Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Vengeful Beauty Blu-ray Movie Review

The Vengeful Beauty is a beautiful and majestic Shaw Brothers classic. Produced by Run Run Shaw (Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, The Bamboo House of Dolls), The Vengeful Beauty features superb action and an enormous amount of spectacle alongside a compelling dramatic storyline. The Vengeful Beauty is a must-see for Shaw Brothers fans.

Yung Chiu-Yen (Ping Chen) is Bloody Hibiscus. Yung Chiu-Yen loses her entire family to a brutal and ruthless slaughter by assassins. The emperor of the kingdom ordered the deaths of Yung Chiu-Yen’s family. An abundance of blood-shed falls. Now left to fend for herself, Yung Chiu-Yen is a pregnant martial artist, struggling to survive.

Yung Chiu-Yen must somehow out-maneuver her enemies and proceed through the metaphorical fires of doom – surviving any enemies in her path. As the stakes build, Yung Chiu-Yen must face down an entire clan of flying guillotine warriors. As heads can fly and blaze across the sky, the guillotine warriors are her worst enemy. Yung Chiu-Yen must out-maneuver the guillotine and fight to the finish. Can Yung Chiu-Yen survive?

The ensemble cast is impressive. The cast includes Wang Chun (Hua Yueh) as Chiu Yen's ex-lover, Chin Kang-Feng (Lieh Lo) as the Guillotine squad leader, Ma Shen (Norman Chu) as the Flying Guillotine defector, and Chin Hsiao-Chi (Susan Yam-Yam Shaw) as Kang-Feng's daughter. The expanded cast includes Chin Piao (Lung-Wei Wang), Chin Jen-Ting (Hui-Huang Lin), Tung Bei-Hai (Ching-Ho Wang), Scholar Wan (Sau-Kei Lee), Han Tien-Te (Sung-Ling Li), Chiu Yen's maid (Ling-Ling Hung), Madam Han (Hung Lu), and Wang (Hsin Liang). The entire cast does a terrific job with the film. The Vengeful Beauty is well-acted and a nice highlight in the Shaw Brothers filmography.

The cinematography by Hui-Chi Tsao (The Sword Stained with Royal Blood, Five Deadly Venoms) is a beautiful highlight of the entire film. The Vengeful Beauty is gorgeous and the cinematography is a perfect representation of the artistry of the filmmaking. Tsao is a talented cinematographer and certainly imbues a lot of beauty into the visual language of the film.

The production features superb art direction by Ching-Shen Chen (The Hidden Power of the Dragon Sabre, The Imperial Swordsman). The art direction is impressively done and there is much worth appreciating in the production. The effort adds so much wonderment to The Vengeful Beauty.

The costumes by Hsiu-Yu Liu (Claws of the Eagle, Corpse Mania) are wonderful and some of the best in any Shaw Brothers production. The costuming by Liu is top-notch here and adds a lot to the film. An incredible effort by the costume designer.

The stunts coordinated by Chia Tang (Shaolin Intruders, To Kill a Mastermind) are impressive. The action is breathtaking. The spectacle of the stunts enormous and thrilling. Audiences will be on the edge of their seat with The Vengeful Beauty – a must-see for martial arts fans. The Vengeful Beauty has an abundance of kick-ass scenes and there is plenty to pull audiences in with ease.

The score composed by Yung-Yu Chen (Avenging Warriors of Shaolin, The Boxer from Shantung) is a wonderful part of the equation. The score is elegant, engaging, and fun. The music a perfect and absorbing backdrop. The score by Chen adds so much to the action and spectacle without ever forgetting the emotional gravitas.

Edited by Shao-Hsi Chang (New Tales of the Flying Fox, Corpse Mania) and Hsing-Lung Chiang (Disciples of the 36th Chamber, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter), The Vengeful Beauty is well-paced throughout. The Vengeful Beauty is a fun experience. The Vengeful Beauty is a step above.

Written by On Szeto (Corpse Mania, The Magic Blade), The Vengeful Beauty is certainly a top-tier script for a Shaw Brothers production. The story is fun and the dialogue engages. The characters have great moments to shine. The action may be the forefront but the character element is well-done.

Directed by Meng-Hua Ho (The Jade Raksha, The Long Chase), The Vengeful Beauty is an essential for Shaw Brothers fans. The Vengeful Beauty is outstanding. The filmmaking soars with its great beauty – and with unexpected depth. The sense of wonder in The Vengeful Beauty is undeniable and the film manages to evoke a poetic sensibility alongside the thrilling action and spectacle.

The Vengeful Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Vengeful Beauty is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The presentation impresses. The transfer looks remarkably crisp and engaging. The color reproduction is top notch. The colors are outstanding throughout and evoke a sense of visual wonderment. The release capably preserves the presentation. Detail is present throughout. The scan is crisp and free from blemishes or other visual imperfections to deter from enjoyment. A quality, well-done scan of the film.

The Vengeful Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounds clear on the release. Dialogue is easy to understand. The score is well reproduced. A fantastic presentation. The English subtitles are well done and free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Vengeful Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

 Audio Commentary with Critic and Author David West

Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3:36)

Celestial Trailer (SD, 1:07)

Interview with Actor Susan Shaw (HD, 4:03)

The Vengeful Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Vengeful Beauty is an engaging and epic experience. The filmmaking soars with imagination and wonderment. The lavish beauty of the film is something that pulled me in and made the film well worthwhile. A top-notch Shaw Brothers classic. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent transfer. Highly recommended.