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A Queen's Ransom – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1976
Director: Ting Shan-hsi
Writer: Ting Shan-hsi
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Angela Mao, George Lazenby, Judith Brown, Ko Chun-hsiung, Charles Heung, Dean Shek, Bolo Yeung, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung

Release Date: May 27th, 2024 (UK), May 28th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate running times: 97 Minutes 33 Seconds (Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 91 Minutes 47 Seconds (Export Version)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono English (Hong Kong Theatrical Version), LPCM Mono English (Export Version)
Subtitles: English (Hong Kong Version)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £17.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"As Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Hong Kong for a state visit, a band of skilled mercenaries plan her assassination. Contracted by an Irish Republican (Lazenby), the international group of hired killers includes a Japanese explosives expert (Chang Pei-shan), a Thai boxer (Bolo Yeung), a Filipino sniper (Peter Chan Lung) and a veteran of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Wang Yu). As the conspirators move to carry out their plot, two police officials (Ko Chun-Hsiung and Charles Heung) work with a young socialite (Tanny Tien Ni) in a race against time to save the Monarch’s head – while also trying to manage a crisis that has brought a huge number of refugees to Hong Kong, including a young Burmese princess (Mao)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration. The original English language export cut from a brand new 2K restoration."

A Queen's Ransom comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.4 GB

Feature: 24.9 GB (Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 17.2 GB (Export Version)

The source is in great shape, the colors look correct, the image clarity is strong, and the compression is very good. That said, black levels, especially darker scenes, are not as convincing as they should be.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin - Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English - Hong Kong Theatrical Version), 3.75/5 (LPCM Mono English - Export Version)

The Hong Kong theatrical version comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Mandarin and an LPCM mono mix in English. Range-wise, the Mandarin language track sounds more robust than the English language track. That said, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin language track.

The export version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English. This track sounds more constrained than the Hong Kong theatrical version’s English-language track. That said, dialog comes through clearly.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (4 minutes 48 seconds, LPCM mono Mandarin with burnt-in English and Cantonese subtitles), an interview with martial artist and actor Michael Worth titled Furious George: Training with Michael Worth (15 minutes 43 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and Michael Worth for Hong Kong theatrical version, an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for the export version, reversible cover art, a O-card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 24-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Royal Warriors written by James Oliver and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

The police are in a race against time, trying to stop an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II.

Though films often use footage from real-life events, A Queen’s Ransom builds a narrative around Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Hong Kong. And even if you buy into the far-fetched premise, there are many areas where A Queen’s Ransom comes up short. That said, A Queen's Ransom feels like it was quickly thrown together to capitalize on Queen Elizabeth II's footage from her visit to Hong Kong.

A Queen’s Ransom was the third of three Golden Harvest films George Lazenby (Who Saw Her Die?) appeared in. The other two films were The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss and The Man from Hong Kong. Though he would receive prominent billing in A Queen’s Ransom, his character is woefully underdeveloped and underused. Most of his screen time is just his character looking menacing, and when he finally does fight, it is underwhelming.

The other two leads, Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Boxer) and Angela Mao (Lady Whirlwind), each co-starred with George Lazenby in his other two Hong Kong films. Though there are not a lot of fight scenes, Jimmy Wang Yu is the actor who shines brightest when it comes to what action sequences there are. Angela Mao’s character also gets in on the action, although most of her action sequences are moments of circumstance.

A Queen’s Ransom is not a film that you watch because of its performances. That said, the most memorable performance is by Judith Brown (The Big Dollhouse) in the role of an assassin named Black Rose. The secondary cast includes a few recognizable faces like Dean Shek (Drunken Master), Bolo Yeung (Chinese Hercules), and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (The Magnificent Butcher).

From its opening moments, it's clear that martial arts will take a backseat; guns and grenades instead of hand-to-hand combat are the weapons of choice. Unfortunately, for too much of the narrative, criminals are plotting, and the police are trying to stay one step ahead of them. The score is yet another Hong Kong film that borrows a music cue without acknowledging it. In this case, the music cue is Pink Floyd’s Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Ultimately, A Queen's Ransom is a straight-up exploitation film that tries to pass itself off as a martial arts film.

Eureka Video gives A Queen's Ransom a first-rate release that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras.