Broken Oath

Lotus never had a chance. Her mother seethed with anger at being unjustly imprisoned for turning her attemped rapist into a cyclops. Mother repeatedly asked her good friend and fellow prisoner, Pickpocket, to urge Lotus to take revenge for her as an adult. Lotus is given to a monastery and grows up there, but twenty years of peace and love make no impression on Lotus, who skips classes to practice pole and sword skills. Joining forces with Pickpocket and Big Rat, Lotus gets her chance at revenge.

Directed by Jeong Chang-hwa, Broken Oath leans on a strong ensemble — Angela Mao Ying, Michael Chan Wai-Man, Bruce Leung Siu-Lung — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about action titles of 1977.