Super Spies and Secret Lies: Limited Edition – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1966 (The Golden Buddha), Hong Kong, 1967 (Angel with the Iron Fists), Hong Kong, 1969 (The Singing Thief)
Directors: Lo Wei (The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists), Chang Cheh (The Singing Thief)
Cast: Jeanette Lin Tsui, Paul Chang Chung, Fanny Fan, Fung Ngai (The Golden Buddha), Lily Ho, Fanny Fan, Tina Chin Fei, Tang Ching (Angel with the Iron Fists), Lily Ho, Jimmy Lin Chong, Lo Lieh, Essie Lin Chia (The Singing Thief)

Release Date: November 25th, 2024 (UK), November 26th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 106 Minutes 3 Seconds (The Golden Buddha), 118 Minutes 11 Seconds (Angel with the Iron Fists), 91 Minutes 15 Seconds (The Singing Thief)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $54.95 (USA)

"In The Golden Buddha, businessman Paul (Paul Chang Chung, Police Story) finds himself in the crosshairs of the Skeleton Gang after he picks up the wrong briefcase on a flight to Singapore – one containing a small golden Buddha that might just play a part in a vast criminal conspiracy. In Angel with the Iron Fists, a mysterious woman (Lily Ho, Lady with a Sword) arrives in Hong Kong carrying a cache of stolen diamonds and quickly becomes embroiled with the infamous Devil Girl’s Gang. Finally, in The Singing Thief, a master cat burglar (Jimmy Lin Chong, Tropicana Interlude) makes the decision to go straight and pursue a new career as a singer – that is, at least, until he becomes a suspect in a series of jewel heists." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists, The Singing Thief)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures."

The Golden Buddha and Angel with the Iron Fists come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.4 GB

Feature: 21 GB (The Golden Buddha), 23 GB (Angel with the Iron Fists)

The Singing Thief comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.3 GB

Feature: 26 GB

The sources for all three films are comparable; though they come from existing sources, they are all in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and any digital noise reduction is never intrusive.

Audio: 4/5 (The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists), 3.75/5 (The Singing Thief)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. All of the audio tracks are in good shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, The Singing Thief’s audio track sounds more confined than the other two films.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for The Golden Buddha, and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for Angel with the Iron Fists.

Extras on disc two include an interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong, editor of Martial Arts Studies titled From Hong Kong with Love (16 minutes 43 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with James Bond expert Llewella Chapman on global Bondmania in the 1960s titled International Super Spies (21 minutes 51 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for The Singing Thief.

Other extras include a reversible sleeve featuring individual sleeve artwork for each film, an O-card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 24-page booklet (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled James Bond is My Sworn Brother: The 1960s Hong Kong Bangpian Genre written by Iain Robert Smith, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

The Golden Buddha: The Skeleton Gang targets a businessman when they learn he has a briefcase containing information about their criminal activities.

Lo Wei directed The Golden Buddha. He is best known for directing two Bruce Lee films and six Jackie Chan films.

Though The Golden Buddha is part of a cycle of films made by Shaw Brothers that were inspired by the James Bond films, the result is a film that actually owes more to Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. The protagonist is not a spy; he’s an everyman whose only hope of survival lies in his hands. That said, The Golden Buddha is a textbook example of Alfred Hitchcock’s Wrong Man scenario.

When one thinks of the Shaw Brothers most celebrated films, they are mostly period-set dramas. What sets the Shaw Brothers spy films apart from other films that take place in the present is their vibe and their look. The vibe and look of The Golden Buddha more resemble a Hollywood film than a Hong Kong film.

When compared to other 1960s spy films, The Golden Buddha is standard fare. Its narrative is filled with a series of moments where its protagonist narrowly escapes the clutches of the villains. The most glaring aspect of the narrative is that the protagonist is never in any real danger. At 106 minutes in length, the narrative feels bloated, and there are many moments where things drag.

Lo Wei, with ample resources at his disposal, fails to bring The Golden Buddha to life with his customary flat directing style. When it comes to the fight sequences, they are rough around the edges and lack memorability. Also, the score sounds like a fusion of Bernard Herrmann and John Barry’s James Bond music cues. Ultimately, The Golden Buddha is a film that will be a difficult sell outside of fans of 1960s spy films.

Angel with the Iron Fists: A spy infiltrates the infamous Devil’s Girl Gang seeking justice for her murdered father.

Lo Wei directed Angel with the Iron Fists. He is best known for directing two Bruce Lee films and six Jackie Chan films.

Each country approached the making of the most interesting aspect of spy films inspired by James Bond in its own way. Though most countries put their unique spin on this genre of films, the Shaw Brothers mimicked Hollywood. Another strike against some of these Shaw Brothers spy films is Lo Wei’s direction; he’s a workmanlike filmmaker, but his films could have been directed by anyone else. That said, out of Lo Wei’s spy films, Angel with the Iron Fists is his most blatant James Bond clone.

Angel with the Iron Fists’ greatest asset is Lily Ho (Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan), who portrays Lorna, aka agent 009. Though 1960s spy films were mostly male-dominated, there were some notable female leads known as Jane Bonds. She has a commanding presence in which she elevates every moment she’s in. That said, when it comes to the rest of the cast, they are best described as serviceable.

Despite a solid opening where assassins surround a man in a telephone booth and kill him, the story that follows is uneven. At 118 minutes in length, the bloated narrative at times drags; it's all flash and no substance. That said, the stunt work is solid, and the visuals take full advantage of its scenic landscapes. The music cues this time around don’t hide their James Bond influence. Ultimately, though Angel with the Iron Fists fares better than The Golden Buddha, it has many of the same shortcomings. 

The Singing Thief: A copycat thief frames a retired jewel thief.

Chang Cheh directed The Singing Thief. He is known for his films: One-Armed Swordsman, Golden Swallow, The Boxer From Shantung, The Water Margin, and Five Venoms.

I would not classify The Singing Thief as a spy film; it is a crime/heist film. A few possible influences are Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief and Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter. When compared to Chang Cheh’s other films, The Singing Thief stands out like a sore thumb. For a director known for heroic bloodshed films, he does an exemplary job directing a musical. That said, when it comes to the musical numbers, they are at the beginning and end of the film.

The Singing Thief has a solid cast who are all great in their roles, especially Lily Ho (All Men Are Brothers), who portrays an heiress named Darling Fang. Her character is a love interest for the protagonist, a retired thief named “Diamond’ Poon, who is portrayed by Jimmy Lin Chong. Where Jimmy Lin Chong delivers a serviceable performance, Lo Lieh (King Boxer) delivers another memorable turn as a villain.

From a production standpoint, The Singing Thief is a film that often exceeds its resources. The narrative superbly executes the premise, building momentum with well-executed scenes, and the excellent finale brings a perfect conclusion. Though The Singing Thief has a farcical tone, its last thirty minutes are more in line with Chang Cheh’s most celebrated heroic bloodshed martial arts films. Ultimately, in the hands of just about any director other than Chang Cheh, The Singing Thief would not have worked.

Eureka Video’s Super Spies and Secret Lies brings together three films, gives them strong audio/video presentations, and includes informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer