A Man Called Tiger – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1973
Director: Lo Wei
Writer: Lo Wei
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Kawai Okada, Kuro Mitsuo, Tien Feng, James Tin Chuen, Nakako Daisuke, Kasahara Reiko, Han Ying-Chieh, Minakaze Yuko, Maria Yi, Lee Kwan, Lo Wei, Hsiao Yin-Fang

Release Date: August 26th, 2024 (UK), August 27th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 112 Minutes 55 Seconds (Uncut Hong Kong Theatrical Release Version), 79 Minutes 58 Seconds (Re-Release Version)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £17.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"Chin Fu (Wang Yu) is a formidable martial artist who suspects his father’s apparent suicide was actually a cold-blooded murder. His desire for answers – and revenge – leads him to Japan, where he becomes entangled with the yakuza. With the aid of his fellow countryman Liu Han-ming (James Tien, Hand of Death) and a nightclub hostess (Maria Yi, Fist of Fury), Chin Fu sets out to infiltrate Tokyo’s underworld, expose a criminal conspiracy and uncover his father’s true fate by any means necessary." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (Uncut Hong Kong Theatrical Release Version), 3.75/5 (Re-Release Version)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "From a 2K restoration of the rarely seen uncut Hong Kong theatrical release version of the film. From a 2K restoration of the re-release version of the film."

A Man Called Tiger comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.8 GB

Feature: 28.1 GB (Uncut Hong Kong Theatrical Release Version), 15 GB (Re-Release Version)

The source is in great shape, colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels for the most part are strong. That said, though both versions are in great shape, in all areas, the uncut Hong Kong theatrical release version is stronger than the re-release version.

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

Both versions come with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both Mandarin language tracks come with removable English subtitles, and both English language tracks come with removable English subtitles for songs that are in Mandarin. The uncut Hong Kong theatrical release version's audio tracks sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. That said, the English language track sounds cleaner than its Mandarin language counterpart. The re-release version's English language track sounds more robust than the Mandarin language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with non-removable English subtitles), a textless opening (2 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandari, no subtitles), two music videos; Do You Know What Sadness Means? (2 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with non-removable English subtitles), Because I Have Your Love (2 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with non-removable English subtitles), a video essay by Brandon Bentley titled Cutting Tiger, Hidden Subtitles (6 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and Michael Worth for the uncut Hong Kong theatrical release version, an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for the uncut Hong Kong theatrical release version, reversible cover art, a double sided four-out poster, an O-card slipcase (limited to the first pressing), and a 20-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Big in Japan Lo Wei and the Shadow of Bruce Lee in A Man Called Tiger written by James Oliver, Notes on the Reconstruction of the First-Release Cut of A Man Called Tiger written by Brandon Bentley and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Directed by Lo Wei, who is most remembered for directing two Bruce Lee films, The Big Boss and Fists of Fury. He collaborated with Jackie Chan on six films.

The narrative revolves around Chin Fu, a Kung Fu master who goes to Japan to infiltrate the yakuza and find out who murdered his father.

Lo Wei was initially to reteam with Bruce Lee for a third time, after the worldwide success of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. A Man Called Tiger would have been that film, and instead of making it, Bruce Lee would make his own directorial debut with The Way of the Dragon. Jimmy Wang Yu (The Chinese Boxer) replaced Bruce Lee as Chin Hu; at that time in Hong Kong cinema, he was one of its biggest stars.

Chin Hu is an outsider in a foreign land who initially stays out of trouble until one day, when yakuza assault a woman singer who refuses to pay them extortion money. Despite this moment presenting Chin Hu as a white knight character, he quickly switches sides and takes a job with the yakuza collecting extortion money. That said, his abrupt turn gives Chin Hu access to the people who were responsible for his father's death.

Despite having a directing career that spanned three decades, Lo Wei is mostly remembered for the films he made in the 1970s. And though he is a director whose output is best described as inconsistent, he did direct a few truly remarkable films. Case in point: A Man Called Tiger, which is arguably the best film that he directed without Bruce Lee.

No matter how good the script or how talented the director is, when it comes to the best martial arts films, it's always about the stars. And in the case of A Man Called Tiger, Jimmy Wang Yu delivers another spectacular performance that showcases why he is one of the best martial arts actors of the 1960s and 1970s. Familiar faces round out the rest of the cast, who are recognizable by anyone with knowledge in this genre. That said, the entire cast is very good in their roles.

When it comes to narrative, things are basic; not much time is devoted to backstory or character building; fortunately, this is not a negative since the action sequences are A Man Called Tigers greatest strength. The action set pieces are all well executed, and the hard-hitting, brutal fighting style suits the story that unfolds well. And when it comes to stunts, this is another area where A Man Called Tiger excels. Ultimately, A Man Called Tiger is an intense story rooted in revenge that fans of martial arts cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

A Man Called Tiger gets a solid release from Eureka Video that comes with two versions of the film, strong audio/video presentations, and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer