Wheels on Meals - Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1984
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Writers: Edward Tang, Gwing-Gai Lee
Cast: Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Benny Urquidez, Keith Vitali, Herb Edelman, Lola Forner

Release Date: March 18th, 2019
Approximate running time: 109 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono Cantonese (Alternate Soundtrack), DTS-HD 5.1 English (Classic Dub), DTS-HD 5.1 English (2006 Dub), LPCM Mono English (Classic Dub)
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

“Fast food chefs Thomas and David find themselves cooking up trouble when detective Moby involves them in the case of a missing heiress. The three friends need all of their daring and physical dexterity when they find themselves facing a triple helping of danger.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Stunning 1080p presentation from a brand new 2K restoration."

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

Disc Size: 42.7 GB

Feature: 34.7 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Colors look vibrant, flesh tones look healthy, and image clarity and compression are solid. That said, despite black levels looking strong for most of the film, there are few moments where they are not as strong.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono Cantonese - alternate soundtrack, DTS-HD 5.1 English - classic dub, DTS-HD 5.1 English - 2006 Dub, LPCM Mono English - classic dub)

This release comes with six audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese (Alternate Soundtrack), a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English (Classic Dub), a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English (2006 Dub) and a LPCM mono mix in English (Classic Dub). You can’t go wrong with any of the audio mixes. They all sound clean, clear, and balanced. Also, when it comes to range, all of these audio mixes sound robust when they should. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks.

Extras:

Extras for this release include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), International theatrical trailer (2 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Japanese Spartan X trailer (2 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), Spartan X alternate Japanese release end credits (3 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), outtake footage (4 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono), an interview with Sammo Kam-Bo Hung titled On Giants Shoulders (7 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor / director Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (10 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Yuen Biao titled Born to Fight (14 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez titled Jet Fighter (28 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Keith Vitali titled King of Ring (33 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an interview with director Stanley Tong titled The Inside Track (34 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a limited edition O-Card (first pressing only), and a 44-page booklet (first pressing only) with cast & crew information, an essay titled All For One: 'Three Brothers' Hit Barcelona written by James Oliver, an essay titled Spanish Fly: Hong Kong New Wave and Wheels on Meals written by Scott Harrison, behind-the-scenes & promotional material, poster gallery, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Wheels on Meals was directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, whose other notable films as a director include Knockabout, Encounters of the Spooky Kind, The Prodigal Son, Eastern Condors, and Pedicab Driver.

Wheels on Meals immediately draws you in with an opening credit workout sequence that introduces Jackie Chan and Biao Yuen’s characters. This opening sequence and the scene that introduces Sammo Kam-Bo Hung’s bumbling detective character perfectly set the tone for what is about to unfold.

Content-wise, Wheels on Meals has all the elements that Jackie Chan’s most celebrated films are known for. It was refreshing to watch Jackie Chan in a collaboration where he shares the spotlight with two other actors, whose own unique styles are given equal time to shine.

Humor plays a large role in the story at hand. With Jackie Chan and Biao Yuen’s characters fighting for the same girl being a running gag throughout the film, Other humorous moments include a scene where Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao’s characters are washing a car and a pretty girl walks by; Yuen Biao’s character gets distracted by the pretty woman who walks by, and he throws a bucket of dirty water in the face of a police officer who’s walking by. And a scene where Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao’s characters decide to run away from two bad guys when they realize they’re overmatched.

Performance wise, Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung are a dynamic trio that have a tremendous amount of chemistry. Other notable performances include those of Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez and Keith Vitali in the roles of the main henchmen and Lola Forner in the role of an heiress named Sylvia, who’s being targeted by the bad guys hired by her uncle.

Though the action set pieces take a back seat to the characters stories in the first half of the film, once the film transitions away from the characters, it is non-stop action. Standout moments include a scene in a public square where Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao’s characters dispose of a gang riding motorbikes who are chasing away their potential customers, a scene where a high-speed chase ensues after Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung’s characters rescue Sylvia from kidnappers, and a showdown in a castle, which is this film’s most impressive action set piece. Ultimately, Wheels on Meals is one of the high points of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema.

Wheels on Meals gets an excellent release from Eureka Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer