The Royal Tramp Collection - Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1992 (Royal Tramp, Royal Tramp II)
Director: Wong Jing (Both Films)
Cast: Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung, Ng Man-tat, Natalis Chan, Sandra Ng, Chingmy Yau, Damian Lau, Brigitte Lin, Deric Wan, Brigitte Lin, Michelle Reis, Elvis Tsui

Release Date: November 13th, 2023
Approximate running times: 110 Minutes 49 Seconds (Royal Tramp), 98 Minutes 17 Seconds (Royal Tramp II)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £26.99 (UK)

"An epic two-part wuxia-comedy based on the writings of acclaimed Chinese novelist Jin Yong, Royal Tramp 1 and Royal Tramp 2 star Stephen Chow as a cowardly bard who finds himself part of a real adventure when he is inducted into a sect of revolutionaries.

Wai Siu-bao (Chow) is known for his exciting tales of adventure and heroism, but his own life is quite dull. After rescuing the leader of a revolutionary movement from a police ambush, Wai is recruited into the Heaven and Earth Society and sent to steal secrets from the royal palace. However, in the palace things get complicated fast and Wai realizes he has to play all sides off against each other if he is going to survive.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Royal Tramp, Royal Tramp II)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Brand new 4K restorations of both films".

Royal Tramp comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.4 GB

Feature: 34.1 GB

Royal Tramp II comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.1 GB

Feature: 30.3 GB

The sources used for these two films' transfers are in excellent shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese), 4.25.5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

Each film comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. All of these audio tracks sound excellent. Dialogue comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and fight scenes sound robust. That said, though the English language tracks sound very good range-wise, I would give the edge to the Cantonese language tracks. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for Royal Tramp include a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 40 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Wong Jing titled Part 1 (9 minutes 17 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian film experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto, and an audio commentary with Asian film experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema.

Extras for Royal Tramp II include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Wong Jing titled Part 1 (10 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Helene Law Lan (14 minutes 24 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles),  an audio commentary with Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto, and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema.

Other extras include a O-Card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 20-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew credits, an essay titled The Court Jester: Royal Tramp Stephen Chow Gets Classical written by James Oliver, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

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 narratives for these two films revolve around Wai Siu-bao, a man known for telling tall tales. When he accidentally saves the life of a revolutionary, he becomes entangled in the cause to overthrow the emperor. From there, he reluctantly becomes an eunuch who gains the trust of the emperor. Firmly entrenched on both sides, Wai Siu-bao must choose where his loyalty lies.

The main character of Royal Tramp and its sequel, Royal Tramp II, is Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) in the role of Wai Siu-bao. And though his style of comedy is an acquired taste that, for some reason, does not translate as well as Jackie Chan’s style of comedy does, for anyone who enjoys broad physical comedy, an actor like Stephen Chow and these two Royal Tramp films will be right up your alley. That said, Stephen Chow delivers a sensational performance that not only hits its mark when it comes to humor, but he also holds his own when it comes to marital arts sequences.

Besides Stephen Chow, these two films are filled with recognizable faces for anyone who's familiar with 1980s and 1990s Hong Kong cinema. Notable performances include Chingmy Yau (Naked Killer) in the role of Princess Kin-ning, the Emperor's tomboy sister, whom Wai Siu-bao initially mistakes for a boy; Elvis Tsui (A Chinese Torture Chanmber) in the role of Oboi, a megalomanic general; and Ng Man-tat (A Moment of Romance) in the role of Hoi Tai-fu, the reluctant mentor of Wai Siu-bao. In the case of the latter, he would often work with Stephen Chow, and their onscreen chemistry makes their moments together some of the most memorable.

The most enjoyable aspect of these Royal Tramp films is watching Wai Siu-bao overcome obstacles. In many ways, he is a reluctant hero who is just trying to find an easy way out, only to end up deeper in trouble. And when he does finally become a kung fu master after sleeping with the virgin leader of the Red Lotus Clan, he still needs a final push before he embraces all the powers he now has.

Released only a few months apart, Royal Tramp and Royal Tramp II feature a continuous narrative where the latter picks up where the former left off. Royal Tramp does a great job setting up who everyone is and their motivations, while Royal Tramp II is more focused on its action set pieces. That said, just because Royal Tramp focuses more on character backstory, that is not to say that it does not have its fair share of exemplary action sequences. Also, when it comes to the action sequences, they tend to be gory, with head decapitations and other body parts being ripped off. Another area where these two films excel is their offbeat humor, which at times is risque. Ultimately, Royal Tramp and Royal Tramp II are solid examples of Wuxia cinema that fans of this genre should thoroughly enjoy.

The Royal Tramp Collection is an excellent release from Eureka Video that comes with solid audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer