Outlaws, Heiresses, and Icy Reckonings

Read Time:6 Minute, 14 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Martial Law: Lo Wei's Wuxia World
The Black Butterfly –
Death Valley –
Vengeance of a Snow Girl –

Genre: Martial arts, Wuxia, Action
Year Released: 1968-1971; Blu-ray set 2025 (Eureka Entertainment)
Runtime: 5h 34m (approx. 334m total: 110m / 100m / 124m)
Director(s): Lo Wei
Writer(s): Lo Wei
Cast: Li Ching, Yueh Hua, Lisa Chiao Chiao, Angela Yu Chien, Chen Hung-lieh, Sammo Hung, Ku Feng, Fan Mei-sheng, Ching Ho-wang, Ying-chieh Han, Paul Chang Chung, Hsi Chang, Hsiung Chao, Kun Li, Feng Tien, Lu-po Tu, Ching Lee
Where to Watch: available August 19, 2025. Pre-order your copy here: www.eurekavideo.co.uk, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: This limited-edition collection arrives with a simple promise: three features that capture a studio at full tilt and a filmmaker defining his lane just before the tidal wave of Bruce Lee reshaped the market. MARTIAL LAW: LO WEI’S WUXIA WORLD isn’t pitched as a greatest-hits reel; it’s a snapshot of a style. You get the moral chess of classic wuxia, the immaculate storytelling of Shaw Brothers productions, and a trio of heroines and heroes whose choices are drawn with confident precision. The restoration and supplements make the case that these are not just archival curiosities—they’re genuinely entertaining films that still play well all these years later.

THE BLACK BUTTERFLY opens the trio with an immediately charming premise: the righteous thief, equal parts nuisance and conscience. Lo Wei keeps the plot on point—steal from predators, expose rot, protect the powerless—while staging brisk corridor fights and hilltop standoffs that favor crisp choreography over showboating. The visuals here are classical: disguises, secret identities, spur-of-the-moment alliances, and blades flashed as punctuation, not exclamation points. Lisa Chiao Chiao and Yueh Hua lend the film a steady base; their interplay avoids melodrama and plays more like wary professionals testing each other’s codes. The set pieces aren’t designed to blow minds so much as to underline character choices. When the action crests, it’s because ethics collide, not because the camera demanded another fight.

DEATH VALLEY pivots to succession, betrayal, and land rights—an inheritance dispute that invites bladesmen, schemers, and a very public reckoning. Angela Yu Chien’s turn as the niece whose choices ignite the feud lends the film a hardened edge; her presence is not a plot device but the driving force. Yueh Hua and Chen Hung-lieh square off with a professional chill that suits a story about status and face. The fights are shorter, meaner, and more functional. For some, that measured pace will be a feature: it prizes strategy over flourish and keeps its confrontations grounded in consequence. For others, it may feel like the least energizing entry, with an occasional lull as the plot resets the board. Even then, the payoffs land because the film earns them through procedure, not shortcuts.

VENGEANCE OF A SNOW GIRL is the set’s crown jewel, the clearest demonstration of Lo Wei’s strengths with atmosphere and purpose. A young woman’s mission to avenge her murdered parents—killed in a dispute over the legendary Tsui Feng sword—sounds archetypal because it is; the film’s fulfillment lies in how precisely it delivers the archetype. Li Ching leads with icy resolve and never lets the film reduce her to anything less—her choices, when to observe, when to deceive, when to attack. The emphasis is on how discipline looks once it’s already inside the body. The frozen-ground showdown, staged with a cool, deliberate tempo, earns its chill without leaning on spectacle—footwork, timing, and framing do the heavy lifting.

Across all three films, the choreography favors clarity of intention. You can trace objectives mid-exchange without pausing to decode the scene. That’s not a back-handed compliment—it’s a philosophy. Shaw Brothers productions at this moment sold credibility through clean lines and composition. The editing cuts on decision, not just motion, so we’re watching tactics evolve rather than bodies thrown around for effect. It’s also noteworthy how often women steer the narrative rather than just exist. Agency isn’t tacked on; it’s embedded in motive and execution.

The 1080p presentations restore without bleaching away texture, and the newly revised subtitles smooth out idioms that previously tripped over themselves. Daylight scenes carry a gentle warmth; interiors keep enough shadow to preserve depth without smothering detail. The audio lands where it counts. The dialogue is clear, but not overpowering, and the music is present without overwhelming the track. The commentary tracks with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema are brisk and practical, focusing on performers’ careers, production logistics, and the evolution of the genre between the late 1960s and early 1970s. The supplements add real value for collectors and new viewers alike. The interviews contextualize Lo Wei without flattening him into “the guy before Bruce Lee.” At the same time, the commentaries are practical enough to keep you engaged.

Bottom line: as a package, MARTIAL LAW: LO WEI’S WUXIA WORLD earns its shelf space. THE BLACK BUTTERFLY brings generosity and wit, DEATH VALLEY supplies the bite, and VENGEANCE OF A SNOW GIRL delivers a focused, frosted payoff. Together, they offer a roadmap from courtly vendettas to the coming kung-fu wave, and the new presentations let that history speak for itself.

Bonus Materials:
Limited Edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on all three films in this set by Hong Kong cinema expert Camille Zaurin
1080p HD presentations of all three films on Blu-ray
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
New audio commentaries on all three features by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Hong Kong Hustle – new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the life and work of Lo Wei
* All extras subject to change

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[photo courtesy of EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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