Available from Eureka Entertainment
A condemned man takes the emperor’s son hostage to escape. Years later, the emperor’s wizard finds him because of a necklace the boy wears.
Written by Peace Group and directed by Yuen Woo-ping, this old school martial arts films boasts many of the tropes of its era including magic, multiple foes, a child as a pawn, and an emperor. There’s a lot in here and it becomes quite a bit if one doesn’t fully pay attention. That being said, when paying attention, this is a fun one. The writing here works well and the direction goes with it effortlessly. The story is fun once you get into it and the film is quite “early 1980s martial arts from Hong Kong”. There is also a fantasy aspect here which feels like it could have been explored a bit more.
The cast here does well, especially in the fight scenes and the more comical scenes where they somehow manage to keep a straight face through it all. The performances here are comical at times, badass at others, and overall really good. The fight choreography here is a big part of the performances and it’s solid. Also, for slightly nerdy action and/or martial arts film folks, one of the stunt doubles for this film was none other than Donnie Yen. Yes, that Donnie Yen.
The film’s cinematography by Kuan-Hua Ma adds a lot to the film’s charm and the editing by Peter Cheung helps the film dynamic and pacing. The whole of the folks involved here is talented and ready to show it all off in the best way possible. While the story here may not work for all, but for those who love this stuff, this is a must watch and a must have.
This new release from Eureka Entertainment looks fantastic and brings the colors to life beautifully well in a new 1080p transfer (for the Hong Kong theatrical release version) made from a new 2K restoration. The sound is limited by the original mono version as well as in the classic English dub, but these (with the shot-on-film a long time ago look of the film) are really charming in their own way. Folks who want a more modern sound it all might not be happy here, but fans of old school martial arts films will be in heaven. The newly translated subtitles here are a win for viewers who opt for the original Cantonese track but don’t speak the language. The features here are solid with the best of the bunch being the commentary by Frank Djeng of the NY Asian Film Festival and the new documentary featurette by Michael Worth “John Kreng on Yuen Woo-ping”. Of course, the new release comes with new artwork and limited edition O-Card slipcase as well as a booklet with new writing by James Oliver.