The Magnificent Chang Cheh: Limited Edition – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1966 (The Magnificent Trio), Hong Kong, 1977 (Magnificent Wanderers)
Director: Chang Cheh (Both Films)
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, Fanny Fan, Margaret Tu Chuan, Chin Ping, Cheng Lei (The Magnificent Trio), David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan-Chun, Phillip Kwok Chun-Fung, Lu Feng, Jamie Luk (Magnificent Wanderers)

Release Date: April 28th, 2025 (UK), April 29th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 108 Minutes 32 Seconds (The Magnificent Trio), 98 Minutes 14 Seconds (Magnificent Wanderers)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin (Both Films), LPCM Mono English (Magnificent Wanderers)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £19.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"One of the Shaw Brothers Studio's most prolific directors, Chang Cheh - or the "Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema" - is the filmmaker behind Five Deadly Venoms, Chinatown Kid and Boxer Rebellion. Collected here are two films by this maestro of martial arts cinema that showcase his considerable talents at both ends of his career: The Magnificent Trio, produced when wuxia films ruled the Hong Kong box office in the mid-1960s, and Magnificent Wanderers, made at the height of the kung fu craze at the end of the 1970s.

In an early role that pre-dates his star-making turn in Chang's The One-Armed Swordsman, Jimmy Wang Yu stars in The Magnificent Trio as swordsman Lu Fang, who - along with fellow warriors Yen Tzu-ching (Lo Lieh) and Huang Liang (Cheng Lui) - lends his martial arts prowess to a group of oppressed farmers when they kidnap the daughter of their local magistrate. Then, in the kung fu comedy Magnificent Wanderers, the three nomads Lin Shao You (Fu Sheng), Shi Da Yong (Chi Kuan-chun), and Guan Fei (Li Yi-min) attempt to join Chinese patriots in their struggle against invading Mongol armies with the help of the wealthy Chu Tie Xia (David Chiang).

From straight-faced wuxia pian to farcical kung fu comedy, The Magnificent Trio and Magnificent Wanderers display the full range of Chang Cheh, a filmmaker who sat in the director's chair for over three decades." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5 (The Magnificent Trio, Magnificent Wanderers)

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

The Magnificent Trio and Magnificent Wanderers come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 20.8 GB (The Magnificent Trio), 20.1 GB (Magnificent Wanderers)

Though no information has been provided about the sources used for these two film transfers, it is clear that they come from outdated ones. Flesh tones look correct, colors look good, image clarity is strong, black levels fare well, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction. 

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin - Both Films), 3/5 (LPCM Mono English - Magnificent Wanderers)

The Magnificent Trio comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. Magnificent Wanderers comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin and a LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin audio track, as well as removable English subtitles for the Mandarin text when viewing the film with the English audio track. Both Mandarin language tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise things sound very good. The English language track lacks the range that the two Mandarin tracks have.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a video essay titled  Chang Cheh Style by Gary Bettinson, editor-in-chief of Asian Cinema journal (29 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth for The Magnificent Trio, an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema for Magnificent Wanderers, reversible cover art, an O-Card slipcase (limited to 2000 copies), and a 20-page booklet (limited to 2000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled A Magnificent duo Notes on Wuxia, Kung Fu and Chang Cheh written by James Oliver, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Chang Cheh directed The Magnificent Trio and Magnificent Wanderers. He is known for One-Armed Swordsman, Golden Swallow, The Boxer From Shantung, The Water Margin, and Five Venoms.

The Magnificent Trio: A swordsman joins farmers in the fight against a ruthless magistrate.

If The Magnificent Trio’s premise sounds familiar, that is because it is a loose adaptation of Hideo Gosha's Three Outlaw Samurai. Both of these films revolve around a wanderer, with exceptional sword skills who assists peasant farmers who are being opposed by an evil magistrate. Despite being inspired by another film, The Magnificent Trio is a film that stands well on its own.

In the arc of Chang Cheh’s evolution as a filmmaker, The Magnificent Trio is widely considered a triumph that foreshadows many elements that would become synonymous with his films. Though not as action-heavy or bloody as Chang Cheh’s later films, The Magnificent Trio’s fight sequences are exemplary. That said, in terms of visuals, Chang Cheh consistently delivers visually striking moments that are enhanced by creative framing.

The Magnificent Trio pairs Chang Cheh with Jimmy Wang Yu and Lo Lieh, both of whom he had already worked with and would work with many more times. When it comes to their performances, they are both outstanding; especially when it comes to action sequences. The most surprising aspect of The Magnificent Trio is its well-defined women characters, and the actresses who portray them are all exceptional.

The Magnificent Trio is a dialogue-driven film in which characters' motivations are never in doubt. Though action takes a backseat to character development, the latter half of the narrative is where the action sequences truly take center stage. At 109 minutes in length, pacing is never an issue, as the narrative does a superb job building momentum to a phenomenal climax. Ultimately, The Magnificent Trio is a classic take on the righteous versus the wicked that finds a very satisfying balance between exposition and action.

Magnificent Wanderers: A wealthy rebel who has been swindled out of his fortune enlists the help of a trio of con artists to assist him in retrieving it.

By the time Chang Cheh directed Magnificent Wanderers, he was truly hitting his stride; a year later, he would reach his peak with The Five Venoms, a film that marked the beginning of a lengthy collaboration with a group of actors known as the Venom Mob. Though Magnificent Wanderers features several actors who would later become part of the Venom Mob, the outcome is a film that does not align well with their other collaborations with Chang Cheh. That said, Magnificent Wanderers is a film that relies on silly humor, making it stand out when compared to Chang Cheh's other films, which are known for their heroic bloodshed.

The performances are anchored by David Chiang’s (All Men Are Brothers) portrayal of Chu Tie Xia, a wealthy rebel whose weapon is a bow that fires bullets made of gold. Another performance of note is Alexander Fu Sheng (The Brave Archer), who portrays Lin Shao You, one of the three con men who help Chu Tie Xia retrieve his fortune. That said, when it comes to the rest of the performances, none of them are lacking.

Magnificent Wanderers is a film that is actually a lot of fun, despite being standard martial arts fare. Content-wise, Magnificent Wanderers is a satisfying mix of martial arts and humor. In the case of the latter, most of the humor comes from the magistrate character, who stutters and has trouble speaking in general. The main action set piece culminates the film and takes place at a military camp. The sequence is an exemplary action set piece that has some impressive stunt work. Ultimately, despite Magnificent Wanderers shortcomings, its positives far outweigh any of its negatives.

Eureka Video’s The Magnificent Chang Cheh brings together two films, gives them strong audio/video presentations, and includes informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer