Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany/USA, 1971
Director: Mario Bava
Writers: Mario Moroni, Charles Ross, Guido Leoni
Cast: Daniela Giordano, Brett Halsey, Pascale Petit, Robert H. Oliver, Dick Randall, Valeria Sabel, Rainer Basedow, Brigitte Skay, Calisto Calisti

Release Date: June 29th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 83 Minutes 2 Seconds (Quante volte... quella note), 81 Minutes 27 Seconds (Four Times That Night)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (Quante volte... quella note), LPCM Mono English (Four Times That Night)
Subtitles: English (Quante volte... quella note), English SDH (Four Times That Night)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99

"Handsome model John (Halsey) takes the virginial Tina (Giordano) on a date. When Tina returns to her overbearing mother in tears, her dress in tatters, everyone has a different account of what really happened that night..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Four Times That Night was scanned in 4K Augustus Color in Rome using the original negative. 4K HDR color correction and image restoration work was undertaken at Filmfinity, London, when Phoenix and Diamant image-processing tools were used to remove many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, and repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement, or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

Here’s information provided about the differences between these two versions, “In addition to containing different opening titles and end cards, the US and Italian theatrical cuts of Four Times That Night diverge in a number of other ways. The US version includes two erotic scenes which proved too risqué for the Italian version, whilst the Italian version includes two unique experimental and comedic scenes, featuring the scientist character, towards the end of the film. The dialogue also differs markedly at times across the two cuts.”

Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.3 GB

Feature: 50.4 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. Both versions have never looked better; they are a marked improvement over their previous home media releases. Flesh tones look healthy; colors are nicely saturated; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always retains an organic appearance.

Audio: 4.5/5

Quante volte... quella notte comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. Four Times That Night comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. The main difference between these tracks is that dialogue sounds slightly fuller on the Italian language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (16 images—stills/posters), the original US theatrical trailer (2 minutes 22 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by critic Rachael Nisbet titled The ‘Rashōmon’ Effect (18 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Roberto Colangeli, the son of prolific editor Otello Colangeli titled Like Father, Like Son (13 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with assistant director, and son of Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava, titled Scenes from a Memory (12 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Mario Bava: All the Colors of Dark author Tim Lucas for Quante volte... quella notte, an audio commentary with genre-film experts Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth for Four Times That Night, and an 80-page book with cast & crew information, an essay titled Swingers in a pop-Giallo World written by Leon Hunt, a new writing on the film’s Italian censorship history titled How Many More Times? written by Roberto Curti and Alessio Di Rocco, an archival interview with Mario Bava conducted conducted by Giuseppe Lippi and Lorenzo Codelli, an archival interview with Brett Halsey conducted by Phil Hardcastle, an archival interview with Daniela Giordano conducted by Chris Milewski, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Although Mario Bava is most known for his horror films, his filmography was diverse, and he excelled in whatever genre he worked in. Comedy was the genre Mario Bava is least known for; he only directed two films in this genre, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (Le spie vengono dal semifreddo) and Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note). Where Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (Le spie vengono dal semifreddo) was a satire of 1960s spy cinema, Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) marked Mario Bava’s only foray into commedia sexy all'italiana. That said, humor was a central element throughout Mario Bava’s filmography.

Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) employs the Rashomon effect, a storytelling method based on Akira Kurosawa's film of the same name. Narratives that use the Rashomon effect revolve around a collection of characters who each provide their memories of an event and each memory contradicts the others. Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) revolves around a lecherous playboy and a virginal, virtuous young woman whose accounts of a date greatly differ. Two other characters provide their accounts of what happened that night: a peeping Tom doorman and a scientist.

While a narrative that features the same scenario four times might turn out redundant, Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) always manages to engage with its four distinctly different recollections of that night; they are all equally entertaining. Most of the humour comes from characters' reactions to unwanted sexual advances and character stereotypes. That said, the funniest moments come from the guard character. There is a cartoonish-like quality to the moments with the guard.

All around the cast are outstanding in their roles, especially the two leads, Daniela Giordano (Violent Rome) and Brett Halsey (The Devil’s Honey). Another performance of note is Dick Randall in the role of the doorman. Although the female cast members provide plenty of eye candy, the male cast members are not left out; Brett Halsey’s character wears a speedo.

When discussing the cinema of Mario Bava, Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note), like all of his films, is beautifully photographed. Other areas where Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) excels are its exemplary production design and Coriolano Gori’s (Massacre Time) score, which perfectly underscores the mood. Ultimately, Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) is arguably Mario Bava’s most underrated film; it is a highly entertaining example of commedia sexy all'italiana.

Powerhouse Films gives Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) its best home media release to date. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Note: Limited edition of 5,000 individually numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 1,000 Blu-rays) for the UK.

 











Written by Michael Den Boer

Macabre – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1980
Director: Lamberto Bava
Writers: Antonio Avati, Pupi Avati, Lamberto Bava, Roberto Gandus
Cast: Bernice Stegers, Stanko Molnar, Veronica Zinny, Roberto Posse, Ferdinando Orlandi, Fernando Pannullo, Elisa Kadigia Bove

Release Date: June 29th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 90 Minutes 51 Seconds (Italian Theatrical Version), 89 Minutes 51 Seconds (International Theatrical Version, Frozen Terror - Retitled US Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (All Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian (Italian Theatrical Version), LPCM Mono English (International Theatrical Version, Frozen Terror - Retitled US Version)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (International Theatrical Version, Frozen Terror - Retitled US Version)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99

"Traumatised by the deaths of both her son and her lover, Fred (Roberto Posse), Jane (Stegers) retreats to a boarding house run by the blind Robert (Molnar), where she builds a shrine to Fred and passionately calls his name when she is alone in her room. Both Robert and Jane’s daughter Lucy (Veronica Zinny) sense that something strange is going on and begin to investigate her bizarre behaviour..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (All Versions)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Macabro was scanned in 4K Augustus Color in Rome using the original negative. 4K HDR color correction and image restoration work was undertaken at Filmfinity, London, when Phoenix and Diamant image-processing tools were used to remove many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, and repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement, or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

Macabre comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 79.9 GB

Feature: 57.9 GB

Seamless branching is used for the three presentations of the film. The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy; colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always retains an organic appearance. 

Audio: 5/5 (All Audio Tracks)

The Italian theatrical version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The international theatrical version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH and English subtitles for text in Italian. Frozen Terror, the re-titled US release, comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH and English subtitles for text in Italian. All tracks sound excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (34 images—stills/lobby cards/press book/home video art/posters), international theatrical trailer (2 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Italian theatrical trailer (2 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), a Q&A with Lamberto Bava filmed after a Macabre screening at the 2025 World Wide Weird cult-cinema event held in London (58 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian translated into English), an interview with Pierpaolo De Sanctis the founder of Italian soundtrack specialists Four Flies Records titled Jazzing for a Murder (22 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an appreciation by Italian genre film expert and Macabre aficionado Mark Thompson Ashworth titled Macabre Love (22 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Roberto Gandus titled Danse Macabre (23 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Pupi Avati titled New Orleans Gothic (9 minutes 43 seconds, Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Antonio Avati titled A Head for Producing (18 minutes 7 seconds, Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Lamberto Bava titled The Bloody Beginning (17 minutes 6 seconds, Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles),an audio commentary with film historians Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth, and Nathaniel Thompson, and an 80-page book with cast & crew information, an essay titled A Domestic Apocalypse written by Roberto Curti, an archival interview conversation with Lamberto Bava conducted by Alberto Morsiani, an archival interview with Pupi Avati and Antonio Avati conducted by Lorenzo Ricciardi, critical response, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

A middle-aged woman traumatized by the death of her son and her lover moves into a boarding house and creates a shrine for the latter.

Although Lamberto Bava has forged a four-decade career as a director, most of his contemporaries have stopped making films. There’s no denying that it must have been difficult living in the shadow of his father, Mario Bava, Italian cinema’s most celebrated director of horror cinema. Looking over Lamberto Bava’s filmography, there are a few standout films that have held up well over time. His best films are the result of collaborations with other prominent Italian filmmakers. For example, Macabre is a film that stands out in Lamberto Bava’s filmography.

That said, how much of Macabre is due to Lamberto Bava or filmmaker Pupi Avati's creative influence? The idea for Macabre originated with Antonio Avati and Pupi Avati, who then reached out to Lamberto Bava with the idea of directing it. Besides coming up with the idea, there are many elements throughout Macabre that bear a strong resemblance to Pupi Avati’s The House of the Laughing Windows, which ultimately furthers the premise that Lamberto Bava was a director for fire whose contributions to the film were minimal.

While there are many elements in Macabre that are widely associated with horror cinema, it is important to note that the film also incorporates other genres. To simply approach Macabre as a horror film would be doing this film a serious disservice, since the result is something that is closer to a psychological melodrama. Outside of a few moments, like the scenes where the protagonist’s lover's head is decapitated and where she drowns a child in a bathtub, Macabre’s level of carnage is minimal. Fortunately, Macabre is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere.

When discussing a film like Macabre, its taboo subject matter, a deranged love story that involves necrophilia, is front and center. The protagonist, a woman named Jane Baker, procures her deceased lover's severed head and keeps it in a freezer. Although some of the shock derived from its taboo subject matter, it’s rather tame when compared to other similar-themed films that succeeded it, like Nekromantik.

Macabre’s heart and soul are Bernice Stegers’ (Xtro) portrayal of Jane Baker. She delivers an utterly convincing portrayal of a character who’s consumed by obsessive love. Other performances of note are Stanko Molnar in the role of a blind man who runs a boarding house and Veronica Zinny’s (in her one and only role) terrifying portrayal of Jane’s equally demented daughter Lucy. Ultimately, Macabre is an exceptional debut film that set the bar so high that Lamberto Bava never made a better film.

Macabre gets an exceptional release from Powerhouse Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Note: Limited edition of 5,000 individually numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 1,000 Blu-rays) for the UK.












Written by Michael Den Boer

Monday, July 6, 2026

Sex and Fury / Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1973 (Sex and Fury, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture)
Directors: Norifumi Suzuki (Sex and Fury), Teruo Ishii (Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture)
Cast: Reiko Ike, Christina Lindberg, Akemi Negishi, Jun Midorikawa (Sex and Fury), Reiko Ike, Makoto Aikawa, Arumi Kuri, Meika Seri, Jun Midorikawa, Emi Jô (Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture)

Release Date: July 5th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 88 Minutes 33 Seconds (Sex and Fury), 85 Minutes 52 Seconds (Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"Following their genre-defining "female delinquent" classic Girl Boss Guerrilla, director Norifumi Suzuki and action star Reiko Ike would join forces once again for the shocking Sex & Fury. Pulpy and bathed in lurid violence of the highest order, the film would beget the sequel, Female Yakuza Tale, directed by none other than the king of ero-guro, Teruo Ishii (Horrors of Malformed Men).

In Sex & Fury, deadly swordswoman Ocho Inoshika (Ike) is looking for the men who killed her father and finds herself infiltrating a sordid den of sexually deviant yakuza, involving a British secret agent (Christina Lindberg, Thriller: A Cruel Picture) and a twisted international scheme that could alter the fate of Japan. The sequel sees Ocho captured by devious yakuza who use Chinese women as drug mules, forcing her to use her sharp wits and blade to fight her way out.

Unparalleled levels of sleaze and violence combine in a haze of psychedelia with this deadly duo of Japanese exploitation, representing the high watermark of 1970s Toei yakuza madness." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Sex and Fury), 3.75/5 (Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “The restored high-definition masters were provided by Toei Company LTD.”

Sex and Fury and Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.2 GB

Feature: 21 GB (Sex and Fury), 20.3 GB (Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture)

Arrow Video uses the same source that Discotek Media used for their 2022 Blu-ray releases. Sex and Fury’s source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, color saturation, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. Though Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture’s source looks similar in most areas, black levels are not as convincing as they should be.

Audio: 4.25/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. Both tracks sound excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer for Sex and Fury (3 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture (3 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito titled Naked Vengeance (20 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Chris D. for Sex and Fury, an archival audio commentary with Chris D. for Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 24-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information for both films, an essay titled Pinky Violence: Tales of Sex and Fury written by Camille Zaurin, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

Sex and Fury: Norifumi Suzuki directed Sex and Fury. He’s known for The Lustful Shogun and His 21 Concubines, School of the Holy Beast, The Killing Machine, Star of David: Hunting for Beautiful Girls, and Roaring Fire. He also directed several films in the Girl Boss and Terrifying Girls' High School film series.

As a child, the traumatic event of watching her police officer father murdered turned Ochô Inoshika towards a life of crime. Years later, she searches gambling houses looking for her father's killers; her only clues are three cards that hold the key to uncovering their identities. Along the way, she gets involved in a card game that will determine the fate of a young woman who she promised to free from the world of prostitution.

Sex & Fury is the first film in a series of two, followed by Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture. Both films star Reiko Ike (Graveyard of Honor) in the role of Ochô Inoshika, a gambler who's also deadly with the sword. Furthermore, Sex & Fury and Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture had different directors, content-wise and stylistically; there is not much separation between these two films.

Sex & Fury dives right in with an excellent pre-credits sequence that lays the groundwork for why the protagonist has devoted her life to revenge. From there, the narrative does a phenomenal job of balancing exposition and action, as pacing is never an issue. Another strength of the narrative is how effectively it builds momentum towards a sensational finale that perfectly brings Ochô Inoshika’s journey to a climax.

The main attraction is Reiko Ike’s portrayal of Ochô Inoshika; she delivers a scene-stealing performance that is arguably the best of her career. Though Ochô Inoshika bears all the traits that one has come to expect from Japanese female assassins, the result is a character that actually stands apart from the rest of the pact. Not only does Ochô Inoshika ooze sexuality, but she is also a force who can go toe to toe with any man.

Not to be overlooked is Christina Lindberg’s (Thriller: A Cruel Picture) portrayal of a British spy named Christina. Despite her limited range as an actress, she still delivers a charismatic performance that relies heavily on her physical presence. That said, the rest of the cast are very good in their roles.

Without a doubt, one of Sex & Fury’s most durable assets is Norifumi Suzuki’s stylized visuals, which heighten the mood. A few standout moments include a scene where a bathing Ochô Inoshika is forced to fight assassins in the nude and Christina’s death is one of the most beautiful deaths ever filmed. That said, the scene that stands out more than any other is an elegant ballroom sequence that introduces Christina.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Sex and Fury does not excel, and then some. There is never a shortage of nudity, depravity, or carnage, with some dark humor thrown in for good measure. The fight scenes are spectacular, especially when it comes to the strategic placement during the nude sword fighting. Another strength is composer Ichirô Araki’s exemplary score, which does an exceptional job reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Sex & Fury is one of Toei’s high-watermark films of the 1970s and a must-see if you're a fan of Pinky Violence cinema.

Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture: Teruo Ishii directed A Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture. He was a versatile filmmaker who worked in just about every film genre. No matter the quality of the source material, he always somehow manages to craft something that is above and beyond an amazing thrill ride. The Man from Abashiri Prison, Horrors of Malformed Men, Blind Woman's Curse, The Executioner, The Executioner II: Karate Inferno, and the Joy of Torture series are notable films directed by Teruo Ishii.

A Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture picks up right where its predecessor, Sex & Fury, left off as we see the prototagnoist Ochô surrounded by a group of assassins with their samurai swords drawn as she spins her umbrella. A tongue-in-cheek opening credits sequence showcases not only Ochô’s impressive fighting skills but her other ample assets as well.

Teruo Ishii’s direction is inspired; he keeps things moving along at a brisk pace. The highlight of his direction is a jaw-dropping finale in which numerous naked women use swords and other weapons against their male counterparts. When it comes to more exploitative elements, which are overflowing throughout In A Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture, Teruo Ishii does not miss a beat.

As good as the cast is in their roles, everyone is obscured by Reiko Ike’s (Graveyard of Honor) mesmerizing performance in the role of Ochô Inoshika, a gambler who is also a deadly assassin. She delivers a solid performance that expands on her role from Sex & Fury. Although she is portraying the same character, her portrayal of Ochô Inoshika is slightly different for each film.

Ryohei Uchida (Bodyguard Kiba), who made a career portraying offbeat characters, portrays Jôji, who has a score to settle with the same people Ochô Inoshika is going after. Although his screen time is limited, when he does appear on screen, he tends to dominate that scene. His character's most memorable moment is a scene where he throws bullets like throwing stars as they pierce his eyes and forehead.

Teruo Ishii goes for a more realistic look at the carnage in Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture than in Sex & Fury. The fighting scenes are beautifully photographed and executed. That said, one area where A Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture comes up short is the obvious lack of budget. Most noticeable is the overuse of framing compositions at an angle or tight close-ups that obscure the background. Increasing the level of violence when compared to its predecessor, Sex & Fury, this film takes disrobing to another level.

Another distinct difference is that Sex & Fury was a period film that took place in the past, whereas Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture looks and feels modern. Besides increasing the level of violence when compared to its predecessor, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture takes disrobing to another level. Ultimately, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture is a very satisfying sequel that stands well on its own.

Sex and Fury and Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture are given their best home media release to date. Highly recommended.

 


















Written by Michael Den Boer

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Deadly Kung-Fu Factor (aka The Delivery) - Dark Force Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1978
Director: Hsu Ta-Chuan
Cast: Michael Chan Wai-Man, Charles Heung Wah-Keung, Susanna Au-Yeung Pui-San, Na Na, Chao Lei, Cheng Kei-Ying, Wu Chia-Hsiang

Release Date: July 14th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 99 minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $24.95

"A down-on-his-luck young man takes a job as a delivery runner for a powerful criminal syndicate, believing he's simply transporting routine packages. He soon discovers he's being used as an unwitting courier in a dangerous drug trafficking operation. When a shipment is compromised, rival gangs move in and the syndicate turns on its own to cover their tracks. Caught in a deadly web of betrayal, corruption, and escalating violence, the young courier is forced to rely on his instincts and martial arts skills to survive and fight his way free from the underworld that has trapped him." — synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new HD master from the original uncut Hong Kong 35mm negative!"

Deadly Kung-Fu Factor (aka The Delivery) comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.3 GB

Feature: 21.1 GB

The source exhibits nicks, scratches, and other minor debris. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity is strong, black levels fare well, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. Range-wise, this track is serviceable, dialogue comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, there are a few audio dropouts, one that lasts for almost 10 seconds.

Extras:

There is no extra content.

Summary:

A man, struggling with his circumstances, accepts a position as the intermediary between the triads and the yakuza, who are engaged in a 5 million dollar heroin transaction.

By the latter half of the 1970s, there were so many kung fu films being made by independent film companies, many of whom had only made one or two before going away. Not only were these films cheaply made when compared to the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, but their overall quality was mostly miss instead of hit. Despite their average quality, these low-budget kung fu movies shared a common trait: they were highly entertaining.

Deadly Kung-Fu Factor (aka The Delivery) jumps right into the action with a car chase between a suspected drug smuggler and the police. From there, the action is non-stop with only minimal exposition to move things forward. While there is an abundance of fight sequences, the choreography is fairly standard, nothing flashy, with the most memorable moment action-wise being saved for the finale.

The most recognizable cast member is Michael Chan Wai-Man in the role of Kung Chun San Lang, a man hired to facilitate a drug deal between the triads and the Yakuza. He’s known for roles in films like Chinese Hercules, All Men Are Brothers, Broken Oath, Deadly Breaking Sword, and Five Elements Ninja. When it comes to the performances, they all service the story that unfolds well.

While Deadly Kung-Fu Factor (aka The Delivery) is an action/crime film, it also serves up a healthy dose of exploitation elements, notably an ample amount of nudity from its female cast. Running parallel with the drug deal is a police investigation where the police always manage to be one step behind the criminals. There is not much information out there about Deadly Kung Fu Factor (aka The Delivery). That said, while no composer is listed, I am going to guess that its progressive rock-infused score is unauthorized. Ultimately, despite its shortcomings, Deadly Kung-Fu Factor (aka The Delivery) is a film that works better than it should.

Deadly Kung-Fu Factor (aka The Delivery) gets a serviceable audio/video presentation from Dark Force Entertainment.








Written by Michael Den Boer

Four Times That Night (Quante volte... quella note) – Indicator Series (4k UHD) Theatrical Release Date: Italy/West Germany/USA, 1971 Direc...