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Armour of God: Deluxe Collector's Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1986
Director: Jackie Chan
Writers: Barry Wong, Eric Tang, Ken Lowe, Szeto Chuek-Hon, John Sheppard, Jackie Chan
Cast: Jackie Chan, Alan Tam, Lola Forner, Rosamund Kwan, Božidar Smiljanić

Release Date: December 13th, 2021
Approximate Running Times: 98 Minutes 28 Seconds (Hong Kong Cut), 88 Minutes 29 Seconds (International Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Original Theatrical Mix), DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Home Video Mix), DTS-HD Mono English (Classic English Dub), DTS-HD Mono Cantonese/English Hybrid, DTS-HD 5.1 English (Hong Kong Cut), LPCM Mono English (International Cut)
Subtitles: English (Hong Kong Cut), English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: OOP

"Former musician Asian Hawk (Chan) becomes embroiled in a dangerous quest to seek out the last three parts of lost treasure, the Armour of God, in order to save his ex-bandmate's girlfriend from the clutches of a ruthless cult." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Original Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), 4/5 (International Cut)

Here’s the information given about the original Hong Kong theatrical cut's transfer, "88 Films present a brand new and exclusive 2K restoration of the main feature."

Armour of God, the Hong Kong cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43 GB

Feature: 30.4 GB

The source used for the original Hong Kong theatrical cut is in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones are accurate, and image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are all solid.

Armour of God, the International Cut, comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.2 GB

Feature: 20.9 GB

The source used for the International Cut is in great shape.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - Original Theatrical Mix, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - Home Video Mix, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese/English Hybrid), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Classic English Dub, DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Mono English)

The Hong Kong cut comes with five audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese (the original theatrical mix), a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese (the home video mix), a DTS-HD mono in English (the classic English dub), a DTS-HD mono mix in a Cantonese/English hybrid, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. All tracks allow you to choose Lorelei or Flight of the Dragon for the end credits song. All tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds are well-represented. Furthermore, the Cantonese language tracks sound more robust than the English language tracks. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track, removable English subtitles for the Cantonese/English hybrid track, and removable English SDH.

The International cut comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English, and included are removable English SDH. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and fight scenes sound appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras on the disc with the Hong Kong theatrical cut include Cantonese theatrical trailer (4 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Mandarin theatrical trailer (3 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), Japanese theatrical trailer (1 minute 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), 88 Films Blu-ray trailer (1 minute 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), High Upon High music video (6 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), High Upon High split screen (2 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), High Upon High behind the scenes (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Japanese release outtakes (4 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Locations: Then and Now featurette (6 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo), an archival interview with editor Peter Cheung (4 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with producer Willie Chan (3 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Jackie Chan (4 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Steve Lawson titled Jackie Chan on VHS - The VPF Years (7 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Radek Sienski titled Rise of the Phoenix (20 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Scott Adkins and Matt Routledge titled The Art of Action (30 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an episode of Celebrity Talk Show with Jackie Chan (58 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, and an audio commentary with Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast on Fire Network.

Other extras include six replica lobby cards, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster, and aa 88-page perfect-bound book with an essay titled Eastern Heroes written by Tim Murray, an essay titled Jackie Chan, A Trademark Designed to Succeed written by Thorsten Boose, Pixelated Punch: The Early Video Game Years of Jackie Chan written by Audi Sorlie, an interview with Thorsten Nickel by Audi Sorlie, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Made during the height of Jackie Chan’s popularity, Armour of God is a different kind of film from Jackie Chan. Although Armour of God started off with another director, a daring stunt from the spectacular opening sequence nearly killed Jackie Chan. When filming resumed, Jackie Chan replaced the original director, Eric Tsang. That said, what little footage Eric Tsang directed blends effortlessly with the rest of the film.

The narrative revolves around a treasure hunter named Asian Hawk who is reluctantly enlisted to recover a treasure known as the Armour of God. Though the tone of Armour of God has a similar vibe to the films that Jackie Chan was making at this time, the premise feels like it was inspired by the Indiana Jones films.

While it's clear that Jackie Chan is the main attraction, he surrounds himself with a solid supporting cast. Jackie Chan portrays Asian Hawk, a former pop singer for the band The Losers turned treasure hunter. Armour of God reunites Jackie Chan with Lola Forner, who he worked with on Wheels on Meals. Rounding out the cast are Alan Tam (Rich and Famous) and Rosamund Kwan (Once Upon a Time in China), who portray two members of The Losers. The onscreen chemistry of these four actors elevates all of their performances.

Jackie Chan really knows how to wow an audience with his opening sequences, and with Armour of God he delivers one of his best. That said, the opening sequence sets the bar so high the narrative does not immediately recover. After that initial burst of action, there is not another action set piece until around the 35-minute mark. Fortunately, once the narrative hits its stride, it is smooth sailing for the rest of the way.

When it comes to the action set pieces, Armour of God is more about jaw-dropping stuntwork than choreographed martial arts. Though Jackie Chan does the most impressive stunt work, there are a few moments where others pull off some daring stunts. Where most Jackie Chan moments see him square off against a formidable foe, no one in Armour of God is on his level. Ultimately, what Armour of God lacks in exposition, it makes up for in spades with its exceptional stuntwork.

Armour of God gets a definitive release from 88 Films. Highly recommended.

Note: 88 Films has rereleased Armour of God in a standard edition.