The Deadly Breaking Sword Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Deadly Breaking Sword Blu-ray Movie Review

The Deadly Breaking Sword is an entertaining and worthwhile Shaw Brothers production. Produced by Run Run Shaw (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return of the Sentimental Swordsman), the feature is compelling for its robust action-packed adventure. The Deadly Breaking Sword is well worthwhile.

Tuan Changqing (Lung Ti) uses the powerful Deadly Breaking Sword technique in order to fight enemies and pursue a mission for mastery as a martial artist. Uniting with another warrior, Xiao Dao, the Little Dagger (Sheng Fu), who is a skilled thief with his own unique skills. The combination of the Deadly Breaking Sword and Little Dagger helps to ensure an action-packed spectacle with plenty of huge confrontations of swordplay – with Dr. Kuo using acupuncture skills to control a deadly assassin. Outstanding battles ensue. Can the Deadly Breaking Sword technique be used to defeat the lethal assassin before it is too late?

The supporting cast of characters includes Liu Yinxu (Szu Shih), Doctor Guo Tiansheng (Feng Ku), Lian San, the Throat-Piercing Halberd  (Michael Wai-Man Chan), and Luo Jinhua (Lily Li). The supporting characters add to the sense of entertainment in the action spectacle, too. Both Tuan Changqing and Xiao Dao are highly entertaining in their leading roles. With Tuan Changqing leading the way with the Deadly Breaking Sword technique, The Deadly Breaking Sword delivers spectacle with the top-notch cast and there is a lot of merit in the performances.

The production has a lot of noteworthy elements. The set decoration by Ching-Shen Chen (Hong Kong Godfather, The Shadow Whip) is one of the most impressive aspects of the film. The sets are highly engaging and the sense of spectacle in the production merits help the scale to feel more robust.

Costumes are by Chi-Yu Liu (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty). Costuming is an essential value in the production and Liu is gifted at showcasing the cast of actors at their finest. The makeup by Hsu-Ching Wu (A Touch of Zen, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) and hair styling by Yen-Lien Peng (Lightning Fists of Shaolin, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter) also enhance production merits and bring out the best in the cast.

The cinematography by Ngai Choi Lam (Erotic Ghost Story, To Kill a Mastermind) and An-Sung Tsao (The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Mercenaries from Hong Kong) is impressive and visually splendid. An effective cinematographic style. The visuals add to the sense of quality in the filmmaking. The cinematographers created a more robust visual landscape with their approach to the film.

The stunts coordinated by action directors Pei-Chi Huang (Mercenaries from Hong Kong, The Ghost Story) and Chia Tang (Lightning Fists of Shaolin, The Invincible Fist) are impressive in spades. The spectacular stunt work is essential to the production. The stunts add so much to the spectacle. Outstanding, energetic, and riveting. The action is a fundamental aspect of the production.

The score composed by Yung-Yu Chen (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Five Fingers of Death) is one of the most essential ingredients of the production. Chen is a talented composer and he understands the fun aspects of the martial-arts spectacle. The music is a perfect accompaniment to the kung fu action.

Edited by Hsing-Lung Chiang (The Love Eterne, Disciples of the 36th Chamber) and Shao-Feng Yu (The Kung Fu Instructor, The Avenging Eagle), The Deadly Breaking Sword is well-paced, action-packed, adrenaline-infused. The editing is handled well by the editors and the flow of the filmmaking is worthwhile.

Written by Kuang Ni (Five Elements Ninjas, House of Traps), The Deadly Breaking Sword features a fun script and engaging characters. It is perhaps not a top-tier Shaw Brothers script but it remains one of enormous fun and entertainment-value. The script has good moments to highlight the action and is engaging throughout.

Directed by Chung Sun (The Master Strikes Back, The Avenging Eagle), The Deadly Breaking Sword isn’t quite a classic compared to the best Shaw Brothers films. However, The Deadly Breaking Sword is an entertaining, engaging, and fun action-film with plenty to offer. The Deadly Breaking Sword is well worthwhile and another Shaw Brothers production sure to please fans.

The Deadly Breaking Sword Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released by Shout Factory, The Deadly Breaking Sword is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The release features an impressive looking presentation overall. The transfer showcases reasonable visual clarity for the presentation.

However, the high-definition transfer does have some DNR and some artificial enhancement and that is a bit disappointing to see in some sequences of the film. The colors are reasonably well-reproduced and the cinematography still looks noteworthy overall. Even so, this is an example of a decent if imperfect presentation and the restoration could have been a bit better overall. A solid encode and presentation considering source limitations.

The Deadly Breaking Sword Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio sounds crisp and engaging. The score is well reproduced on the release. The English subtitles are well-done. The subtitles are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Deadly Breaking Sword Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Film Historian Brian Bankston

An Unbreakable Legacy – Interview with Author and Academic Victor Fan (HD, 33:31)

Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3:35)

Celestial Trailer (HD, 1:11)

The Deadly Breaking Sword Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Deadly Breaking Sword is an engaging and fun action-spectacle. The Deadly Breaking Sword is not a top-tier Shaw Brothers production but it does have plenty to offer fans of old-school kung fu action. An entertaining and memorable experience – with a fun conclusion, too. The Blu-ray release features a nice high-definition presentation and lossless audio. The Blu-ray release includes a selection of supplements to round out the package. Recommended.