As children “Seven Sisters” meet and vow to see each other on July 14th every year for the rest of their lives and beyond. But unknown to them their sacred vow unlocks an evil spirit. When they gradually begin to break this vow the wrathful spirit begins killing off the “Seven Sisters” one at a time. It’s up to Inspectors Chow (Michael Chow Man-Kin) and Lau (Sean Lau Chin-Wan) to crack the case and stop the murders.
Directed by Wellson Chin Sing-Wai, Thou Shalt Not Swear (1993) is a playful mixture of different genres. What begins as a buddy cop comedy transitions into a supernatural thriller in the third act. Wellson Chin Sing-Wai proves adept in both genres and handles the transitions relatively well without losing any narrative momentum.
Sean Lau is the plucky comic relief with ESP who does a fair amount of clowning throughout the picture. He is the foil to the more straight laced Michael Chow. Lau fills the part of Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters; his ESP and belief in superstitions makes him invaluable but as a cop he’s a total goof. Chow, on the other hand, is more of the romantic leading man. He’s a good cop who is remains skeptical of the supernatural until the climax of the film.
It’s during the climactic showdown between cops and evil spirits that director Wellson Chin really goes all in on fancy stunt work. Chin, who had helmed a number of action films, is quite at home with high wire stunts. This is the section of the film that really stands out. Everything comes together into a kinetic explosion of montage and practical effects.
Until the final battle much of Thou Shalt Not Swear is uneven. The emphasis on humor in the first two acts of the film undermine the mystery and limits meaningful character development. It also doesn’t help that Chow and Lau, though each entertaining on their own, lack any real chemistry as partners. Yet, Thou Shalt Not Swear was enough of a success to spawn a sequel.
