Exact Revenge: The Eunuch and The Deadly Knives – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1971 (The Eunuch), Hong Kong, 1972 (The Deadly Knives)
Directors: Teddy Yip (The Eunuch), Jang Il-Ho (The Deadly Knives)
Cast: Tsung Hua, Chiao Chiao, Bai Ying, Billy Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Lo Wei, Mars, James Tien (The Eunuch), Ching Li, Ling Yun, Lily Li, Chan Shen, Dean Shek (The Deadly Knives)

Release Date: June 16th, 2025 (UK), June 17th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 98 Minutes 34 Seconds (The Eunuch), 86 Minutes 36 Seconds (The Deadly Knives)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Both Films)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin (Both Films), LPCM Mono English (The Deadly Knives)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £17.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Revenge is and has always been one of the most popular and prolific themes in Hong Kong cinema, from classic wuxia epics to kung fu movies and heroic bloodshed films. During the 1970s, Shaw Brothers Studio was the largest production company operating in Hong Kong and the king of the vengeance tale. Presented here are two of the studio’s most interesting and underrated takes on the revenge story: The Eunuch and The Deadly Knives (or Fists of Vengeance).

A wuxia pian written by the legendary Lo Wei (Fist of Fury) and directed by Teddy Yip (The Black Tavern), The Eunuch begins as the eponymous eunuch Gui De-hai (Pai Ying, The Valiant Ones) survives an attempt on his life ordered by the Emperor (Lo Wei himself). After killing the Emperor and his family in cold blood, Gui notices that the Prince is missing and sets out to complete his revenge mission. Then, Ching Li (Four Riders) and Ling Yun (Killer Clans) star in the kung fu film The Deadly Knives as young lovers Guan Yue-hua and Yan Zi-fei, whose relationship is tested when Yan’s family comes under threat by Japanese thugs led by Ogawa (Ching Miao, The Shadow Boxer). He becomes determined to avenge their honor—even if that means taking on Guan’s corrupt father.

The Eunuch and The Deadly Knives were made just as the wuxia film was giving way to the kung fu movie in the wake of Bruce Lee’s international success and provide a fascinating insight into how the theme of revenge was retooled as one genre superseded another." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (The Eunuch, The Deadly Knives)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "1080p HD presentations of both films."

The Eunuch and The Deadly Knives come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.3 GB

Feature: 21.3 GB (The Eunuch), 20.3 GB (The Deadly Knives)

The sources for both films look excellent; flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin - The Eunuch, LPCM Mono Mandarin - The Deadly Knives), 3.5/5 (LPCM Mono English - The Deadly Knives)

The Eunuch comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. The Deadly Knives comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles and a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English subtitles for Mandarin text. Both of the Mandarin language tracks are in excellent shape; dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. The English language track has some sibilance issues, and it is not as robust as its Mandarin counterpart.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for The Eunuch, an audio commentary with Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) for The Deadly Knives, a video essay by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China, titled Falling Leaves, Flying Daggers (13 minutes 27 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, an O-card slipcase (limited to 2000 copies), and a 28-page booklet (limited to 2000 copies) with cast & crew information for both films, an essay titled Naked Villainy on Eunuchs, The Eunuch and Shaw Brothers written by James Oliver, an essay titled From Riches to Rags The Deadly Knives and Turmoil at Shaw Brothers written by Camille Zaurin, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

The Eunuch: Teddy Yip directed The Eunuch. He’s known for The Black Tavern, Mantis Fist Fighter, and Little Rascals of Kung Fu. The Eunuch’s screenplay was written by Lo Wei, who is best known for directing a pair of Bruce Lee films, The Big Boss and Fists of Fury.

A eunuch takes revenge on the royal family who tried to have him assassinated.

The opening setup quickly establishes what kind of man the eunuch is. In the first attempt on his life, a chef bearing food had hidden a dagger inside of a fish. This sequence, like the action set pieces that follow, is exemplary. That said, the eunuch never lets his guard down, and his ability to adapt to a threat makes him nearly impossible to kill.

While the eunuch’s revenge initiates the events of the story, a retaliatory revenge propels the narrative forward. Despite his best effort to kill all of the royal family, the prince escapes and goes into hiding so he can live to fight another day. The prince is joined by the eunuch’s daughter after her father betrays her, using her to set a trap for the prince.

The standout performance is Bai Ying (A Touch of Zen) in the role of the eunuch. He delivers an excellent performance that perfectly captures his character's ruthlessness. Another performance of note is Chiao Chiao (One-Armed Swordsman), who portrays the eunuch’s daughter. Other cast members of note are Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (The Magnificent Butcher) and James Tien (The Big Boss), who both portray henchmen characters.

Though the eunuch rarely shows fear, when his father reveals that he has a daughter, he kills him. From there he sets out to find his daughter with the intention of killing her. He would lose the respect of his men if his secret were to get out. That said, this twist adds an intriguing layer that enhances the impact of the finale.

The narrative is well-constructed; the opening act does a superb job introducing all the main players, the middle section has a few well-placed twists, and the big action sequence is saved for an exemplary finale where revenge is served. Though the visuals are never flashy, the fight sequences are impressive and inventive; the prince learns a fighting style rooted in deception called Wandering Souls. Martial arts films from this era are known for lifting music cues, and The Eunuch uses a music cue from Daimajin. Ultimately, The Eunuch is a solid revenge-themed martial arts film that finds a good balance between drama and action.

The Deadly Knives: Two lovers are kept apart when one of their families aligns against the other and helps the Japanese, who need timber, steal their land.

After the success of The Big Boss and Fists of Fury, there was a rush to capitalize on these films by trying to emulate them and, in other instances, find the next Bruce Lee. Case in point: The Deadly Knives, whose Chinese verse Japanese scenario bears many similarities to Bruce Lee’s Fists of Fury. Even The Deadly Knives alternate title, Fists of Vengeance, is a nod to Fists of Fury.

What starts off as a story about betrayal transforms into a full-on tale rooted in revenge. Throughout, characters self-interest comes before loyalty. While their greed drives them, their lack of foresight ultimately leads to their downfall. However, the numerous twists ensure that the storyline remains unpredictable.

The performances throughout are solid, particularly by the two female leads: Ching Li (from The Boxer from Shantung), who plays the protagonist's love interest, and Lily Li (from Black Magic), who portrays the protagonist's sister. In the case of the latter, her character endures significant trauma; she is raped not once, but twice. Ling Yun, who plays the protagonist, excels in both the action sequences and the more dramatic moments.

It is clear early on that the action sequences are the main attraction. Though the Shaw Brothers are best known for their Wuxia films, the fighting styles in The Deadly Knives are polar opposite to those films; the action sequences also feel like they were influenced by Bruce Lee. Martial arts films are known for their memorable training sequences, and in The Deadly Knives, the protagonist practices throwing knives at falling leaves.

At just 87 minutes in length, a lot happens; the brisk pacing is relentless, never giving you a chance to catch your breath. Despite the action-heavy narrative, it allocates a sufficient amount of time to exposition. The well-constructed narrative does a phenomenal job creating and maintaining tension, which builds to an exemplary finale that serves as a perfect coda. Ultimately, The Deadly Knives is a very satisfying blend of action and exploitation, making it a must-see for fans of 1970s martial arts cinema.

Eureka Video’s Exact Revenge: The Eunuch and The Deadly Knives brings together two films, gives them strong audio/video presentations, and includes informative extras. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer