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Iron Angels 1-3 – Vinegar Syndrome Archive (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong/Taiwan, 1987 (Iron Angels), Hong Kong, 1988 (Iron Angels II), Hong Kong/Taiwan, 1989 (Iron Angels III)
Directors: Teresa Woo (All Films), Stanley Tong (Iron Angels III)
Cast: Hideki Saijô, Alex Fong, Moon Lee, Elaine Lui, Yukari Ôshima, David Chiang (Iron Angels), Alex Fong, Moon Lee, Elaine Lui, Nathan Chan, Kharina Isa, Siu Yuk-Lung (Iron Angels II), Alex Fong, Moon Lee, Ralph Chen, Kharina Isa (Iron Angels III)

Release Date: May 27th, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 93 Minutes 8 Seconds (Iron Angels), 97 Minutes 2 Seconds (Iron Angels II), 91 Minutes 58 Seconds (Iron Angels III)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (All Films), DTS-HD Mono English (Both Films), DTS-HD Mono Mandarin (Iron Angels, Iron Angels III)
Subtitles: English (All Films), English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $54.98

Iron Angels: "After drug enforcement officials destroy opium fields in Thailand, disrupting a global drug network known as the "Golden Triangle," the officers responsible for the raid are one by one targeted for assassination by the violent cartel. Unable to stop the bloodshed, the government turns towards an elite "spies-for-hire" group known as the Iron Angels. Saijo, the legendary Angel #1, is accompanied by two beautiful and deadly agents, Moon and Elaine, and the trio is then partnered with an American DEA operative named Alex. Together, they discover that the ruthless Madam Yeung has violently taken over the criminal enterprise, and the Iron Angels must stop at nothing to take her down. Soon, the agents find themselves in a bloody fight against Madam Yeung and her group of killers, led by her right-hand man, Mr. Chang (played by fan-favorite Hwang Jang-Lee). " - synopsis provided by the distributor

Iron Angels II: "Now an Iron Angel himself, Alex goes on vacation with Elaine and Moon for much-needed rest and relaxation after completing a dangerous mission. While in Malaysia, Alex meets up with two old friends, Peter and Marco, to enjoy some laughs and reminisce. However, the stakes become deadly when Alex discovers that the CIA is secretly investigating his wealthy friend Peter for funding a government coup. To make matters worse, Elaine has fallen for Peter and soon finds herself held captive by his private army upon discovering his secret. With the help of Iron Angel Kharina, Alex and Moon must head into the jungle to get Elaine back, culminating in a bloody showdown between the Iron Angels and Peter's private army." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Iron Angels III: "The Iron Angels are back once again, this time to stop an international terrorist organization hellbent on starting a war between Thailand and Vietnam. Moon must go undercover as a deadly assassin to infiltrate the terrorist group as they are planning to assassinate several high-ranking government officials. In the meantime, Alex and Kharina are partnered with a young newcomer named Kwai and a tech specialist nicknamed "Computer" to assist Moon. However, after losing contact with Moon, it is up to the other Iron Angels to try and stop the assassinations before it is too late. When the group gets word of a potential attack at a government summit, Alex and Kwai jump into action and quickly find themselves in the middle of an all-out battle, good thing they are armed with machine gun-mounted jet packs!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (All Films)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "Newly restored by VS from existing studio masters."

Iron Angels and Iron Angels II come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.4 GB

Feature: 23 GB (Iron Angels), 23.1 GB (Iron Angels II)

Iron Angels III comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 24 GB (Iron Angels III)

The source for these three films looks similar; they all are in excellent shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - All Films, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin - Iron Angels), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Iron Angels, DTS-HD Mono English - Iron Angels II), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin - Iron Angels III, DTS-HD Mono English - Iron Angels III)

Iron Angels and Iron Angels III come with three audio options, Cantonese, English, and Mandarin, and Iron Angels II comes with two audio options, Cantonese and English. All audio tracks are DTS-HD mono. All the Cantonese language tracks sound more robust than the English language tracks, and the Iron Angels III English language track has some sibilance issues. That said, dialogue comes through clearly, and they all sound balanced. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks, removable English SDH for the English language tracks, and when watching Iron Angels. Additionally, when viewing Iron Angels and Iron Angels II in English, there are removable English subtitle tracks available for Cantonese text, dialogue exchanges, and a song.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include an audio commentary with film historian and author Samm Deighan for Iron Angels, and an audio commentary with martial arts film expert Frank Djeng for both Iron Angels II.

Extras on disc two include a theatrical trailer for Iron Angels (3 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with English and Cantonese text, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Iron Angels II (2 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with English with Cantonese text, no subtitles), a discussion between actress Elaine Lui and Hong Kong film historian Arnaud Lanuque titled Meeting an Angel (21 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with production manager Johnny Lee titled The Angels go to War (18 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with executive director Raymond Leung titled Three Directors and an Angel (29 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese and English with removable English subtitles), an interview with acting director Stanley Tong titled The Shadow Action Director (33 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by Frankie Balboa titled Angels Shed No Tears (8 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Frank Djeng for Iron Angels III.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a bottom loading VHS inspired spot gloss slipcase, a double-sided poster, and a 40-page perfect bound book with an essay titled Angels and Demons: The Explosive Combination of Girls With Guns written by Michelle Kisner, an essay titled Women on Top written by Madelyn Sutton, and an essay titled Give a Girl Some Credit: Teresa Woo’s Iron Angels written by Erica Shultz.

Summary:

Though Teresa Woo is credited as the director of Iron Angels, Iron Angels II, and Iron Angels III, her role in these films was primarily that of a producer and screenwriter. Many individuals involved in these productions report that Teresa Woo was never on set, and that the actual directing was carried out by others.

Iron Angels: When a cartel eliminates government agents tasked with disrupting their global operations, an elite team known as the Iron Angels is called in to stop the violence and dismantle the cartel.

Iron Angels is a bombastic action film where the focal point is its daring stunts and explosive action sequences. When it comes to plot, there is just enough to move things forward. Though there are a few tense moments, there are no real surprises. Fortunately, things move briskly from one action set piece to the next.

The cast is filled with faces that anyone familiar with 1970s and 1980s Hong Kong cinema should recognize. Alex Fong (Lifeline), Moon Lee (Fatal Termination), and Elaine Lui (The Red Wolf) are cast in the role of three Iron Angels assigned to take down the drug cartel. The most memorable performance is Yukari Ôshima (Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky), who portrays Madam Yeung, a ruthless and ambitious character who kills her way to the top. Another cast member of note is David Chiang (The Deadly Duo); his character supervises the Iron Angels.

While Hong Kong cinema, particularly its action and crime films, was setting new standards and impacting filmmakers globally, the oversaturation of the genre often resulted in a plethora of mediocre films. This brings us to Iron Angels, a film that is far from the worst example of 1980s Hong Kong action/crime, and yet it is also not a film that one would call a classic. Ultimately, Iron Angels is a textbook example of style over substance that is most importantly a lot of fun.

Iron Angels II: Three Iron Angels, while on vacation in Malaysia, uncover a coup to overthrow the government.

Whenever a film is successful, you can always count on sequels and similar films that now run with the blueprint that's been laid out. It is often observed that in a film series, the sequels tend to fall short of the quality and impact of the original film. Case in point, Iron Angels II. Though the core cast and the main creative behind the scenes, Teresa Woo, return for Iron Angels II, the result is a film that never tops its predecessor, and in some areas it is not as strong.

Alex Fong, Moon Lee, and Elaine Lui all reprise their roles as Iron Angels. They all deliver solid performances, and when it comes to their action sequences, they more than hold their own. This time around, a new Iron Angel is introduced, and she is portrayed by Kharina Isa, who would reprise this character in Iron Angels III. That said, all the performances are enjoyable, especially the actors portraying the villains.

The action sequences are bigger this time around; there are many explosions and crazy stunts. Unfortunately, there are too many instances where the narratives halt momentum, and there is a predictability to the events that unfold. This time around, humor is thrown into the mix, and like a lot of Hong Kong films from this era, it is not politically correct. Ultimately, Iron Angels II is an inferior sequel whose only saving grace is its action set pieces.

Iron Angels III: The Iron Angels are brought in to take down a terrorist organization trying to start a war between Thailand and Vietnam.

Iron Angels III is more of the same, another film where terrorists are the villains. It does not bring anything new to the table. For this third installment, the Iron Angels venture to a new location, this time Thailand. Besides the change of location, one of the three original Iron Angels is not in this film.

The performances are serviceable; no one stands out. That said, the three main leads—Alex Fong, Moon Lee, and Kharina Isa—all excel when it comes to their action sequences. Once again, the most interesting characters are the ridiculously over-the-top villains.

The narrative, while predictable, seems primarily designed to highlight the action set pieces. Fortunately, the action sequences and stunts are impressive, especially a scene featuring a Thai boxer. Some of the weapons include grenades hidden in pineapples and jetpacks that are armed with AK-47s. Ultimately, while Iron Angels III is an improvement over its predecessor, it still does not reach the level of Iron Angels, which remains the finest film in this series.

Vinegar Syndrome Archive gives the Iron Angels trilogy a solid release, only recommended for fans of bombastic action films.