A naive, young swordsman (Mang Fei) successively breaks seven promises to his father and finds himself framed for murder after his famous Jade Sword is stolen and later found imbedded in the victim. With the help of a female swordsman, he attempts to clear his name, a task that will lead him to cross paths with the notorious Shaolin rebel Ti Shu (Chan Sing) and the secretive Green Dragon society.

There’s no need to waste any time in stating that Seven Promises is little more than an inferior knockoff of better Shaw Brothers wuxia films. Yueh Hua, star of many quality swordplay films joins Taiwanese film regulars Mang Fei and Chan Sing for this clumsy production, but to no avail. Swordplay action is limited and mediocre, while the mystery plot is a bore. The only saving grace is reserved for lovers of bad dubbing who will dig classic voice actors laying down some ridiculous lines.

The plot is routine and has Mang Fei setting out in the martial world with his intention to honor his father’s advice that amounts to seven rules of conduct meant to keep him out of trouble. But he blows it right away when he ignores the “keep to yourself” promise by saving a girl from four worldly monks. The girl turns out to be a sticky-fingered tramp and the monks are the students of a notorious former Shaolin abbot named Ti Shu (Chan Sing) who supposedly possesses unbeatable kung fu skills. Making matters worse, Mang’s special Jade Sword, which can kill without touching its victim, is stolen and is used to frame him for murder. As a swordswoman parading as a man latches onto Mang, he begins breaking the rest of the promises he made to his father as he attempts to solve this murder mystery involving Ti Shu, his accomplices, a shadowy gang known as the Green Dragon, and a drunken fisherman (Yueh Hua).

Apart from the films of Lee Tso-nam, Taiwanese productions do not put much value in martial arts choreography, unlike their Hong Kong counterparts. Seven Promises is another example of where basic wuxia elements and recognizable stars are in place, but the action is second hand and the director relies too much on gimmicks. But even that is a failure. The Jade Sword, which is no more than six-inches long is initially portrayed as this devastating weapon that kills simply from the force of a swing. But Mang loses it early on and we never see it in action again until the end. That means we’re in for mostly open-hand kung fu, which is put together with no creativity whatsoever.

Seven Promises is a cheap production with too little, quality action and too much in the way of bad hair, goofy chatter and oddball antics like a samurai sword-wielding fighter who makes like he’s going to strike and then dashes away in rapid undercranked mode. The plot is engineered as a whodunit, but nobody will care as the acting and story are lousy and it’s obvious who the killer is after a blatant clue is revealed halfway through. The occasionally humorous dialogue is all that’s left to enjoy and that certainly doesn’t make up for the flaws.

by

Related Topics:
 •