of a throwing weapon that can behead its victims from a distance, questions the morality of his missions and becomes a fugitive hunted by his former comrades.

Chen Kuan-tai battles assassins that use a deadly, beheading weapon to kill dissidents. Based on true events, the film's weapon was completely fabricated because in real life, no one ever survived to tell what the weapon actually looked like.—Celestial Pictures

The Emperor's armies have developed a new weapon: a thrown blade that can remove someone's head from long distance. As the paranoid Emperor begins decapitating anyone he fears might be a threat, his guard Mau Tang becomes disillusioned with the excesses of his master. He leaves his post and takes up the quiet life of farming and raising a family. Eventually, though, his past catches up with him, and he must find a way to fight the flying guillotine if he is to save his head.—Jean-Marc Rocher <[email protected]>