Casino Raiders – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1989
Director: Jimmy Heung
Writers: Wong Jing, Jimmy Heung
Cast: Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Idy Chan, Rosamund Kwan, Charles Heung, Eddy Ko, Robin Shou, Kirk Wong, Lung Fong, Gregory Charles Rivers

Release Date: December 11th, 2023
Approximate running time: 124 Minutes 58 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £17.99 (UK)

"Con-artist / gambler Crab (Andy Lau) gets out of prison and joins his childhood friend and partner Sam (Alan Tam) to work for a casino magnate to expose a group of Japanese card-players who have cheated their way to a fortune. The pair find themselves in the cross-hairs of the Yakuza, leading to a series of escalating acts of violence that test the bonds of loyalty to their limit. When their luck runs out, they make one final gamble: a game of poker with the highest of stakes." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

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

Casino Raiders comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.5 GB

Feature: 34.6 GB

This transfers source is in excellent shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid. Also, there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction. That said, this is one of the better-looking transfers that I have seen to date for a Hong Kong film.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. It should be noted that there are some dialog exchanges in Mandarin, English, and Japanese. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, this track sounds great. That said, the score has some sibilance issues. Included are removable English subtitles for all dialog that is not in English.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 27 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with action director Billy Chan titled Heroes, Guns & Gambling (17 minutes 49 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a featurette titled Martial Cards with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema who discuss the “gambling film” craze that hit Hong Kong cinema in the late 1980s and early 1990s (29 minutes 11 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival), an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, an O-card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 20-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Casino Raiders: Gamblers and Gangsters on and Off the Screen written by David West, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Despite some online sources credit Wong Jing (God of the Gamblers) as co-director, Jimmy Heung is the only name listed in the onscreen credits. The only other films directed by Jimmy Heung are No Risk, No Gain: Casino Raiders - The Sequel and Fatal Bet, a simultaneously shot English version of Casino Raiders with different cast in the lead roles.

The narrative revolves around two childhood friends, Crab and Sam, two con men gamblers who cross paths with the yakuza and their only way out is one last big game where the winner takes all.

Casino Raiders is part of an influx of Hong Kong gambling-themed films made in the 1980s and 1990s. Notably, films that are part of this sub-genre include the God of the Gambler series and the All for the Winner series. Key elements in Casino Raiders and other films like it are gambling, gangsters, and guns.

Though Casino Raiders fits firmly in the Hong Kong gambling film subgenre, there are a few elements where it overlaps with heroic bloodshed films. Notably, when it comes to an unbreakable bond between characters, they are willing to go to hell and back.

Despite most of the action being limited to a few violent outbursts, a few of which leave behind a trail of corpses, the narrative actually does a phenomenal job of creating tension; the most tense moments are tied to gambling. Another strength of the narrative is how it builds up the main characters.

From a performance standpoint, the entire cast is very good, especially Andy Lau (A Moment of Romance) in the role of Crab, a gifted gambler whose sleight of hand is second to none, and Alan Tam (Rich and Famous) in the role of Sam, Crab’s childhood best friend who is also a conman gambler. The heart and soul of Casino Raiders is Crab and Sam’s unbreakable bond. Also, Andy Lau and Alan Tam’s onscreen chemistry is Casino Raiders greatest asset.

The cast also features several recognizable faces, like Idy Chan (On the Run), an heiress who falls in love with and marries Sam, and Rosamund Kwan (Once Upon a Time in China), who plays the role of a former nightclub hostess who falls in love with crab. These two characters are more than just stereotyped girlfriend/wife characters, and they both play a significant role in the story at hand. Another actor of note is Eddy Ko (Heroes Shed No Tears) in the role of Gold Teeth, a crime boss who has a score to settle with Sam.

Casino Raiders, like many Hong Kong films from the 1980s and 1990s, effortlessly shifts between genres. One minute its a crime film, an action film, a melodrama, and there is even some comedy thrown in for good measure. Fortunately, these tonal shifts never take you out of the story. Ultimately, Casino Raiders is a highly entertaining film that fans of 1980s and 1990s Hong Kong crime films should thoroughly enjoy.

Casino Raiders is an excellent release from Eureka Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer