 |
| Images courtesy of Eureka Entertainment |
The overarching impact of Toshiya Fujita’s 1973 Japanese
jidaigeki Lady Snowblood starring Meiko Kaji has been felt as far as the
Western coast of American cinema.
Serving as the primary influence on Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 two-part
film series Kill Bill and its central heroine Beatrix Kiddo aka The
Bride, it told a tale of bloodthirsty vengeance involving a young woman wanting
to avenge the rape and murder of her mother and half-brother. Born by her mother in a prison before dying,
the child is reared to be a fierce fighter who will kill ruthlessly with the
slightest of ease. So successful was the
film it spawned a sequel film in 1974 Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance
and as it was making the rounds globally through independent film circuits and
grindhouses, word eventually got to the Chinese and particularly Shaw Brothers’
half-brother Golden Harvest spearheaded by former Shaw member Raymond Chow.
Based on both the original manga series of the same name by
Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura as well as screenwriter Norio Osada’s treatment,
Broken Oath more or less follows the same trajectory though in King
Boxer director Jeong Chang-hwa and action starlet Angela Mao’s hands it
indeed becomes something special. Moving
the action from Japan to China with the character of Liu Chieh Lien nicknamed
Lotus (Angela Mao) residing in a Buddhist temple raised by nuns, our troubled
orphaned heroine finds herself ejected from the premises for skipping out on
classes favoring practicing kung fu on any who cross her the wrong way. Soon learning of her tragic past involving
her father’s murder and mother’s rape, the vengeful martial artist enlists the help
of pickpocket Chang Pang (Bruce Leung).
Armed with deadly scorpions which she sneakily drops freely on her
adversaries, Lotus aims to overthrow those who stole her life away from her
culminating in an all-out martial arts heavy action-packed war.
Considered to be among Angela Mao’s finest hours with
stunning fighting choreography by Hsia Hsu of Drunken Master and the
legendary The Matrix stunt coordinator Yuen Woo-ping, Broken Oath is
a stellar example of Hong Kong answering one of Japan’s greatest action
thrillers with an equally engrossing epic of its own. Featuring exciting original music by eventual
Chungking Express composer Frankie Chan and arresting widescreen
camerawork by not one but two cinematographers Tieh Wang and Five Fingers of
Death cameraman Yung-Lung Wang, the period Hong Kong Golden Harvest
produced actioner looks beautiful with the time honored fast-zooms and
whip-pans customary to this kind of cinema.
The cast of characters features a number of notable character actors
including Michael Wai-Man Chan, Bruce Leung, Billy Chan and at one point a
sneaky cameo by a bearded unrecognizable Sammo Hung. Mostly though, it’s Angela Mao’s show and we’re
here to see her kick all manner of ass when she isn’t dropping scorpions behind
your neck or ears.
Released on blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world
in a brand-new 2K digital restoration supplied by Fortune Star, Broken Oath comes
to domestic moviegoers in the original uncut uncensored theatrical version as well
as multiple audio tracks from original Mandarin to English dubbing. The disc comes with two audio commentaries by
East Asian film aficionado Frank Djeng and action cinema die-hards Mike Leeder
and Arne Venema. Most importantly, the
disc includes a newly conducted interview with leading costar Bruce Leung. Looking at this Eureka Entertainment release,
limited to 2,000 copies featuring a slipcase with reversible sleeve art, Broken
Oath is one of the more entertaining, female empowering and palatable
Golden Harvest martial arts period ventures with a stunning Mao gliding and
twirling her way across the screen like a ballerina elegantly dancing through
the air.
--Andrew Kotwicki
