Stephen Chow is Beggar So, a talented but lazy nobleman’s son who loses everything and has to rebuild himself in Gordon Chan’s 1992 martial arts dramedy King of Beggars, now on Blu-Ray from Eureka!
Stephen Chow is best known to American audiences, and to me, as the star of the cross-cultural comedy-martial arts hits of Kung-Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. That pair actually comes at the tail end of an incredibly busy decade, and some for the star, after dozens of hits across the 90s, he transitioned into behind-the-camera producing and directing. I’ve seen a handful of those ’90s hits, but King of Beggars was a new one for me, leaping back to the early days of burgeoning stardom in 1992. From director Gordon Chan, best known to American audiences for the Jackie Chan-led Medalion of 2003 and Jet Li’s Fist of Legend, King of Beggar finds Chow in a new telling of legendary Chinese folk Hero Beggar So Chan. It’s a wild and fun film, written by Chan with John Chan, filled with a sense of scale across great action sequences, incredible feats, and solid character work; all with great cinematography to build it visually.
The special features often call this Chow’s “dramatic” film, which I can see. But even with the higher level of personal drama of the riches to rags to a comfort in between, it never becomes unfunny; just perhaps more of a character arc. So Chan, as played by Chow, is a spoiled son of a regional leader, talented but lazy. In order to win the hand of a woman he meets, he agrees to enter a tournament for the title of Kung-Fu Scholar. Without getting in the mire of the plot, and there is a lot of it, he loses his wealth and has to work his way into something else, joining up with the Beggar clan and cutting off an attempt to kill the Emperor. King of Beggars shifts the focus every little while, keeping fresh in plotting and allowing So Chan’s character to grow.
Within this are a variety of awesomely choreographed fight scenes, both large and small. Chow’s specific sort of comic martial arts and his wonderful ability to use his body in very interesting ways. The sleeping fighting, the twisting and turning, and how to use various weapons, and the environment. Each sequence is different and funny, putting a big smile on my face. The film is as big as my smile: large characters, large moments, hilarious back-and-forth banter, and an all-around good time.
Once Upon a Time in China’s David Chung’s cinematography is vivid and rich, incredibly colorful. He provides an epic feel; there’s a lot of production design to lean into across the journey (filmed all over China). This was Chan’s first big-budget picture, and Chung leaned into it to make it grand. Per Chan, he wanted to go wider-screen and give it an even bigger feel, but Chan kept it in check. Still looks grand as it is.
King of Beggars, from Gordon Chan, is a highly enjoyable comic (with some drama) martial arts film. It’s big, brash, fun, and funny. Chow’s star quality is highly evident and brings a spark to the film with his fighting style.
The Package
Eureka releases King of Beggars’ first non-Asian Blu-Ray on a single Blu-Ray disc in a clear case. It has a reversible sleeve, with new art by Sam Gibney on one side and the original poster on the other. It has a booklet in the case. It has an O-ring slipcover with the new art on the front. The O-sleeve and booklet are limited to 2000 units.
The Presentation
As noted, the new 2k restoration looks fantastic. The sort of extra detail and presentation that shows wig lines and the like! Not a dig, as I can take seeing production work to get the wonderful detail and color overall. Audio is original stereo Cantonese and an English dub. It features newly translated English subtitles.
The Features
Commentary by Frank Djeng (in English)
Another Hong Kong release, another Frank Djeng commentary! Sad not ot have his frequent partner F.J. DeSanto (he was also solo on Eureka’s The Island). The guy gives great commentary, fully detailing the history of the folk hero in life and on film, Stephen Chow’s filmography and history, and the large making of the film. A great track.
Kung Fu Scholar (Cantonese with English Subtitles)
An interview with director Gordon Chan. He talks about his long career in Hong Kong film, working with Stephen Chow (and why, despite both of their long careers after, this was the last time they paired after three films), and the challenges and triumphs of making a larger budget and more scope than he had before. (19m)
So Chan & Stephen Chow
A highly entertaining video essay about, as the title suggests, the character and his actor. It builds with and on Djeng’s commentary. Makes me want to seek out more of Chow’s films.
Trailer
The Booklet
The 16-page booklet contains credits and an essay on the film and director Gordon Chan by Andy Willis. It provides more context to his career, with quotes from him and others, and the real-life history around it.
Final Thoughts
Gordon Chang’s King of Beggars is a large, fun, and highly entertaining example of Stephen Chow’s comic martial arts style via a retelling of folk hero Beggar So’s story. With wonderful cinematography and a color palette, it’s a great-looking disc as well, with several solid extras. King of Beggars is released from Eureka! Video on January 27, 2026.