Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion – Redemption Films (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1973
Director: Renato Polselli
Writer: Renato Polselli
Cast: Isarco Ravaioli, Franca Gonella, Bruna Beani, Mirella Rossi, Giuseppe Cardillo, Melissa Chimenti, Anna Ardizzone, Sergio Ammirata, Marcello Bonini Olas, Ciro Di Mola, Carla Mancini

Release Date: July 7th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 90 Minutes 51 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Aspect Ratio
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $29.95

"Mondo-style film in which a psychiatrist explains to his students several stories of sexual deviancy. Each vignette begins with the doctor citing a fact-based newspaper/magazine story of abhorrent sexual behaviour." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 1/5

Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion comes on a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 4 GB

The source looks rough, and throughout there are many instances where the image looks cropped. Colors are inconsistent, and image clarity and black levels are never optimal.

Audio: 1.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The track lacks depth, and there are some audio imperfections.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a poster and lobby card gallery for Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion (11 images) and trailers for Sext S.W.A.T. Team, S&M Hunter Begins, Uncle’s Paradise, Far From the Apple Tree, 13 Notes in Red, Sidewalks of Bangkok, and Nude for Satan.

Summary:

Renato Polselli directed Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion. He’s known for The Truth According to Satan, Black Magic Rites, Delirium (Delirio caldo), and Mania.

Renato Polselli’s filmography has two distinctive halves; the change ends with Crazy World... Crazy People! and begins with The Truth According to Satan. While his earlier films adhered to a more conventional filmmaking style, the later ones had an anything-goes mentality that broke every rule.

Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion is a sex-themed Mondo film. The narrative revolves around a professor and his students who look over salacious newspaper headlines about sexual deviancy. Some of the stories include a man with an unusually large penis that frightens women, a transvestite prostitute, zoophilia, necrophilia, and gerontophilia. Although the narrative takes on the familiar shocking subject matter that Mondo films are known for, most of the stories are unintentionally funny and lack any shock.

The narratives never manage to build any momentum. There are two reasons why. The first reason is the editing, which has an odd rhythm, and the use of hardcore sex inserts that add nothing to the narrative. Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion’s strongest asset is Umberto Cannone’s score, which perfectly fuses with Renato Polselli’s psychotronic filmmaking style. Having long been a fan of the cinema of Renato Polselli, I am always eager to check more of his films out. Unfortunately, out of the five Renato Polselli films I have seen to date, Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion is by far the worst.

Revelations of a Psychiatrist on the World of Sexual Perversion finally receives a home media release; unfortunately, it is a mediocre audio/video presentation.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Pornographers: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1966
Director: Shōhei Imamura
Writers: Shōhei Imamura, Koji Numata
Cast: Shōichi Ozawa, Sumiko Sakamoto, Keiko Sagawa, Masaomi Kondô, Haruo Tanaka, Ganjirô Nakamura, Chôchô Miyako, Kō Nishimura, Ichirō Sugai, Shinichi Nakano, Kazuo Kitamura, Asao Uchida

Release Date: June 22nd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 128 Minutes 12 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"A former Buddhist monk turned erotic filmmaker, Subuyan lives with hairdresser Haru and her two teenage children. Shooting two skin flicks per day, he somehow manages to stay out of the clutches of the yakuza, but real trouble starts when Haru discovers him lusting after her daughter." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “The Pornographers was digitally restored in 2026 by Radiance Films from a 35mm original negative preserved by Nikkatus Corporation, and this 4K restoration commemorates the 100th anniversary of master director Shohei Imamura's birth.

Restored by Nikkatsu Corporation, Radiance Films

Film scanned by Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc.

Digital Restoration Services: Heavenly Movie Corporation"

The Pornographers comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 89.9 GB

Feature: 88.8 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy; contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid; and the image always retains an organic appearance.

The Pornographers comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.1 GB

Feature: 35.7 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent, dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

There are no extras on the 4K UHD disc.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Masaomi Kondo (21 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Steve Corbeil, who discusses author Akiyuki Nosaka (24 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with film critic Tony Rayns, who discusses the cinema of Shōhei Imamura (46 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include a reversible cover art; a removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings; and a 20-page booklet (limited to 3,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Flesh and Blood written by Jasper Sharp, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Shôhei Imamura directed The Pornographers. He’s known for Pigs and Battleships, The Insect Woman, Intentions of Murder, Vengeance Is Mine, The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain, and Warm Water Under a Red Bridge.

Subuyan is a former Buddhist monk who now works as a pornographer and lives with a hairdresser and her two children. Although he is romantically involved and sees himself as a family man to her children, he struggles to control his desires for her daughter. When the police cracked down on pornography, his professional and personal lives unravel to the point where he ultimately isolates himself.

While the film’s provocative title, The Pornographers, clearly indicates the protagonist's profession, there is much more to him and the characters that populate the story. The protagonist and the other characters in the story are much more complex than their initial appearances suggest. Some of the themes explored in The Pornographers include societal norms, desire, obsession, voyeurism, and taboo subject matter that delves into morality.

The Pornographers is a film that straddles several genres, notably drama, erotica, and comedy. In the case of the latter, its humor is firmly in black comedy. While there are elements of The Pornographers that are in line with Pinku Eiga films, it actually underplays erotic moments when compared to films from that genre.

The entire cast is excellent in the roles, especially Shōichi Ozawa’s portrayal of Subuyan, a man who’s stubbornness often derails him. A frequent collaborator of Shōhei Imamura, Subuyan is the biggest role of Shōichi Ozawa’s career. Another performance of note is Sumiko Sakamoto’s portrayal of Haru, Subuyan’s common-law wife. Her character has the most visually arresting moment. It is a surreal scene where Haru is behind bars inside of a hospital dancing and when the camera pulls back, Haru is still behind bars in the middle of a barren landscape.

The narrative, which lasts 128 minutes, contains numerous moving parts. Although the narrative unfolds in a linear way, it still feels disjointed. That said, the opening setup does a superb job fleshing out its main characters. Through all of its peaks and valleys, the narrative always holds your attention as it effectively builds to an ironic finale that serves as a perfect exclamation point.

The way in which the camera moves immediately grabs you. Instead of master shots or close-ups, the visuals take on a voyeuristic approach that frames people outside of windows or through objects. The visuals often employ surrealism and symbolism; in the case of the latter, a motif with a carp that Haru believes is her dead husband reincarnated. Ultimately, The Pornographers is an extraordinary cinematic experience that feels as modern today as the day it was released.

The Pornographers gets a definitive release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and 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.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2001
Director: Shōhei Imamura
Writers: Shōhei Imamura, Daisuke Tengan, Motofumi Tomikawa
Cast: Kōji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Mitsuko Baisho, Mansaku Fuwa, Isao Natsuyagi, Yukiya Kitamura, Hijiri Kojima

Release Date: June 22nd, 2026 (UK)
Approximate Running Time: 119 Minutes 21 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Stereo Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"When a dying friend tells out-of-work salaryman Yosuke (Koji Yakusho, Perfect Days) about a hidden treasure, he sets off in search of the only clue about its location: a house by a red bridge. What he finds instead is a woman who transcends all his fantasies." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Warm Water Under a Red Bridge was transferred in high-definition by Nikkatsu Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a high-definition digital file.”

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.2 GB

Feature: 34.9 GB

The thing that immediately grabbed me while watching this transfer is how much of a stronger encode it is compared to Film Movements' 2025 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear and balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical teaser trailer directed by Takashi Miike, with newly filmed intro (4 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival Making of documentary shot on location (22 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival discussion between Shohei Imamura and Takashi Miike that originally aired on Japanese TV (22 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Daisuke Tengan (21 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, a removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings; and a 20-page booklet (limited to 3,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Water is Life written by Bastian Meiresonne, and information about the transfer. The Takashi Miike introduction can also be played before the main feature.

Summary:

Shôhei Imamura directed Warm Water Under a Red Bridge. He’s known for Pigs and Battleships, The Insect Woman, Intentions of Murder, The Pornographers, Vengeance Is Mine, The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, and Black Rain.

A salaryman visiting a seaside town falls in love with a woman who has a most unusual way of climaxing during sex.

Although Warm Water Under a Red Bridge begins as a story about a man searching for an object hidden in a house by someone he knew, it evolves into a romantic comedy about characters searching for meaning in their lives. That said, its premise does a superb job drawing you in, and its well-crafted narrative effectively builds momentum.

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge is a film infused with magical realism and social commentary. Themes explored include alienation, male sexuality and the fear of impotency, and a celebration of female ecstasy. Despite its salacious premise, Warm Water Under a Red Bridge is actually a heartfelt exploration of the human condition. Although the moments where Saeko is climaxing are striking, ultimately it is the non-sexual moments between her character and Yosuke that drive the narrative.

All around, the cast are excellent in their roles; the secondary characters are mostly quirky characters who provide some humor. That said, it is the two leads, Kōji Yakusho (Cure) in the role of Yosuke Sasano and Misa Shimizu (the eel), who shine the brightest. Their performances are nuanced, and they have an incredible amount of on-screen chemistry.

The narrative moves at a deliberate pace that allows characters' stories to flesh out and key moments to resonate. The last 20 minutes offer up a superbly executed twist and a dramatic tonal shift; things become violent and darker. The film culminates in a cathartic finale where the two leads reveal truths from their pasts, thereby exposing old wounds. Not to be overlooked when discussing Warm Water Under a Red Bridge is its use of odd sounds, which enhances the mood in a way a more traditional score would not. Ultimately, Warm Water Under a Red Bridge is an exemplary blend of melodrama, fantasy, and humor that serves as a perfect coda for Shōhei Imamura, a filmmaker who constantly challenged boundaries.

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge gets a solid release from Radiance Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Vengeance Is Mine - The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 1979
Director: Shōhei Imamura
Writers: Masaru Baba, Shunsaku Ikehata
Cast: Ken Ogata, Mayumi Ogawa, Rentarō Mikuni, Mitsuko Baisho

Release Date: August 26th, 2014|
Approximate Running Time: 140 Minutes 45 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"A thief, a murderer, and a charming lady-killer, Iwao Enokizu (Ken Ogata) is on the run from the police. Director Shohei Imamura turns this fact-based story—about the seventy-eight-day killing spree of a remorseless man from a devoutly Catholic family—into a cold, perverse, and at times diabolically funny examination of the primitive coexisting with the modern." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "This high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 2K Datacine from a new 35mm low-contrast print made from the original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean."

Vengeance Is Mine comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.4 GB

Feature: 38.6 GB

For a release that is 12 years old, this transfer holds up really well. Flesh tones and colors look correct; contrast, black levels, and image clarity are solid, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. The track sounds excellent, the dialogue is always clear, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical teaser (3 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), excerpts from a 1999 interview with director Shohei Imamura, produced by the Directors Guild of Japan (10 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with film critic Tony Rayns, and a 34-page booklet with cast & crew information, a writing by Shōhei Imamura titled On Vengeance Is Mine, an essay titled Civilization and Its Discontents written by Michael Atkinson, an archival interview with Shōhei Imamura titled To and From Fiction conducted by Toichi Nakata, a writing by Shōhei Imamura titled My Approach to Filmmaking, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Shôhei Imamura directed Vengeance Is Mine. He’s known for Pigs and Battleships, The Insect Woman, Intentions of Murder, The Pornographers, The Ballad of Narayama, Zegen, Black Rain, The Eel, and Warm Water Under a Red Bridge.

A con man and murderer named Iwao Enokizu evades capture by outsmarting the police for 78 days.

By the mid-1960s Shôhei Imamura would form his own production company after working for Nikkatsu Corporation for a decade. While Shôhei Imamura made a trio of films in the later half of the 1960s, he would only make documentaries in the decade following Profound Desires of the Gods. This brings us to Vengeance Is Mine, a film that fuses Shôhei Imamura's earlier cinema with his documentaries.

Vengeance Is Mine is based on the actual events of the 78-day manhunt to catch Iwo Enixum. Shōhei Imamura for Vengeance Is Mine employs a documentary style that enhances the realism of the event being depicted. Throughout Vengeance Is Mine, there is text that appears onscreen laying out dates and information about the victims. While the narrative begins with the killer's capture, from there it shifts to a non-linear structure that mostly takes place in the past. That said, once the story settles in and all of the main characters have been introduced, the non-linear structure becomes a nonfactor since the story is so overpowering.

Ken Ogata (The Demon) gives the performance of his career as Iwao Enokizu. Throughout, Iwao Enokizu takes on various personalities, many fashioned from his victims, and Ken Ogata’s ability to shift between these personas is extraordinary. Another area where his performance excels is how he often restrains any emotion and comes off as a blank slate. Another performance of note is Mitsuko Baisho’s (Hitokiri) portrayal of Iwao Enokizu’s wife, who becomes entangled in an affair with Iwao’s father.

Vengeance Is Mine is much more than a story about a killer; it's a film that explores themes of nihilism, voyeurism, jealousy, and religion. Vengeance Is Mine, like all of the cinema of Shōhei Imamura, requires one to dig deeper and look beyond the surface. While there are many moments of violence that occur onscreen, the most jarring of these moments is a scene where the killer's wife and father boil a dog to death; fortunately, the dog is only heard and never seen. That said, there is a rawness to the killings that enhance their authenticity. Ultimately, Vengeance Is Mine is an exemplary crime drama where the darkest sides of the human condition are on full display.

Vengeance Is Mine gets an excellent release from The Criterion Collection that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Killers on Wheels – Vinegar Syndrome Archive (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1976
Director: Kuei Chih-Hung
Writer: Sze-To On
Cast: Ling Yun, Terry Liu, Danny Lee, San Chiang, Wen-Wei Lin, Sung-Ling Li

Release Date: June 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 12 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $49.98

"A weekend pleasure trip to an isolated island off Hong Kong turns into hell on wheels (and sand) when a wild, unruly motorcycle gang winds up on the same ferry as Carrie and her guests Mei-Chuan and Chien-Chung. Landing on the island, where Carrie's boyfriend Sze Wei welcomes them to his father's lush waterfront villa, the bikers then commence to party, carouse, and race their Yamahas on the beach. Once a few of them hassle Carrie, and Sze Wei confronts them with a harpoon gun, inevitable tensions start to boil. With any police a day or so away, vandalism and cruel pranks soon turn into violent retribution, and suddenly, far worse. Who'll remain alive when all the dust settles?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Killers on Wheels has been newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative. Due to poor storage conditions, the negative suffered severe moisture damage. Although extensive restoration efforts were undertaken to remove as much of this damage as possible, much remains.

Also, please note that the opening sequence was never included in the English language version, so if viewing the film with its English soundtrack, this sequence will be presented in Mandarin with English subtitles."

Killers on Wheels comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.3 GB

Feature: 30.1 GB

The above text provides a clear indication of what to expect; there are moments where emulsion stains become prominent. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both tracks sound clear and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds are well-represented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin-language track and removable English SDH for the English-language track. The opening sequence is only in Mandarin and it comes with removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (stills/posters), a locations featurette (20 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), a behind-the-scenes featurette (4 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), a video essay by author and film historian Samm Deighan titled Killers on Wheels and the Biker Exploitation Film (13 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with martial arts film expert Frank Djeng, reversible cover art, a double-sided folded poster, a spot gloss slipcase edition (limited to 5,000 units), and a 40-page perfect-bound book with an essay titled Born to be Wild in the Hollywood of the East: Chih-Hung Kuei’s Killers on Wheels written by John Charles, an essay titled Pictures from the Revolution written by Walter Chaw, and an essay titled Copaganda: The Evolution of Danny Lee’s Law and Order Persona written by Erica Shultz.

Summary:

Chih-Hung Kuei directed Killers on Wheels. His other notable films include The Lady Professional, The Delinquent, The House of Bamboo Dolls, The Killer Snakes, Virgins of the Seven Seas, Killer Constable, Hex, Bewitched, Corpse Mania, and The Boxer’s Omen.

Two couples' trip to an isolated island off the coast of Hong Kong turns into a weekend of terror when they are targeted by a vicious motorcycle gang.

Beyond their martial arts and horror films, the Shaw Brothers made a variety of down-and-dirty exploitation films. Some of the Shaw Brothers' notable exploitation films are Kiss of Death, The Virgins, The Bamboo House of Dolls, Virgins of the Seven Seas, Mini-Skirt Gang, and Big Bad Sis. This brings us to Killers on Wheels, a delinquent biker gang film that firmly places itself among the Shaw Brothers' best exploitation films.

While the opening setup shows how dangerous and out of control the bikers are, there is little character backstory. Fortunately, although Killers on Wheels lacks in exposition, it compensates with a series of intense moments that escalate and lead to an explosive finale. That said, the narrative moves quickly and there are no issues building momentum.

Danny Lee (City on Fire), who portrays Sze Wei, is the most notable cast member. His character and three others are terrorized by a biker gang. Danny Lee is given the most to work with out of all of the cast and he makes the most of it. When it comes to the performances, they suit the story well, especially those portraying bikers.

Although martial arts takes a back seat to the sleaze and mayhem that unfolds, there is at least one moment where Danny Lee’s character gets to showcase his martial arts fighting skills. That said, there is an abundance of impressive stunt work, most of which involves the bikes doing dangerous things. The Last House on the Left and Straw Dogs are two films that Killers on Wheels could have drawn inspiration from. Ultimately, Killers on Wheels is a solid exploitation film that quickly grabs you and keeps you interested as it builds to a crazy finale that has to be seen to be believed.

Vinegar Syndrome Archive gives Killers on Wheels a first-rate release that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Magnificent Bodyguards: Deluxe Limited Edition – 88 Films (3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1978
Director: Lo Wei
Writer: Gu Long
Cast: Jackie Chan, James Tien, Leung Siu-lung (Bruce Liang), Wang Ping, Lau Ming, Lee Man-tai, Luk Chuen, Fang Fang, Ko Keung

Release Date: June 29th, 2026 (UK), June 30th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 103 Minutes 55 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English, LPCM Mono English With Alternate Music Cues
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £25.00 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Jackie Chan leaps out of the screen in Magnificent Bodyguards! As Lord Ting Chung, he commits to leading a team of warriors escorting a gravely ill man across a treacherous land known as Stormy Hills—a place filled with danger, betrayal, and possible death. But as the journey unfolds, could their mysterious charge be hiding a deadly secret?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (All Versions)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negatives."

Magnificent Bodyguards 3D version comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 37.8 GB

Magnificent Bodyguards, the 2D version, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.2 GB

Feature: 34.4 GB

Magnificent Bodyguards, an anaglyph 3D version, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.9 GB

Feature: 33.1 GB

The source is clean, free of any imperfections; it's easily the best it's looked on home media. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression. That said, while watching the 2D version, the moments that do not use 3D look considerably stronger.

Note: There are reports that some people are having trouble with some of the discs, notably the 3D disc.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono Cantonese), 3.75/5 (LPCM Mono English, LPCM Mono English With Alternate Music Cues)

This release comes with four audio options: a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in English, and an alternate music cue LPCM mono mix in English. Mandarin and Cantonese are the two strongest tracks; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. That said, the two English-language tracks sound muffled and lack the depth that the other tracks have. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin-language track, removable English subtitles for the Cantonese-language track, and removable English subtitles for Mandarin text when watching in English.

Extras:

Extras are the same across these three discs. Extras include an English-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 35 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a Mandarin-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 35 seconds, DTS-HD mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), an interview with Steve Lawson titled Magnificent Bodyguards - A New Dimension in Action? (8 minutes 56 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic James Mudge titled Punching Into the 3rd Dimension, and an audio commentary with Hong Kong film experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto.

Other extras include reversible cover art; a lenticular cover featuring new artwork by “Kung Fu Bob” O'Brien; one pair of anaglyph 3D glasses (red and blue); and a 32-page booklet with an essay titled Long Live The King: Crossing the Cloudy Mountain written by Thorsten Boose and archival images.

Note: The 3D anaglyph Blu-ray and glasses are only available for the first pressing.

Summary:

Lo Wei directed Magnificent Bodyguards. He is best known for directing two Bruce Lee films and six Jackie Chan films.

A kung fu master is hired to escort a woman and her sick brother through the dangerous Stormy Hills, an area controlled by criminals.

Over the course of their six film collaborations, Lo Wei attempted to make Jackie Chan the next Bruce Lee, and in Magnificent Bodyguards, he employed 3D technology and everything he could to make Jackie Chan the next big thing in martial arts cinema. In their first film, New Fists of Fury, Lo Wei tried to make Jackie Chan the next Bruce Lee, and with Magnificent Bodyguards, Lo Wei would employ 3D in hopes of elevating his stature as a filmmaker. Unfortunately for Lo Wei, he would never try the one thing that would later make Jackie Chan a star.

At the heart of Magnificent Bodyguards is a story rooted in deception. While there is a hero, Lord Ting Chung, he actually takes a backseat to a rogue gallery of criminals and killers who each have a unique set of fighting skills. Unknown to Lord Ting Chung is that the man he’s escorting is actually the king of Stormy Hills, and he’s on a vendetta against an imposter who assumed his throne.

Although Jackie Chan’s character Lord Ting Chung would be considered the protagonist, Magnificent Bodyguards is really an ensemble cast where no one cast member stands out. Other notable cast members are James Tien (Fists of Fury) in the role of Tsang, a character who skins their opponents and Leung Siu-lung, who’s better known as Bruce Liang, in the role of a deaf fighter named Chang.

While the fight scenes are not on the level of other Jackie Chan films like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin, and Drunken Master, they do take advantage of the 3D aspects. Another thing about the fight choreography and Lo Wei’s directing: both benefit more from the cast's contributions than his creative instincts. The most notable fight scene sees Jackie Chan’s character fight snakes.

I found the narrative engaging, despite its shortcomings, notably its inability to maintain momentum. The narrative could have achieved better balance by incorporating more exposition and reducing the heavy reliance on action set pieces. Magnificent Bodyguards is yet another 1970s martial arts film with familiar music cues, this time around Star Wars. Ultimately, Magnificent Bodyguards is a film that is most remembered for being the first Hong Kong film in 3D, and it is only recommended for Jackie Chan completists.

Magnificent Bodyguards gets a solid release from 88 Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer