Rich and Famous and Tragic Hero – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1987 (Rich and Famous, Tragic Hero)
Director: Taylor Wong (Both Films)
Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Alex Man, Alan Tam, Pauline Wong, Carina Lau, Danny Lee, Ko Chun-hsiung, Shing Fui-On

Release Date: July 17th, 2023
Approximate running times: 104 Minutes 24 Seconds (Rich and Famous),  96 Minutes 57 Seconds (Rich and Famous)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese Restored Original, LPCM Mono Cantonese Original Theatrical Mix, LPCM Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £28.99 (UK)

"In Rich and Famous, in order to pay off a gambling debt two brothers Yung (Alex Man) and Kwok (Andy Lau) enter a dangerous world of violent criminals. Crossing paths with the charismatic gangster Li Ah Chai (Chow Yun Fat), the two brothers join his gang and quickly rise through the ranks. Then in the spectacularly action-packed Tragic Hero, the fortunes of all three characters has changed significantly, with one of the brothers now a violent Triad leader seeking revenge." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Rich and Famous, Tragic Hero)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "1080p presentations on Blu-ray from new restorations of the original film elements."

Rich and Famous comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray. 

Disc Size: 39 GB

Feature: 32.2 GB

Tragic Hero comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray. 

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 29.6 GB

The sources used for these two films are compatible, and both transfers are in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels are strong.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese Restored Original - Rich and Famous, LPCM Mono Cantonese Original Theatrical Mix - Rich and Famous, LPCM Mono Cantonese Restored Original - Tragic Hero, LPCM Mono Cantonese Original Theatrical Mix - Tragic Hero, LPCM Mono English - Tragic Hero), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English - Rich and Famous)

Each film comes with three audio options: a LPC mono mix in Cantonese (the restored original), a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese (the original theatrical mix), and a LPCM mono mix in English. The quality of all of these audio tracks is compatible, with the main difference being that the Cantonese-restored original tracks sound more robust than the other tracks. That said, dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, things sound very good. It should be noted that around the ninety-six minute mark for the Rich and Famous English language track, there is a brief moment where quality drops. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track.

Extras:

Extras for Rich and Famous include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3 minutes 56 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese text with removable English subtitles), English export theatrical trailer (3 minutes 59 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a documentary about the dubbing of Hong Kong films into English during the 80s, featuring an interview with Simon Broad who was the voice of Chow Yun Fat for the English language releases of many of his films titled Dub Masters (21 minutes 19 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival).

Extras for Tragic Hero include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 17 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), English export theatrical trailer (3 minutes 51 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with filmmaker Michael Mak titled A Race for the Heroes (32 minutes 46 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Manfred Wong titled Heroes & Villains Johnny Mak Style (22 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Asian film expert Frank Djeng.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 20-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled To Live and Die in Hong Kong written by James Oliver, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

The narratives revolve around two brothers, Yung and Kwok, whose gambling debts set in motion their descent into the world of crime. Along the way, a crime boss named Li Ah Chai shows them the ins and outs of Hong Kong’s criminal underworld. Rich and Famous is the rise of these two brothers, who, by the end of this film, have fallen out. In Tragic Hero, the focus shifts to Yung's hostile takeover of Hong Kong's crime world.

Though these two films share characters, Tragic Hero’s narrative picks right up where Rich and Famous left off. Tone-wise, these two films are different; Rich and Famous is a character-driven film, while Tragic Hero is a more intense ride that relies more on action set pieces. Also, Tragic Hero is the more violent of the two films.

Chow Yun-Fat (The Killer) is one of the most recognizable faces when discussing Hong Kong action and crime films. In 1987, the year that he appeared in Rich and Famous and Tragic Hero, he had just come off the success of A Better Tomorrow. And in 1987, he would appear in City on Fire, Prison on Fire, and A Better Tomorrow II. All of these films, like Rich and Famous and Tragic Hero, would fall into the sub-genre of Hong Kong cinema known as heroic Bloodshed.

Chow Yun-Fat is cast in the role of a charismatic crime boss named Li Ah Chai. This is the type of character that he would often portray, and once again, he delivers a captivating performance that often overshadows all other performances.

That said, the rest of the cast is very good in their roles, especially Alex Man (Casino Tycoon) in the role of Yung, the hotheaded brother who will do anything to rise to the top. This character is essentially the villain of these films, and he delivers a superb performance where he goes on to exploit his characters' short-fused moments of rage. Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) in the role of Kwok is the most underused character in these two films.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where these two films do not deliver the goods. Both narratives are well executed, and pacing is never an issue as key moments are given ample time to resonate. Also, both films have phenomenal finales. Other strengths are Taylor Wong’s sure-handed direction, and when it comes to the bullet ballet action set pieces, these moments deliver in spades. Ultimately, if you are a fan of heroic bloodshed films, then Rich and Famous and Tragic Hero are must-see films.

Rich and Famous and Tragic Hero is an excellent release from Eureka Video; both films come with solid, strong audio and video presentations, and there are a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer