A Hong Kong take on the classic “Lady Snowblood”, BROKEN OATH is an action-packed tale of righteous vengeance directed by Jeong Chang-hwa (King Boxer) and starring the first lady of kung fu cinema: the inimitable Angela Mao!
Eureka Classics presents the film on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world from a brand new 2K restoration. GET IT NOW! “Broken Oath” is available now as part of the Eureka Classics range. And of course you can also find it on Amazon!
Trailer
Cast
Taiwanese actress Angela Mao Ying stars as “Liu Chieh Lien/ Lotus”. Originally trained in traditional Chinese opera, Mao studied Hapkido, Wushu, Taekwondo and other forms of martial arts to prepare for her various movie roles.
She shot to fame in 1972 with her film “Deadly China Doll”. Her popularity grew with featured roles in titles such as “Hapkido”, “Lady Whirlwind”, “The Fate of Lee Khan”, and “Where Taekwondo Strikes“. Mao is probably most recognised internationally for her role as the sister of Bruce Lee’s character in the film “Enter the Dragon”. She retired from acting in 1992 to devote herself to her family, moving to New York City in 1993, where she and her family run three restaurants.
Leung Siu-lung co-stars as “Chen Bang/ Chang Pang”, who becomes Lotus’s ally. Often credited as “Bruce Leung”, he appeared in many classic films throughout the 1970’s, including Angela Mao’s “Hapkido” and Jackie Chan‘s “Magnificent Bodyguards”.
Often working as an action director, he came out of retirement from acting in 2004 to play “The Beast” in Stephen Chow‘s “Kung Fu Hustle“. He has worked steadily since, appearing in the hit films “Tai Chi 0“, Jet Li‘s “Badges of Fury“, Wong Kar Wai’s “The Grandmaster“, and the award-winning “Gallants”.
A real-life martial artist with underworld connections, Michael Chan Wai-man plays the villainous “Zhao Cai/ Chao Tsai”. With nearly 200 credits to his name he has appeared in Jackie Chan’s “Dragon Lord” and “Project A Part 2“, as well as the “Young and Dangerous” Triad movies, and Brandon Lee‘s “Legacy of Rage”, “Gallants”, and “Chasing the Dragon”.
Plot
BROKEN OATH Original Hong Kong Trailer
Orphaned and angry, Lotus is raised by Buddhist nuns before she is exiled for her violent ways – and skipping classes to improve her martial arts skills.
Finding herself alone in the world, she quickly comes to discover the truth of her past: that her father was once a respected member of the Imperial Court who was murdered in cold blood, and that her mother gave birth to her in a jail cell after being unjustly imprisoned for killing one of the culprits.
With revenge on her mind and a newfound accomplice in tow, she sets out to track down the men responsible for tearing her family apart – armed with both her considerable martial arts prowess and a nest of scorpions with which to poison her enemies.
Action
The movie opens somewhat deceptively with the credits playing over some pleasant watercolour paintings of Qing Dynasty China, before taking a dark turn into the setting of a women’s prison.
We witness a mother dying after giving birth to our heroine to come. Fast-forward a few years and the baby, named “Lotus”, has been adopted by a Shaolin monastery. She grows into a formidable fighter, sparring with the monks, and practicing weapons forms in the beautiful countryside.
It’s not long before her skills are put to the test. Three wandering bandits make the mistake of attacking Angela Mao in a forest. Not only is she superior in skill, she reveals her secret weapon of deadly scorpions!
BROKEN OATH “Lotus speaks up” Movie Clip
A short and sweet fight sees Mao displaying her excellent pole technique to defeat her sword-wielding foes.
A fight in a back alley is classic Angela Mao, as she uses a mix of chops, punches and kicks to beat a bunch of thugs.
Hiding out in a brothel, Angela fights off several assailants, kicking them over a balcony, before returning to her weapon of choice, the pole! Grabbing a pair of long daggers, Mao goes one on one with the villain, who uses a deadly metal claw.
BROKEN OATH “Who are you?” Movie Clip
A long-haired and bearded Michael Chan Wai Man has a proper old school fight in the countryside. Sammo Hung also turns up with a beard and longer hair as a hard-hitting henchman.
Bruce Leung has a spectacular fight, going up against a swordsman. The action is as fast and acrobatic as any of this movie’s contemporaries.
Rogues gallery
The finale sees Mao return to the action, as she sneaks into her final target’s mansion. It’s a mega brawl featuring high kicks, some unique weapons, and a few pyrotechnics!
Bruce Leung is in particularly spectacular form with his amazing flying kicks, lightning fast legs, and sublime sword work.
Mao enters a chamber alone for a deadly sword fight with eight masked foes. Despite some very obvious under-cranking of the camera, there is still some complex choreography on show.
Summary
“Broken Oath” is a classic martial arts revenge movie, featuring some excellent choreographed action. Although it takes a little time setting out its stall in the second act, the final third is an action-packed treat!
Additional features on this beautifully presented Blu-ray include an audio commentary on the theatrical version by Asian film expert Frank Djeng, and on the extended version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema.
In a featurette, Andrew Heskins presents an appreciation of the film, discussing it’s connection to “Lady Snowblood”, Angela Mao’s career, the production and direction of “Broken Oath”.
Patrick Macias presents a featurette directly comparing “Lady Snowblood” and “Broken Oath”.
BROKEN OATH (Eureka Classics) Unboxing Video
Fans of Mao’s previous movies such as “Hapkido” and “When Taekwondo Strikes” will love this equally action-packed addition!
Trivia
- Unofficial remake of the 1973 film “Lady Snowblood”, itself an adaptation of the manga series of the same name by Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura, and a key influence on Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” movies.
- Angela Mao’s final film for Golden Harvest.
- The action choreography was by Yuen Woo-Ping and Hsu Hsia.
- Look out for early appearances from screen legends such as Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Han Ying-chieh, Yuen Wah, Dean Shek, Corey Yuen, Lam Ching-ying and Mars!
BROKEN OATH – Blu-ray – KUNG FU KINGDOM
