Angela Mao had a
surprisingly short career, but it was an also influential and groundbreaking in
enough ways for her legacy to remain decades later. Even today there are very
few female martial arts stars, and when Angela Mao appeared onscreen in the
early 1970s she blazed trails with each powerful kick. She wasn’t the first
female martial artist, but her ability to carry a film rather than just support
it made her a star. This six-film collection includes a few films where Ying
takes a smaller role in the narrative, but there are also some great examples
of her leading lady abilities. The quality of the film transfers for some of
these Golden Harvest releases are less than ideal, including a lot of static
and scratches in the image and occasionally sub-par subtitling, but this Shout
Factory release does provide quantity for a price that fans can afford.
The strangest
thing about the collection is the order in which the films are collected. The
first disc includes the oldest and the newest film in the collection, for no
apparent reason, even though the back of the DVD package has the movies listed
in chronological order. Disc one of three includes When Taekwondo Strikes (1973) and Broken Oath (1977). The films don’t have to be in any special
order, but the randomness of the way they are put together in this collection
is a bit odd. There are also no special features beyond the theatrical trailer,
but the collection gets extra points for simply providing an original audio
track along with dubbed versions.
The Japanese
make a common enemy in Chinese martial arts films, and When Taekwondo Strikes adds Koreans as victims in need of kung-fu
back-up. The international blend of martial arts obviously also includes Tae Kwon
Do, as the title suggests, along with some karate and Hap Ki Do. There are even
some American martial artists in this incredibly diverse action film taking
place in Japan-occupied Korea
Broken Oath (1977) is the latest of the
films in the collection, and it is also one of the best representations of
Angela Mao’s abilities. Along with a classic martial arts revenge storyline, Broken Oath showcases the star’s
abilities with many villains and a variety of great action sequences. There are
fewer characters, though there are plenty of villains, which results in a lot
more fighting reserved for our female protagonist. After her father and mother
are killed by betrayal and sabotage, Lotus Liu (Angela Mao) is sent to a
Buddhist temple to be raised. Even without knowledge of her parent’s malicious
end, Lotus is filled with anger and eventually must leave the temple because of
her violent ways. This only increases when she discovers the truth about her
parents, using everything from trickery and deceit to marital arts and deadly
scorpions as a way to enact revenge on the men responsible.
Disc two
includes Stoner (1974) and A Queen’s Ransom (1976), which are two
of the stranger films in the collection for different reasons. Stoner is odd mostly because the title
could mean exactly what you think it does, being a storyline about a dangerous
new drug, but is actually the name of the leading character played by George
Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service).
An Australian cop named Joseph Stoner travels to Hong Kong
to hunt down the evil billionaire behind the drug trade after his sister falls
victim to the aphrodisiac/hallucinogen, discovering that a Taiwanese officer
played by Angela Mao is also on the case. Sammo Hung pops up again as a
villain.
Although Angela
doesn’t have the title role in Stoner,
she is a significant player in the film’s narrative, but the same cannot be
said for the convoluted plot of A Queen’s
Ransom. In a lot of ways, this film is the odd-man-out in this collection,
if only because it barely resembles a martial arts movie. There is a massive
international cast with a complex storyline full of twists and turns involving
a mysterious plot involving the Queen of England. Utilizing actual footage from
Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Hong Kong in
1975, the storyline involves a group of international terrorists threatening to
assassinate the royal visitor. Angela Mao plays an exiled South Asian princess
whose storyline feels disconnected from the rest of the film. This is easily
the least impressive inclusion to this collection, both for quality of
entertainment and the limited amount of screen-time devoted to Angela Mao.
The final disc
has The Himalayan (1976) and The Tournament (1974), with more of a
mix of traditional and experimental cinematic martial arts. The Himalayan does not have the most
believable storyline, nor does the action carry the film. Not unlike A Queen’s Ransom, the film involves a
complex plot carried out by a clever villain, and Angela Mao appears to just be
set-dressing until the final fight scene that she participates in. The one
unique aspect of the storyline is an impressive opening sequence shot in Nepal and Tibet
While The
Himalayan was a bit unconventional, The Tournament is as traditional as a
martial arts film can be. The storyline provides plenty of opportunities for
our star to showcase her martial arts strengths, including Angela Mao’s classic
disguise as a man, which merely requires a hat and men’s clothing in order to
successfully fool everyone. Like many classic kung-fu films, the plot involves
the honor of a Hong Kong kung-fu school, but The Tournament adds the unique element
of Thai kickboxing. Angela Mao is the daughter of the school’s teacher, whose
brother is killed in a boxing tournament in Thailand Thailand
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
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