Broken Oath

1977

Director: Jeng Cheong Woh

Action: Yuen Woo-Ping, Hsu Hsia

Producer: Raymond Wong

Stars: Angela Mao, Michael Chan, Bruce Leung, Dean Shek, Wang Lai, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao

A loose remake of the Japanese movie Lady Snowblood (which also provided the inspiration for Tarantino's Kill Bill), Broken Oath stars Angela Mao as a woman who was raised by Buddhist nuns, but can't seem to get that whole "peace and contentment" thing down. After killing a group of would-be rapists, Angela is sent away from the temple, and so she heads out to find her godmother. She learns the true story of her mother, and then sets about to get revenge on the men who wronged her family.

Broken Oath starts out a bit slow, with little in the way of action and very melodramatic acting. But once Angela Mao hits the screen, things kick into overdrive. This was to be her last film with the Golden Harvest studio, and everyone involved seemed determined to send her out with a bang. Of particular note is a fight between Angela and Sammo Hung that has some striking similarities to the Bride/Go-Go brawl from Kill Bill (perhaps not coincidentally, Yuen Woo-Ping handled the action on both movies). If you're a fan of old-school action, it doesn't get too much better than this -- especially since the movie has recently been re-mastered, so potential viewers no longer have to put up with the horrible TV formatting of the other versions.

RATING: 8

Note: As of June 2014, Shout! Factory has put out the full uncut Hong Kong version as part of their Angela Mao Ying Collection 3 DVD set.