Millionaires' Express: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1986
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Writers: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Keith Wong
Cast: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan, Cynthia Rothrock, Lau Kar-wing, Jimmy Wang Yu, Yukari Ôshima

Release Date: February 28th, 2023
Approximate Running Times: 97 Minutes 11 Seconds (Original Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 101 Minutes 42 Seconds (Extended International Cut), 92 Minutes 4 Seconds (English Export Cut), 108 Minutes 57 Seconds (Hybrid Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (All Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese (Original Hong Kong Theatrical Cut, Extended International Cut, Hybrid Cut), LPCM Mono English (Extended International Cut, English Export Cut)
Subtitles: English (Original Hong Kong Theatrical Cut, Extended International Cut, Hybrid Cut)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"Ching Foon-tin, a former outlaw with a wild scheme to make amends with the citizens of his struggling hometown of Hanshui: explosively derail a brand new luxury express train en route from Shanghai so that its super-rich passengers will have no choice but to spend money in the town. He's not the only one with eyes on the passengers' deep pockets, however; a gang of ruthless bank-robbing bandits are on the way, looking for a priceless map being guarded by a trio of Japanese samurai. Bullets and fists will fill the air in equal measure, but will Hanshui be left standing?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (All Versions)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "New 2K restorations by Fortune Star."

Millionaires' Express, the original Hong Kong theatrical cut, and the extended International cut come on a 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.6 GB

Feature: 21.3 GB (Original Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 18.4 GB (Extended International Cut)

Millionaires' Express, the English export cut, and the hybrid cut come on a 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 23.7 GB (Hybrid Cut), 21.4 GB (English Export Cut)

The sources used for the four versions are comparable; they are in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English)

The original Hong Kong theatrical cut comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese. Included are removable English subtitles.

The extended international cut comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track and a second removable English subtitle track for Cantonese text when watching with the English language track.

The English export cut comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English.

The hybrid cut comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese. Included are removable English subtitles.

All of the audio tracks are in excellent shape. Dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and fight scenes sound robust.

Extras:

Extras on the disc that contains the original Hong Kong theatrical cut and the extended international cut include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Shanghai Express export trailer (2 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Tai Seng video promo trailer (1 minute 45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate English credits (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Yukari Oshima titled On the Cutting Edge (30 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Yuen Biao titled Way Out West (20 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor/director Sammo Kam-Bo Hung titled A New Frontier (10 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Sammo Kam-Bo Hung titled Express Delivery (14 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Cynthia Rothrock titled Trailblazer (23 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Cynthia Rothrock titled Shanghai Express Behind The Express (14 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Cynthia Rothrock titled Millionaires' Express (16 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a select scene commentary with Cynthia Rothrock, moderated by Frank Djeng, an audio commentary with Frank Djeng for the original Hong Kong theatrical cut, and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for the extended international cut.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a double-sided fold-out poster, a slipcover and a twenty-eight page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Imagining a Boundless Cinema: Sammo Hung in the 1980s written by David West, an essay titled Sammo’s Wild, Wild West written by Jonathan Clements and information about the transfers. 

Summary:

One would be hard pressed to name an actor who had more impact in martial arts cinema after Bruce Lee’s death than Jackie Chan. Though he did not achieve the level of fame that Jackie Chan achieved in America, it is hard to overlook just how important Sammo Kam-Bo Hung is to martial arts cinema. 1980s martial arts cinema, in particular. During this decade, he directed films like Wheels on Meals, My Lucky Stars, Eastern Condors, and Dragons Forever. Besides directing and appearing in these films.

Though there have been many martial arts films in which multiple actors shared the spotlight. particularly the six films in which Sammo Kam-Bo Hung co-starred with Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Millionaires' Express personified the cavalcade of who's who in Hong Kong cinema more than any other film.

The narrative revolves around a group of characters, a train filled with wealthy people, and a priceless map to a treasure. Set in the 1930s, Millionaires' Express is best described as a kung fu western meets Agatha Christie with some slapstick humor thrown in for good measure.

The solid cast is filled with recognizable faces from 1970s and 1980s Hong Kong cinema. Performance wise, the entire cast is great in their roles, especially Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (The Magnificent Butcher) in the role of Ching Foon-tin, an outlaw who returns to his hometown after evading the law. Yuen Biao (On the Run), Rosamund Kwan (Once Upon a Time in China), Cynthia Rothrock (Yes, Madam), Lau Kar-wing (Knockabout), and Jimmy Wang Yu (The Chinese Boxer) are just a few of the recognizable faces.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Millionaires' Express does not deliver, and then some. The narrative does a great job laying out who everyone is and their motivations. There is an ample amount of humor, with Sammo Kam-Bo Hung’s character being the source of most of the humor. Millionaires' Express delivers in spades when it comes to action set pieces. There is some really crazy stunt work, especially from Yuen Biao, whose moves defy gravity. Ultimately, Millionaires' Express is a perfect blend of action, adventure, and humor that fans of 1980s martial arts cinema are sure to enjoy.

Millionaires' Express gets an exceptional release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, four versions of the film, and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer