The Film (4/5)

Rong (Chen Ping) returns home day to find her husband murdered by the flying guillotine gang. The leader of the gang is the infamous Jin Gong Feng (Lo Lieh), who orders his men to murder anyone connected to this case. With revenge on her mind, Rong is blood thirsty and ready to take on the gang. The only problem is she is pregnant and is worried that the sword fighting will lead to a miscarriage.

VENGEFUL BEAUTY (1978) was a loose sequel to THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (1975), which also had a “official” sequel in 1978 titled FLYING GUILLOTINE 2. But other then the flying guillotine weapon, BEAUTY works as a stand alone, and a mighty fine one at that.

The film is tightly packed and has some fine pacing. Per usual with Golden era Shaw Brothers films, BEAUTY is a sight to behold. The vistas of the Hong Kong locations and the nicely designed sound stages are both top notch. But where the movie really grabs attention is it’s female protagonist. Chen Ping (1973’s KISS OF DEATH, QUEEN HUSTLER) overcomes some silly miscarriage scare suspense scenes, to deliver a truly great performance. Her skills with the spear fights and hand to hand combat are impressive. The movie also avoids making the male characters take over the narrative.

In terms of the rest of the cast, both Norman Chu (Chen Siu-tung’s DUEL TO THE DEATH) and Yueh Hua (John Woo and Wu Ma’s JUST HEROES) come off great in the fight scenes. Up until the final fight, we never really know if there truly evil or heroes which adds another layer of tension. Lo Lieh (KING BOXER) turns in another slimy villain role.

There is some unusual and silly elements that add to the overall charm. During the climax, Lieh's men all storm our heroes dressed up as him. The hollow plastic masks they wear are laughable but stylish. And that is a good way to sum up the whole film. A worthy Shaw Brothers action classic.

Audio/Video (4/5)

88 films brings yet another Shaw Bros. classic to Blu-ray with a outstanding transfer and sound mix. The 2.0 Mandarin LPCM mix is well balanced with no hiss or pops. The volume levels are on the lower side, so I found myself turning the sound up for a few scenes. English subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD transfer is a real sight to see. The black levels are smooth and the focus is sharp. The sound stages and Hong Kong locations look wonderful with plenty of detail in every shot. The remastered work has paid off with almost no visual faults.

Extras (3/5)

First up is a interview with Susan Shaw, who discusses the production of VENGEFUL BEAUTY and also being sent to the Cannes film festival to showcase some of the Shaw Brother’s productions. Next up is a interview with Yueh Hua entitled “Interview with a Shaw hero”. Hua discusses his early work before talking about the Shaw Brother’s in-house style, action scenes, stunts, and his relationship with director Ho Meng Hua. Inside the DVD case itself is some liner notes written by Calum Waddell and a reverse sleeve.

Overall (4/5)

 88 Films delivers another fantastic looking Shaw Brothers film on Blu-ray. For fans of the studio this title is a no brainer essential purchase. Highly Recommended.