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Broken Oath: Special Edition – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1977
Director: Jeong Chang-hwa
Writer: Jeong Chang-hwa
Cast: Angela Mao, Chan Wai-Man, Dean Shek, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Bruce Leung

Release Date: October 21st, 2024 (UK), October 22nd, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 97 Minutes 57 Seconds (Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 102 Minutes 9 Seconds (Extended Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin (Both Versions), LPCM Mono English (Hong Kong Theatrical Cut)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £17.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Orphaned and angry, Lotus (Mao) 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 (Bruce Leung, Magnificent Bodyguards), 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." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "the uncut theatrical version from a brand new 2K restoration."

Broken Oath comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.8 GB

Feature: 19.9 GB (Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 20.4 GB (Extended Cut)

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look accurate, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (All Audio Tracks)

The Hong Kong theatrical comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin and a LPCM mono mix in English. The extended cut comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin. All audio tracks sound great; dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin language tracks and a second removable English subtitle for Mandarin text when watching the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with film writer Patrick Macias titled Female Revenge: Scorpion vs Katana (7 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Broken Oath: an appreciation by Andrew Heskins (11 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival), an audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, an O-card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 28-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled From Whirlwind to Lotus, Angela Mao and Broken Oath written by Gina Marchetti, an essay titled Sympathy for Lady Whirlwind: Broken Oath and Lady Snowblood written by Leon Hunt and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Jeung Chang-hwa directed Broken Oath. His other notable films are King Boxer, The Skyhawk, and The Double Crossers. Though not credited, Broken Oath is an adaptation of Kazuo Koike’s manga Lady Snowblood.

When an orphan learns about her mother's last wish, she sets out to find the four men who killed her father and raped her mother.

Broken Oath’s strongest connection to Lady Snowblood is its opening setup. Though there are Lady Snowblood moments throughout Broken Oath, after the initial setup it really becomes its own entity. And nowhere is this clearer than Angela Mao’s (Lady Whirlwind) portrayal of the protagonist. Instead of piggybacking off of Meiko Kaji’s Yuki Kashima, she creates a character that stands on its own. That said, Angela Mao’s portrayal of Lotus is arguably her best performance.

Despite its lineage, Broken Oath is not as bloody as Lady Snowblood; when there is carnage, these moments rival Lady Snowblood’s bloodiest moments. When it comes to the fight sequences, they are exemplary, and Angela Mao’s acrobat skills are on full display. Another strength of the fight sequences is the variety of weapons, especially the protagonist, who carries around deadly scorpions.

Though Angela Mao’s performance overshadows the rest of the cast, the supporting cast are all very good in their roles. A secondary cast member of note is Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (The Magnificent Butcher), who portrays one of the bad guys standing in the protagonist's way. Throughout the 1970s, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung appeared in so many films in minor roles that would be unforgettable in the hands of a lesser actor.

Besides being a tale about revenge, Broken Oath is also a story about redemption. This subplot revolves around one of the men who murdered the protagonist's father and raped her mother. A chance encounter gives him an opportunity to save the protagonist's life; unlike the other three men, he’s a changed man.

Broken Oath finds a perfect balance between action and exposition. The well-executed narrative does a superb job building momentum, and an exceptional finale brings the protagonist's journey to a very satisfying conclusion. Also, Jeong Chang-hwa’s direction for his Swan song is outstanding. Ultimately, Broken Oath is a bona fide martial arts classic, making it a must-see for fans of this genre.

Broken Oath gets a solid release from Eureka Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.