Broken Oath Blu-ray Review
“Broken Oath” is an underrated martial arts film.
Based on “Lady Snowblood,” 1977’s “Broken Oath” begins with Yi Mei being wrongfully sent to a women’s prison. While there, she dies giving birth to a daughter that she hopes will get revenge for her husband (General Liu) who was murdered and betrayed by Zhao Cai, Dou Qi, Hao Shi and Wen Jiu. 20 years later we see the daughter (Pure Lotus) has been raised at a Shaolin temple where she has developed superior kung-fu skills, but has been banished from the temple due to her violent actions. Pure Lotus then learns about her mother’s past and feels like it is her destiny to take out her father’s killers. Elsewhere in the story are subplots about thieves (her godmother Pickpocket and ally Big Rat), Government spies (including Chen Bang), a mystery man using Pure Lotus to carry out an agenda, and a mysterious Master who helps a poisoned Pure Lotus.
Directed by Chung-Chang-Wha, “Broken Oath” is billed as an unofficial “Lady Snowblood” remake but that sells it short. “Broken Oath” has an identity and a style all its own. Granted, it follows a similar path in its story about revenge, family, and a cycle of violence, but “Broken Oath” has more going on story and action wise with the spies angle.
This martial arts action flick is stuffed with memorable kung-fu set pieces choreographed by the legendary Yuen Woo Ping and Tyrone Hsu involving scorpions (which are frequently used as a weapon), pole fights, blades vs. a claw, and sword fights. The final 15 minutes goes all out with action containing yo-yo’s, flame splitting, damaged buildings, chained blades, a secret lair and a sword fight with 7 masked men. To say “Broken Oath” goes out on top is an understatement.
Angela Wao is perfectly cast as Pure Lotus. Whether she’s engaging in a dramatic scene or taking on 7 fighters, she owns the screen. There are plenty of notable supporting performances including Michael Chan (Zhao Cai) and Bruce Leung (Chen Bang).
Note: This disc contains the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut and the Extended Cut.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.35:1 1080p. How does it look? Eureka has done a bang up job with these martial arts releases and “Broken Oath” is no exception. This is a dazzling transfer through and through.
Audio Tracks: Original Mandarin Mono and English Dubbed Mono for the Theatrical Cut and Original Mandarin Mono for the Extended Cut. How do they sound? The Mandarin tracks are satisfactory while the English dub is quality.
Extras:
* “Broken Oath” trailer
* Commentary by Frank Djeng on the Theatrical Cut.
* Commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema on the Extended Cut.
* “Broken Oath: An Appreciation By Andrew Heskins”- In this 12 minute extra Heskins talks about the film’s influences, history, the cast, martial arts cinema, and more.
* “Female Revenge: Scorpion Vs. Katana”- Author Patrick Macias discusses “Lady Snowblood” and “Broken Oath.”
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