Heroes and Villains: Three Films starring Jet Li – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1995 (My Father is a Hero), Hong Kong, 1996 (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words"), Hong Kong, 1998 (Hitman)
Directors: Corey Yuen (My Father is a Hero), Ching Siu-tung (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words"), Stephen Tung (Hitman)
Cast: Jet Li, Anita Mui, Xie Miao, Yu Rongguang, Sing Ngai, Low Houi-kang, Damian Lau, Corey Yuen, Blackie Ko (My Father is a Hero), Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Charlie Yeung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Billy Chow, Collin Chou, Johnny Kong, Law Kar-ying (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words"), Jet Li, Simon Yam, Eric Tsang, Gigi Leung, Sato Keiji, Paul Rapovski, Ip Kwong-kim, Hideri Meiken, Sahara Kenji, Timmy Ho, Ching Tung, Frankie Ng (Hitman)

Release Date: November 20th, 2023
Approximate running times: 104 Minutes 52 Seconds (My Father is a Hero), 91 Minutes 11 Seconds (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 91 Minutes 22 Seconds (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - International Version), 104 Minutes 54 Seconds (Hitman - Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 99 Minutes 18 Seconds (Hitman - International Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (My Father is a Hero, Hitman), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words")
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese (My Father is a Hero, Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - Hong Kong Theatrical Version, Hitman - Hong Kong Theatrical Version), LPCM Mono Cantonese Unique Home Video Mix (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - Hong Kong Theatrical Version), LPCM Mono English (My Father is a Hero, Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - Hong Kong Theatrical Version, Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - International Version, Hitman - Hong Kong Theatrical Version), LPCM Mono Mandarin (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - International Version), DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - Hong Kong Theatrical Version, Hitman - Hong Kong Theatrical Version) DTS-HD 5.1 English (Hitman - International Version), LPCM Stereo English (Hitman - International Version), LPCM Stereo Original Home Video Mix (Hitman - Hong Kong Theatrical Version)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £31.99 (UK)

"In The Enforcer (aka My Father is a Hero) Li is an undercover police officer tracking down a notorious Hong Kong crime lord. Teaming up with his martial-arts prodigy son and a female officer (Anita Mui), together they lay down the law! In Dr Wai in “The Scripture with No Words” a down on his luck pulp fiction author (Li) lives vicariously through one of his characters, an Indiana Jones-esque adventurer searching for a mythical scripture. Then, in Hitman (aka Contract Killer), Li plays Tai Feng, a young assassin with a “sense of justice” who crosses paths with the “King of Killers” — a legendary vigilante with a huge bounty on his head." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (My Father is a Hero), 4.5/5 (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 4.25/5 (Hitman Hong Kong Theatrical Version, Hitman International Version), 4/5 ((Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" International Version)

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "1080p presentation of the fully uncut Hong Kong theatrical cut from a new 4K restoration."

My Father is a Hero comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42 GB

Feature: 30.1 GB

My Father is a Hero has the strongest transfer of these three films. The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look correct, color saturation, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "1080p presentation of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a new 2K restoration."

Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 24.1 GB (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 20.5 GB (Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" International Version)

The source used for the Hong Kong theatrical version is in excellent shape. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there does not appear to be any digital filtering of the image.

The source used for the international version is comparable except for the footage, which is exclusive to this version. This footage comes from a lesser source, and there is a notable drop in quality.

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "1080p presentation of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a new HD restoration of the original film elements."

Hitman comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.6 GB

Feature: 23 GB (Hitman Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 19.3 GB (Hitman International Version)

The source used for the Hong Kong theatrical version is in great shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there does not appear to be any digital filtering of the image.

The source used for the international version is comparable to the source used for the Hong Kong theatrical version.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese - My Father is a Hero, LPCM Mono Cantonese - Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" Hong Kong Theatrical Version, LPCM Mono Cantonese - Hitman Hong Kong Theatrical Version, LPCM Mono Cantonese Unique Home Video Mix - Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" Hong Kong Theatrical Version, LPCM Mono English - My Father is a Hero, LPCM Mono English - Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" - Hong Kong Theatrical Version, LPCM Mono English - Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" International Version, LPCM Mono English - Hitman Hong Kong Theatrical Version, LPCM Mono Mandarin - Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" International Version, LPCM Stereo English - Hitman International Version, LPCM Stereo Original Home Video Mix - Hitman Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese - Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" Hong Kong Theatrical Version, DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese - Hitman Hong Kong Theatrical Version, DTS-HD 5.1 English - Hitman International Version)

My Father is a Hero comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and an LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track.

Dr. Wai "The Scripture with No Words" Hong Kong theatrical version comes with four audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese labeled original home video mix, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, and a LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese-language tracks.

Dr. Wai "The Scripture with No Words" international version comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin and an LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin language track.

Hitman Hong Kong theatrical version comes with four audio options: a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in English, and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks and a second removable English subtitle track for Cantonese text when watching with the English language tracks. It should be noted that when watching the Cantonese language tracks, there is some dialog in English, Japanese, and Mandarin.

Hitman international version comes with two audio options, a LPCM stereo mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for Cantonese text.

All of these audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. And when it comes to the action sequences, they sound very good.

My Father is a Hero’s Cantonese language track sounds more robust than the English language track.

The three mono tracks for Dr. Wai in the "The Scripture with No Words" Hong Kong theatrical version are comparable range-wise. The DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese audio track does a good job expanding the original mono source.

The two audio tracks for Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" international version are comparable range-wise.

The two mono tracks and stereo track for the Hitman Hong Kong theatrical version are comparable range-wise. The DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese audio track does a good job expanding the original mono source.

The two audio tracks for Hitman international version are comparable range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for The Enforcer include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a deleted scene (1 minute 54 seconds, LPCM mono Mandarin with burnt-in English and Cantonese subtitles), an archival interview with actor Ken Lo titled Born to be Bad (20 minutes 11 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Tse Miu titled Like Father Like Son (16 minutes 22 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with producer Wong Jing titled Crowd Pleaser (17 minutes 36 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. 

Extras for Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (2 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival Jet Li featurette titled The Smart and The Brave (6 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital 5.1 Mandarin with burnt-in English and Cantonese subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian film expert Frank Djeng for the International version, and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for the Hong Kong theatrical version.

Extras for Hitman include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (2 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), English dubbed theatrical trailer (2 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Contract Killer trailer (1 minute 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), UK DVD trailer (1 minute 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), archival footage from the film’s première (11 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese and Japanese, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Keiji Sato (13 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Simon Yam (8 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Jet Li (11 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for the Hong Kong theatrical version.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a limited-edition O Card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 32-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled My Father is a Hero written by David Desser, an essay titled Dr. Wai in 'The Scripture with No Words' written by Simon Abrams, an essay titled Hitman written by David Desser, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

My Father is a Hero: An undercover cop who infiltrates the gang of a Hong Kong crime lord.

Directed by Corey Yuen, whose other notable films are Yes! Madam, Righting Wrongs, Casino Raiders, So Close, and The Transporter.

Having seen most of Jet Li’s films, the thing that I most noticed is that his films miss more than hit the mark. And though there is no denying that, when it comes to action sequences, he is among the elite in Hong Kong action cinema, it is also fair to say that he has not always been given the strongest material to work with.

This brings us to My Father is a Hero, a film that gives Jet Li an opportunity to showcase himself outside of the action sequences. He portrays a character named Kung Wei, who is an undercover police officer for the People’s Republic of China. His character is given the task of going to Hong Kong and taking down a terrorist organization. What enhances this character is his family side, a son who emulates his father, and a sickly wife. Torn between serving his country and being with his family in a time of need is what drives the narrative.

From its opening moments, the narrative establishes a brisk momentum that builds towards a knock-down, drag-out finale in which Jet Li gets to showcase his exceptional fighting skills. And though the fight scenes go hand in hand and nearby objects are used as weapons, it is the use of gun fu where the fight sequences really shine. Hatchett’s are another weapon that is featured in the inventive fight sequences.

When it comes to the performances, the cast is all very good. The most surprising performance was by Xie Miao (The New Legend of Shaolin) in the role of Kung Wei’s son. Also, when it comes to fight scenes, he more than holds his own as a mini-me version of Jet Li. Another performance of note is Yu Rongguang (Iron Monkey) in the role of Po Kwang, the leader of the criminal organization Kung Wei has infiltrated.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where My Father is a Hero comes up short. The well-executed narrative does a good job of balancing action and exposition. Also, the narrative does a phenomenal job of creating tense moments, like in a scene where Kung Wei is on the verge of being exposed as an undercover cop. An area where My Father is a Hero excels is Corey Yuen’s direction, especially when it comes to the action sequences. Ultimately, My Father is a Hero is an underrated film that is among Jet Li’s best films.

Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words": A pulp fiction writer lives vicariously through one of his characters.

Directed by Ching Siu-tung, whose other notable films are A Chinese Ghost Story, The Swordsman, Dragon Inn, and Heroic Trio 2: Executioners.

Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" is a tale of two films. The Hong Kong theatrical version is a mix of scenes with an author who writes pulp novels and scenes where the characters he writes about have come to life. The international version omits everything to do with the pulp writing, and what unfolds is an Indiana Jones-like adventure story.

Though the premise of a writer who is suffering from writer's block because of a messy divorce is ripe with possibilities, I will even say that the execution of this premise is well handled. I still prefer the international version’s Indiana Jones adventure story more. Where the former gives the characters more depth, the latter is all about having fun.

The cast is all very good, especially Rosamund Kwan (Once Upon a Time in China) in the roles of the pulp author’s wife and a Japanese femme fatale named Yu Fung. And though Jet Li’s characters are one-dimensional, he once again delivers when it comes to the action sequences, which include some jaw-dropping stunt work.

Something that you encounter the more you watch Hong Kong cinema is the use of music cues from other films, and Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" uses the main theme from Ennio Morricone’s score for Le Professionnel. Also, it should not come as a surprise that Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" would use this music cue since it feels like it was influenced by Le Magnifique, whose leading man, Jean-Paul Belmondo, also starred in Le Professionnel.

When discussing Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words", since it is essentially two films, it is best to lay out their differences. Besides a tonal difference, pacing is another area where these two versions differ. The Hong Kong theatrical version's momentum often gets disrupted when its narrative shifts from the present to the moments where the author's characters come to life, while the international version’s narrative does not have any issues with pacing. Ultimately, though there is no denying that Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" is a mess, no matter which version you watch, it is still an entertaining film that fans of escapist cinema should enjoy.

Hitman: A man looking for financial stability takes on the job of a contract killer.

Hitman features an unusual fish-out-of-water premise in which a protagonist takes a job as a hitman despite having no background as an assassin. And from there, things get stranger when the protagonist befriends Ngok Lo, a notorious conman. Unfortunately, neither of them has any experience as an assassin.

Hitman opens with an explosive action sequence in which an assassin penetrates a yakuza boss's security and assassinates him. This action sets in motion a 100 million-dollar bounty to be awarded to the person who kills the murdered yakuza boss. And of course, when such a large sum of money is being offered, there is an abundance of cold-blooded assassins who join in the hunt, including the yakuza boss's psychopath grandson.

When viewed on the surface, Hitman is pretty much your run-of-the-mill Hong Kong action film. And if it were not for its two leads, Jet Li in the role of Fu, a novice killer, and Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs) in the role of Ngok Lo, Hitman would have all but been forgotten. These two actors have good chemistry, and though Jet Li does all the heavy lifting when it comes to action, Eric Tsang’s character provides the comic relief.

Though Hitman may be lacking when it comes to character development and moments of exposition, the same cannot be said when it comes to the action sequences, which are all solid. Two standout action sequences are a scene where all the assassins looking for clues go to an old man’s apartment and all hell breaks loose, and an exceptional finale that somehow tops all of the action sequences that preceded. Ultimately, Hitman is all about action and not much else.

Heroes and Villains: Three Films starring Jet Li is an excellent release from Eureka Video that gives each film solid audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer