The Oath of Death (1971) User Reviews

Revenge at a great cost

[ckormos1 · 7/10 · 16 April 2019]

The movie starts with a big fight outdoors. The winners introduce themselves to each other. They are all Song loyalists who will not be enslaved by the invading Tartars. Cut to a construction project.

This is probably the huge outdoor set that Shaw Brothers built that came to be called Tiger Village and includes the big wooden bridge, the pagoda, Tiger Fortress and more. Cool to see it under construction and used that way.

Our heroes show off their skills. Tien Feng uses a rope that can be either flexible or stiff. I get it that the movie makers were always looking for something to "wow" the audience but I always complain when I see bogus weapons like this. Real weapons are amazing enough and can be made to look magical by an adept fighter. I write this rope stuff off in my mind as "magic" and let it go so I can enjoy the movie.

A plot develops to infiltrate the Tartar court and rescue the princess. The action fizzles as the plot builds. This time I am not complaining. The actress Ling Ling is so hot I enjoyed looking at her more than a fight sequence. I love bad girls. The run time of the movie increased quite a bit for me because I had to go back and even pause a few of her better scenes if you know what I mean

Everything only gets worse for the heroes so a training sequence begins to prepare for the final fight. This is probably the first training sequence with a hidden agenda. All I will reveal is that it involves punching a tree and hopping around on one leg. Finally he mutilates his face. It is revenge at a great personal cost.

Overall I rate this above average for the year and genre. I have watched it twice already and it is on my list to watch again sometime in the future as appropriate.

Top Shaw spectacle

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 5 November 2023]

OATH OF DEATH is the first Shaw version of the story that would be told on a much bigger scale and with bigger names in 1973's BLOOD BROTHERS, more recently remade as THE WARLORDS with Jet Li. This lower budgeted outing is just as good as the Ti Lung movie and it gives underrated studio star Lo Lieh, typically cast as a malevolent, a chance to shine as hero. He plays one of three Sung heroes who make it their business to rebel against the Tartar regime, but things become complicated when they end up colluding instead. The action in this one is fast-paced and bloody, especially at the frankly insane ending, but the slower-paced character plots in the middle section are equally as engrossing.

Sung strife...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 11 April 2013]

In OATH OF DEATH, three Sung heroes, Jin (Lo Lieh), Ma (Shen Chan) and Xiang (Frankie Wei), vow to work together against the Tartars. "For a Heavenly cause, we must march into Hell if need be," Ma says. He is a master with the whip; Xiang, the bow and arrow; and Jin the sword. Lo Lieh as Jin is at his steely-eyed lone wolf best in OATH OF DEATH. Ma comes up with the brilliant idea of infiltrating the Tartar army by kidnapping and then "rescuing" a Tartar princess. He promises his new lord and master that he'll destroy the Flying Dragon Fortress (of which he and his two companions are members). Ma summons his two buddies to the Tartar stronghold. En route, they run into the beautiful (and oh-so-sexy) Miss Yi. She seduces Xiang, but Jin doesn't trust her (probably because she comes on to HIM as well). Xiang marries Yi. When they arrive at now-General Ma's fortress, he puts them up for the night. Xiang suddenly falls deathly ill. Ma beds Yi, and Jin finds out- but, when he tries to warn Xiang, Yi accuses Jin of "accosting" her. Naturally, Xiang believes his wife. This leads to even more strife. The blood DO spray in OATH OF DEATH, but it never comes close to overshadowing the story or the characters (all played to the hilt, if you will, by an excellent ensemble). Highly recommended.