Legendary Weapons of China – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1982
Director: Chia-Liang Liu
Writers: Tai-Hung Lee, Chia-Liang Liu
Cast: Chia-Liang Liu, Chia-Yung Liu, Kara Wai, Hou Hsiao, Alexander Fu Sheng, Chia-Hui Liu (Gordon Liu)

Release Date: February 8th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 105 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: $29.95

"When the former member of a failing magical kung fu order threatens to destroy the remaining group's reputation through his loud mouth insults and defamatory behavior, an elite band of killers is dispatched to silence him forever." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “HD master from the original 35mm negatives.” 

Legendary Weapons of China comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.2 GB

Feature: 31.6 GB

The source used for this transfer looks great; color saturation and image clarity look solid throughout, and black levels look very good.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio mixes are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, action sequences sound robust. Included with this release are two subtitle options: English for the Cantonese language track and a second English subtitle track for Cantonese text and signs.

Extras:

Extras for this release include original theatrical trailer (3 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles and burnt in English and Cantonese subtitles), an interview with producer Titus Ho titled Titus At Shaw (24 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Gordon Lui titled Gordon At Shaw (15 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with David West titled Eighteen Weapons (13 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, an audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng and actor/martial artist Michael Worth, an audio commentary with Frank Djeng, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster, a limited edition slipcover and a twenty-six page booklet with an essay titled A Strange Call to Arms written by Andrew Graves.

Summary:

By the early 1980's, Kung Fu cinema was transitioning away from the films that brought this genre to prominence in the 1970’s. Most of the 1970’s Kung Fu were hero-based films that featured revenge-themed premises and were serious in tone. By the late 1970's, there was a tonal shift towards humor in Kung Fu cinema that reached its apex in the 1980’s. That said, it’s not surprising that humor played a role in Legendary Weapons of China when you factor in contemporary Kung Fu films from that era.

The Legendary Weapons of China’s narrative revolves around assassins who are searching for a martial arts master who’s been living under a new identity. From there, it's revealed that some characters have ulterior motives that play a significant role in the final showdown.

Legendary Weapons of China, like most of Chia-Liang Liu’s other films, opens with credit sequences where characters perform martial arts in front of blank backdrops. Once again, his direction is solid, especially when it comes to the fight sequences. Another strength of his direction is how effectively he balances action set pieces and humor. With the most memorable moment being a scene where Alexander Fu Sheng’s character, Charlatan Wu, is impersonating a martial arts master named Lei Ying, and when an assassin corners him while he is trying to talk to the man he’s impersonating, Lei Ying uses a doll that allows him to control Charlatan Wu’s every movement as he fights the assassin. This sequence is a perfect example of blending action choreography with humor.

The Legendary Weapons of China features a solid cast whose most memorable performances are actually cameos: Chia-Hui Liu (Gordon Liu) in the all-too familiar role of a Shaolin monk and Alexander Fu Sheng (Chinatown Kid) in the role of a con man named Charlatan Wu. Other notable performances include Chia-Yung Liu (Warriors Two) in the role of Lei Ying and Kara Wai in the role of Fang Shao Ching (My Young Auntie), a woman disguised as a man.

The Legendary Weapons of China is a tongue-firmly-in-cheek celebration of Kung Fu cinema. That said, though there’s humor throughout Legendary Weapons of China, to write off this film as a silly end to Kung Fu cinema would be vastly missing what Legendary Weapons of China is ultimately about: an affectionate look back at the films that preceded it.

The Legendary Weapons of China gets an excellent release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer