The blood spatter! The fearless faces of the warriors! The sparks as the swords slam together! The brilliant choreography! Fighting on top of trees! The Jade Raksha, directed by Ho Meng-Hua (Killer Darts) has it all! And, quite honestly, it makes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon look like a childish attempt at wuxia.
Taking a fair share of elements from the spaghetti western plus some “borrowed” music cues from 007, this Shaw Brothers wuxia release has Cheng Pei-pe, who floats above the trees and walks on water, slaying anyone with the surname of Yan. She wants revenge for her slaughtered family, murdered 18 years ago, and has no interest in taking any prisoners for her vengeance. Combine her masterful approach to her character with Meng-Hua’s eye for detail and you get a film which is forward-thinking when it comes to story construction and its own shots, giving audiences a lot of interesting visuals along to the next beheading.
Welcome to the bleak world of The Jade Raksha. You aren’t prepared for this achingly beautiful film, friends. I know I wasn’t. With strong production values, great performances, and an absolutely poetic story, the film is out to break hearts.
With its humanity at an all time high thanks to the actors involved, this is an underrated classic Shaw Brothers release that, quite honestly, might surprise some people with its breathtaking cinematography (at one point, Pei-Pei stands back to back with the heroic Chang Ting and it looks as iconic as you can imagine) and its well-orchestrated fight scenes.
The blood flows freely, splattering against walls, clothing, and on all the faces of those involved. It is quite an experience to see the blood from one of her slashed victims absolutely spray onto the face of Pei-pei, who just seems to laugh it off. She’s up to the devil’s work in this one, beheading anybody and everybody she can get her sword into.
And no man is going to stop here either.
Opening with a haunting scene in which an entire village is taunted by The Jade Raksha singing her warning before she swoops down and beheads her prey, hanging their heads on poles as a warning for anyone who dares cross or stop her, this movie is violent, brutal, and absolutely beautiful as Pei-pei crosses paths with Chang Ting as Xu Ying Hao, who is also after his own revenge while questioning The Jade Paksha as she goes about hers, and a local land Yang Chi-Ching (played by Yang Chi-Long), who hides his true intentions from all. All these characters will soon be intertwined in surprising ways, bringing together a martial arts version of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. 
To reveal more would steal this film’s thunder. Just know that it will be unexpected as three storylines merge into one unforgettable finale. The film, which could be your favorite wuxia film for its choreography alone, is now included in Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol. 1 from Shout Factory.
Featured on the third disc of this spectacular box set which comprises 11 classic martial arts films from the famous Shaw Brothers' library, featuring some of their greatest stars Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Swordsman), Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink With Me), Lo Lieh (King Boxer), Ku Feng (The Five Venoms), and David Chiang (The Boxer From Shantung). Many of these films, like The Jade Raksha, are debuting for the first time on Blu-ray.
The disc also contains an interview with actress Cheng Pei-Pei By Frédéric Ambroisine, a new Celestial Trailer, the Original Theatrical Trailer, and a brand-new commentary from Hong Kong-Based Academic And Filmmaker Gilbert Po.
Whoosh. Punch. Kick. Chop. Dive into the world of Martial Arts Mayhem with the release of The Jade Raksha!
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - June 13, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 11-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Thanks in great part to Cheng Pei-pei, women in martial arts movies played a more central role in the plots and the swordswomen of the genre became some of the most charismatic figures in Hong Kong cinema. In The Jade Raksha, Cheng Pei-pei becomes a human combine harvester as she hacks and whacks a path through life, avenging the death of her family under the moniker "The Jade Raksha."
Video
Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, The Jade Raksha gets bloody and never once rinses its sword as beauty is birthed in blood, all with its audience in mind. The poetry on display comes through in the lush fields, the crispness of the interiors and the haunting exteriors, and the sudden violence which echoes throughout the film, including its big finale in which a trifecta of characters dance with each other, as well as all manner of soldiers. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments of this epic adventure.
Audio
For this movie, the audio offered is a Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation. Everything is front-loaded and works to create a pleasant home viewing experience throughout.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
Included on the disc are the following supplemental items:
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NEW Slicing At The Stars – An Interview With Critic And Hong Kong Film Expert Tony Rayns, About The Emergence, Key Players, And Success Of The Shaw Brothers Wuxia Film
- NEW A Very Vocal Violence – Hong Kong Based Dubber Peter Boczar Reflects On His Time Behind The Microphone For A Number Of Martial Arts Masterpieces.
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 96 mins
Director: Meng-Hua Ho
Writer: Meng-Hua HoI. Fang Yeh
Cast: Pei-Pei Cheng; Ching Tang; Ching-Yun Huang
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date: November 14, 1968 (Hong Kong)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: June 13, 2023
Synopsis: A fearsome swordswoman known as The Jade Raksha appears in the martial arts world and begins killing people whose surname is Yan.
