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Twin Dragons: Deluxe Collector's Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1992
Directors: Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam
Writers: Barry Wong, Tsui Hark, Joe Cheung, Wong Yik, Teddy Robin
Cast: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Nina Li Chi, Teddy Robin, Anthony Chan, Philip Chan, Sylvia Chang, James Wong, Alfred Cheung

Release Date: September 18th, 2023
Approximate running time: 104 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Alternate Mix), DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese (Home Video Mix), DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £25.99

"On holidays in Hong Kong, Mrs. Ma gives birth to identical twins. A criminal in the same hospital attempts to escape, taking one of the twins hostage. The child is lost during the confusion and Mr. and Mrs. Ma return to New York with one child. Years later, John Ma is a famous conductor and pianist, unaware that his twin brother "Boomer" is a mechanic/race car driver/bodyguard in Hong Kong. When John travels to Hong Kong to give a concert, the twins get caught up in each other's business, about which they are anything but experts.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

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

Twin Dragons comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.8 GB

Feature: 25.9 GB

Twin Dragons is a film that has not fared well on home video; fortunately, this new release from 88 Films is a noticeable improvement over all previous home video releases, and it is easily the best this film has ever looked on home video. The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels are strong. Also, there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese Home Video Mix), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese Alternate Mix)

This release comes with four audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese titled alternate mix, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Cantonese titled home video mix, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The DTS-HD mono and DTS-HD stereo Cantonese audio tracks sound more robust than the DTS-HD mono Cantonese alternate mix and the English language track. The weakest range-wise is the DTS-HD mono Cantonese alternate mix. All four tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. There are three removable English subtitle tracks for each Cantonese language track and a removable English SDH for the Cantonese language tracks that lets you know when a character is speaking in Cantonese or English. Also, there is an English subtitle track for Cantonese text and songs when watching in English.

Extras:

Extras for this release include English opening/closing (9 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), UK VHS trailer (1 minute 22 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Japanese TV spot (31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), Japanese theatrical trailer (1 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Hong Kong theatrical trailer (2 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), archival behind the scenes footage (25 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese, no subtitles), an archival interview with Jackie Chan (20 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), archival EPK and Q&A (2 minutes 50 seconds Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two deleted scenes from Taiwanese version (1 minute 3 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), a scene from the Japanese version (23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actors Tung Wei and James Ha (13 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Dimension Films version of Twin Dragons (89 minutes 1 second, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital 5.1 English with removable English SDH), an audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto, four art cards, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster, and a 80-page perfect bound book with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Twin Effect - How to Double a Dragon written by Thorsten Boose, an essay titled Twin Dragons, Dual Personas Jackie Chan’s Bridge Between the ‘80s and ‘90s written by Paul Bramhall, a full list of director cameos in Twin Dragons, a locations Then and Now 1991 vs 2018, and archive stills and posters.

Summary:

Co-directed by Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China) and Ringo Lam (City Fire), with the latter handling most of the action sequences.

The narrative revolves around twin brothers, John Ma and Boomer, who were separated at birth. Years later, a chance encounter reunites them.

Though Jackie Chan is known for his action sequences, in Twin Dragons there are only five action sequences, with most of the narrative being character-driven moments in which Jackie Chan gets to portray two distinctly different characters who look identical. That said, the fight scenes there do not disappoint, as Jackie Chan uses his surroundings against his opponents. The most memorable fight scene takes place in a car factory that presents obstacles like a heat room and a room that simulates downpouring rain.

The premise of twin brothers who are connected despite not knowing each other exists is full of possibilities, and Twin Dragons does a phenomenal job exploiting said premise. Besides being separated at birth, these two brothers come from different upbringings; one is an acclaimed classical concert conductor, and the other is a mechanic.

The main attraction is Jackie Chan (Police Story), who is superb in the dual roles of John Ma and Boomer. Though this release now translates Boomer’s name as Die Hard, I will refer to him as Boomer since this is the name I have always known this character by. That said, the humor is perfectly suited to Jackie Chan’s comedic style.

Though Jackie Chan steals every scene that he is in, the rest of the cast are great in their roles, especially Maggie Cheung (The Heroic Trio) and Nina Li Chi (Pedicab Driver) in the roles of the two women competing for affection from John Ma and Boomer. Also, the cast has numerous cameos from Hong Kong directors like John Woo (The Killer), Gordan Chan (Fist of Legend), Wong Jing (City Hunter), Tsui Hark, and Ringo Lam.

When it comes to humor, Twin Dragons delivers in spades, with the main source of humor coming from moments where one twin’s movements affect the other twin. Notable moments include a scene where John Ma gives Nina Li Chi’s character a chiropractic makeover and a bubble bath scene with Nina Li Chi’s character, who by the end of the scene sees double.

From its opening moments right on through its breathtaking action-packed finale, Twin Dragon’s is a highly entertaining film that has no throw-away moments. Also, the pacing does a great job building moments, and key moments are given an ample amount of time to resonate. Ultimately, Twin Dragons is a very satisfying blend of action and humor, making it a must-see if you're a fan of Jackie Chan.

Twin Dragons gets an excellent release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras, highly recommended.