Dragons Forever – 88 Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1988
Directors: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Corey Yuen
Writers: Gordon Chan, Leung Yiu-Ming , Szeto Cheuk-Hon
Cast: Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Yuen Biao, Pauline Yeung, Deannie Ip, Wah Yuen, Benny Urquidez

Release Date: January 10th, 2023
Approximate Running Times: 94 Minutes 19 Seconds (Hong Kong Cut), 98 Minutes (Japanese Cut), 94 Minutes 11 Seconds (International Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (All Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Atmos Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono English (Hybrid Dub), DTS-HD 5.1 English (2002 Remix)
Subtitles: English (Hong Kong Cut, Japanese Cut), English SDH (International Cut)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A,B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.98

"Hotshot lawyer Jackie Lung (Jackie Chan) is hired to defend the owner of a factory which, unbeknownst to him, is the centre of a clandestine narcotics syndicate. He enlists resourceful acquaintances Wong Fei-Hung (Sammo Hung) and Dung Dak-Biu (Yuen Biao) to assist in the case, but loyalties begin to falter when romance blossoms between both sides." - synopsis provided by the distributor

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

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "4K restoration of the original Hong Kong version of Dragons Forever. 4K restoration of the English version of Dragons Forever. 4K restoration of the Japanese version of Dragons Forever."

Dragons Forever comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 88 GB

Feature: 67.4 GB

88 Films uses the same 4K source that they used for their 2020 Blu-ray release for this 4K UHD release. Flesh tones and color saturation look perfect; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid throughout, and the image looks organic. That said, the result is a stunning transfer that is arguably one of the best-looking transfers I have ever seen for a 1980s Hong Kong action film. This release uses seamless branching for the three versions included.

Dragons Forever comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.1 GB

Feature: 27.9 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source that was used for the 4K UHD.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono English 'Hybrid Dub'), 4.75/5 (Dolby Atmos Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 English '2002 Remix')

The Hong Kong cut comes with four audio options, a Dolby Atmos mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in English (Hybrid Dub), and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English (2002 Remix).

The Japanese cut comes with three audio options: a Dolby Atmos mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English (Hybrid Dub).

The International cut comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English (Hybrid Dub).

You really can’t go wrong with any of the audio options included with this release. All four audio tracks are in excellent shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and fight sequences sound appropriately robust. Having said that, the Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD 5.1 tracks, as well as the two remix tracks, provide very satisfying sound experiences that expand on the original mono sources. The two mono tracks are the strongest and most desirable audio experiences.

There are two English subtitle tracks for the Hong Kong cut and the Japanese cut. That said, none of the subtitle tracks match the English language tracks. Both of these tracks are similar and appear to be for the Cantonese language tracks. The International cut comes with English SDH. All of the subtitle tracks are removable.

Extras:

Extras for this release include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), English theatrical trailer (2 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), additional Cantonese dialog (40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), music video (2 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles and LPCM mono English, no subtitles), outtakes and behind the scenes (12 minutes 58 seconds, music from the film playing in the background), an interview with stuntmen Troy Sandford and Chris Jones, and filmmaker Boyask titled The Legacy of Dragons Forever (2 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Billy Chow titled The Breaker (34 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with stuntman Andy Cheng titled Kick Fighter (38 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with martial arts/background performer Joe Eigo titled Beyond Gravity (13 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with stuntman Brad Allen titled Double Jeopardy (26 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with stuntman Jude Poyer titled Working With the Dragons (6 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Mike Leeder titled Hong Kong Cinema Forever (6 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film historian David Desser titled Discussing Dragons Forever (7 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez titled Benny Forever (24 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Szeto Cheuk-Hon titled Writing for the Dragons (47 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor/stuntman Chin Kar Lok titled Elite Stuntman (34 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Frank Djang and Fj DeSanto for the Japanese cut and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for the Hong Kong cut. 

The 4K UHD disc and Blu-ray disc contain the same extras.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a large fold-out double sided poster, six replica Hong Kong lobby cards, and a 88-page booklet with an essay titled The ‘Three Brothers’ and Dragons Forever written by Mathew Edwards, an essay titled Three Sisters: The Women of Dragons Forever written by C.J. Lines.

Summary:

Dragons Forever was co-directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (Wheels on Meals) and Corey Yuen (Yes, Madam). And in the former's case, he is also one of Dragons Forever’s three leads. Dragons Forever was one of six films in the 1980s that starred Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, and Yuen Biao. The other five films are Winners and Sinners, Project A, Wheels on Meals, My Lucky Stars, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars.

Though Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, and Yuen Biao have all done exceptionally well on their own, When they work together as a trio, they create a synergy that their other films do not have. Another strength of their collaboration is that each actor is given equal screentime to shine.

Dragons Forever has a spectacular opening setup that does a fantastic job introducing its three leads: Jackie Lung, a playboy lawyer who bends the rules in the name of justice, an arms dealer named Wong Fei-Hung, and a career criminal named Dung Dak-Biu, who is very good at getting into places unnoticed. From there, the narrative does a superb job building towards an explosive finale in which these three characters have a showdown in a factory where illegal drugs are being made.

Of course the main draw of Dragons Forever is its three leads: Jackie Chan (Police Story), Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (The Magnificent Butcher), and Yuen Biao (On the Run). And though it is their exceptional fighting skills that dominate most of the screen time, It's also refreshing to see these three actors play characters who are diametrically opposed to the types of characters they're known to play.

Not to be overlooked are the performances from the rest of the cast, who are all great, especially Deanie Ip (The Lunatics) in the role of a landowner who is at odds with the criminal organization whose durg factory is polluting her lake and Pauline Yeung in the role of her cousin, who is also her lawyer. Other performances of note are Wah Yuen (Eastern Condors) in the role of a crime boss and Benny Urquidez in the role of henchmen.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Dragons Forever does not deliver and then some. It is a film where everything is firing on all cylinders, and when it comes to action set pieces, each new sequence somehow tops the previous. Standout action set pieces include a scene where Jackie Lung, who is on a date on a boat, is surrounded by thugs wanting to do him harm, and he uses his surroundings to his advantage. And then there's the finale, which takes place in a factory where the henchmen vastly outnumber the good guys. This scene has some amazing moments, especially those where Yuen Biao gets to showcase his ridiculous agility and flexibility.

For their swan song as a trio, Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, and Yuen Biao deliver a highly entertaining film that showcases not only their talents but what Hong Kong action cinema was capable of before its decline in the 1990s.

Dragons Forever gets an exceptional release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an abundance of informative 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 VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer