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The Last Blood – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1990
Director: Wong Jing
Writer: Wong Jing
Cast: Alan Tam, Andy Lau, Eric Tsang, Bryan Leung, May Lo, Natalis Chan, Law Shu-kei, Jackson Lau, Chin Ho, Chui Sau-lai

Release Date: September 25th, 2023 (UK), October 10th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate running time: 94 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £16.99 (UK), $34.95 (USA)

"When a high-ranking Tibetan lama is wounded by terrorists, only a transfusion of his ultra rare blood type can save him. Heroic Hong Kong cops Andy Lau (‘Infernal Affairs’, ‘The Great Wall’) and Alan Tam (‘Armour of God’) must protect the unlikely donor, Eric Tsang (‘Lucky Stars’ series) from the assassins out to kill him." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation".

The Last Blood comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.3 GB

Feature: 27.1 GB

The source is in great shape, and any source debris is minor. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity is strong, black levels generally look good, and compression is solid.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Though both tracks sound clean and clear throughout, the Cantonese language track is noticeably fuller when compared to the English language track, which sounds flat in comparison. Included are removable English subtitles and removable English SDH, both for the Cantonese language track. It should be noted that the English SDH track lets you know when other languages like Japanese and English are being spoken instead of Cantonese.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery with music from The Last Blood playing in the background, English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster (limited to first pressing), and a double walled gloss finish O-ring (limited to first pressing).

Summary:

Directed by Wong Jing, a prolific producer and director who is now into his fifth decade of making cinema in Hong Kong. Anyone who's familiar with Hong Kong's heyday of the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s is sure to have seen one of his films. And though he often takes on the role of producer, most films he is associated with have his distinctive bombastic style.

The narrative revolves around a critically wounded high-ranking Tibetan lama, a man whose girlfriend shares the same blood type as the Tibetan lama, and a police officer who are in a race against time to find a blood donor.

Though there are many elements in The Last Blood that are associated with heroic bloodshed films, don’t let The Last Blood’s alternate title, Hard Boiled 2: The Last Blood, mislead you into thinking it is a typical heroic bloodshed film. In fact, the only thing that The Last Blood has in common with Hard Boiled is that both films feature explosive shootouts in a hospital.

When watching films made by Wong Jing (directed by or produced by), you know it's always going to be a fun ride. The staples of his films are bloody action setpieces, crazy plots that often defy logic, and subversive humor. The Last Blood has all three of the elements in spades.

The Last Blood has a strong cast who are all great in their roles, especially Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs) in the role of Fatty, a small-time hustler whose blood type matches the Tibetan lama. Whenever his character appears on screen, you know something silly is going to happen. Other performances of note are Andy Lau (Funtime Killer) in the role of Brother Bee, the man whose girlfriend is in critical condition and shares the Tibetan lama’s same blood type, and Alan Tam (Rich and Famous) in the role of Lui Tai, a law enforcement officer assigned to protect the Tibetan lama.

Despite being light when it comes to things like plot and character development, most of the screen time is spent with characters racing to find a blood donor for the Tibetan lama and terrorist assassins trying to kill them before they get back to the hospital with the lama. This somehow does not derail the narrative, which does a fantastic job propelling things forward to the aforementioned shootout finale at the hospital. Ultimately, The Last Blood is a high-octane action film that fans of 1980s and 1990s Hong Kong cinema are sure to enjoy.

The Last Blood gets a good release from 88 Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative audio commentary, recommended.