The Prodigal Son: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1981
Director: Sammo Hung Kam-bo
Writers: Sammo Hung Kam-bo, Barry Wong
Cast: Sammo Hung Kam-bo, Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-ying, Frankie Chan, Chan Lung, Chung Fat, Dick Wei, Wai Pak, Chin Yuet-sang, Hoi Sang Lee, Wu Ma, James Tien 

Release Date: September 12th, 2023
Approximate running time: 104 Minutes 42 Seconds (Both Versions)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Verisons)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono English (Both Verisons)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (Both Verisons)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"Leung Tsan (Biao) is a wealthy young man living the dream, thinking he's the "Kung Fu King" of the town of Foshan. However, his dream is about to become a nightmare when he is easily beaten in a fight by the star of a traveling opera troupe, Leung Yee-Tai (Lam Ching-Ying). It is at this low point that the truth is revealed to Tsan - all of his "victories" have been nothing but paid-for set-ups by his family out of a misguided act of protection. With this revelation, Tsan pleads with Yee-Tai to train him in the form of combat that led to his defeat: Wing Chun. Yee-Tai, with the help of fellow Wing Chun master Wong Wah-Bo (Hung), will train Tsan to not only be as skilled as he once thought he was, but even better. Though a mysterious challenger (Frankie Chan) and his ruthless Manchu bodyguards may end the journey before it can even begin..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "It was restored in 2K resolution from original film elements by Fortune Star, who supplied the master to Arrow Video for this Blu-ray release. Further materials were kindly supplied for this release by Eureka Entertainment, originally produced for their UK edition."

Here's information about the two versions, "The film is presented in two versions: The original Hong Kong theatrical release presentation, in which each actor is given their own personal credit throughout the film along with one stylized "word bubble" moment, and the home release presentation that foregoes the aforementioned on-screen texts to represent how the film has typically been presented om past home release versions of the film (VHS, DVD, etc)."

The Prodigal Son comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.5 GB

Feature: 27.8 GB

This transfer uses the same source that Eureka Video used for their Blu-ray release. The source is in great shape and free of any source-related imperfections. Color saturation is very good; the image looks crisp, and though black levels look good, there are moments where they could be stronger. The source for The Prodigal Son is in great shape, free of any source-related imperfections. Color saturation is very good, the image looks crisp, and though black levels look good, there are moments where they could be stronger. This release uses seamless branching for the two versions.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono English), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin)

There are two versions included with this release, and both versions come with three audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. All the audio mixes are in great shape. There are no issues with distortion or background noise; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, all the action sequences sound robust. That said, the differences quality-wise are menial, with the slight edge going to the Mandarin audio track, which sounds fuller than the other two audio tracks. There are three subtitle tracks: removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track, removable English subtitles for the Mandarin language track, and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (25 images - stills/posters), Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), US home video trailer (1 minute 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), alternate English language credits (1 minute 46 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Life Imitating Art, featuring interviews with Wing Chun instructor and producer Guy Lai talking about the art, illustrated via demonstrations by Sifu Austin Goh and Jude Poyer (27 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled The Heroic Trio, featuring interviews with director Sammo Hung and actors Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan (26 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Cantonese with removable English subtitles for Cantonese), an interview with Wing Chun sifu Alex Richter titled Wing Chun 101 (36 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng and actor Bobby Samuels, an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), a double-sided fold-out poster (limited to the first pressing), and 24-page booklet with (limited to the first pressing) cast & crew information, an essay titled The Origins of a Master written by Peter Glagowski, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

From the first time that I saw Yuen Biao, I was immediately impressed by his ability to effortlessly perform ridiculous acrobatic stunts. He would be given the perfect opportunity to showcase his martial arts skills in The Prodigal Son.

The Prodigal Son, like Warriors Two, features the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu. The narrative revolves around a protagonist whose martial arts prowess is due to his father's paying off his opponents. Then one day, he encounters a fighter who humiliates him, and from there, he sets out to become a true master of the martial arts.

Content-wise, The Prodigal Son has all the elements that are synonymous with classic martial arts cinema. Revenge plays a role in the story at hand, as does a lengthy training sequence that features some well-placed humor where the protagonist is being taught a fighting style that resembles going to the bathroom. That said, the fight sequences are spectacular.

The main attraction of The Prodigal Son is Yuen Biao in the role of the protagonist. He delivers one of his most memorable performances, and when it comes to the fight sequences, he’s second to none. Other notable performances include Ching-Ying Lam in the role of a Chinese opera performer with extraordinary martial arts skills and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in the role of another martial arts master.

From a production standpoint, there’s not an area where The Prodigal Son does not excel. The premise is well executed, and the narrative is a good mix of action and humor. Another thing that sets The Prodigal Son apart from other martial arts movies is that all the main characters have flaws that make them human and add more depth to the story. Ultimately, The Prodigal Son is an exceptional film and a must-see if you're a fan of classic martial arts cinema.

The Prodigal Son gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer