The Protector: Deluxe Limited Edition – 88 Films (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong/USA, 1985
Director: James Glickenhaus
Writers: James Glickenhaus, King Sang Tang
Cast: Jackie Chan, Danny Aiello, Sandy Alexander, Victor Arnold, Kim Bass, Irene Britto, Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus, Al Cerullo, Roy Chiao, Moon Lee 

Release Date: May 4th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 95 Minutes 23 Seconds (U.S./international Version), 92 Minutes 7 Seconds (Hong Kong Version), 96 Minutes 54 Seconds (Japanese Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English (U.S./international Version), LPCM Mono Cantonese (Hong Kong Version, Japanese Version)
Subtitles: English SDH (U.S./international Version), English (Hong Kong Version, Japanese Version)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £35.00 (UK)

"After the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman's daughter, maverick New York City cops Billy Wong (Jackie Chan) and Danny Garoni (Danny Aiello) are sent to garner leads in Hong Kong, but the pair find themselves beset by the local police and crime boss, Harold Ko (Roy Chiao) who will stop at nothing in ensuring the continuity of his drug empire.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD - All Versions), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray - All Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Brand-new 4K restorations in 1.85:1 aspect ratio from the original 35mm camera negatives."

The Protector, the U.S./international version, comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 72.7 GB

Feature: 71.7 GB

The Protector, the Hong Kong version and the Japanese version come on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 80.7 GB

Feature: 70.8 GB (Hong Kong Version), 74.4 GB (Japanese Version)

This disc uses seamless branching for the two versions.

The Protector, the U.S./international version, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 28.6 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

The Protector, the Hong Kong version and the Japanese version come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.9 GB

Feature: 29.3 GB (Hong Kong version), 30.8 GB (Japanese version)

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc. This disc uses seamless branching for the two versions.

The differences between 88 Films' 2019 Blu-ray release and this new release are massive. The sources for the three versions look excellent; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Stereo English, LPCM Mono Cantonese - Hong Kong Version, LPCM Mono Cantonese - Japanese Version), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

The U.S./international version comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both of these tracks are in great shape. Dialogue comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced, and fight sequences sound appropriately robust. That said, I would give a slight edge to the stereo track over the DTS-HD 5.1 remix track. Included are removable English SDH.

The Hong Kong version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

The Japanese version comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

There are no extras on the 4K UHD disc with the U.S./international version.

Extras on the 4K UHD disc with the Hong Kong version and the Japanese version include an audio commentary with East Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and F.J. DeSanto for the Hong Kong version and an archival audio commentary with Irish filmmaking maverick George Clarke and Hong Kong film expert Mike Leeder for the Hong Kong version.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with the U.S./international version include Hong Kong theatrical teaser (5 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an international theatrical trailer (3 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with English text), Japanese theatrical trailer (1 minute 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), Japanese theatrical teaser (26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese, no subtitles), a side-by-side comparison of the HK cut and the US cut of the film titled A Tale of 2 movies with Steve Lawson (18 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin titled Follow the Puck (33 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director James Glickenhaus titled Hard Edge (24 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Mars Cheung titled Mars Cheung on The Protector (15 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles).

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with the Hong Kong version and the Japanese version include an audio commentary with Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto for the Hong Kong version and an archival audio commentary with Irish George Clarke and Mike Leeder for the Hong Kong version.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a collectible double-sided poster, a rigid slipcase, an O-ring slipcover, and an 80-page perfect-bound book with cast & crew information, an essay titled I Fell in Love with Movies: An interview with cinematographer Henry Chung conducted by Thorsten Boose, an essay titled Gimme the F-ing Camera! Cut, Protect, Repeat! written by William Blaik and Thorsten Boose, and archival images. 

Summary:

Directed by James Glickenhaus, who is most known for directing The Exterminator and The Soldier. When he was brought in to direct The Protector, there was hope that this film would finally make Jackie Chan a star in the U.S., following three previous unsuccessful attempts.

The narrative revolves around two New York cops who are given the task of rescuing a rich businessman’s daughter from a notorious crime boss who has her stashed somewhere in Hong Kong.

There are two versions of The Protector, though they share a lot of footage. They are distinctively different when it comes to pacing and tone. Director James Glickenhaus’ version has far too many moments that drag on longer than they should, which greatly affects the pacing. James Glickenhaus's vision of The Protector goes against everything that one would expect from a Jackie Chan film. Then there is Jackie Chan’s preferred version, known as the Hong Kong cut. This version features characters and full sequences that are not in James Glickenhaus's version. While these scenes align more closely with Jackie Chan’s strengths, they unfortunately contribute little to the overall narrative arc. Nevertheless, both versions have their strengths and weaknesses.

The main attraction of The Protector is Jackie Chan (Wheels on Meals) in the role of a police officer named Billy Wong. This character is unlike any that Jackie Chan had portrayed up to that point in his career. Jackie Chan delivers a solid performance in his character's use of a firearm and frequent use of profanity; however, this role is not one of his standout performances.

The rest of the cast ranges from serviceable to good. The only notable performance besides Jackie Chan's is by Danny Aiello (Do the Right Thing), who plays Billy Wong’s partner, a police officer named Danny Garoni. While Jackie Chan and Danny Aiello make an unusual pairing, their characters effectively embody the buddy cop stereotypes.

From the very beginning, The Protector does not resemble a typical Jackie Chan film. Additionally, aside from a few well-executed scenes, most of the action sequences feel rather ordinary compared to Jackie Chan’s usual standards. The most memorable action set piece is the scene where Billy Wong starts a chase on a motorcycle, then continues the chase on foot by jumping from one boat to another. Ultimately, The Protector is a tale of two versions, both of which have their flaws.

The Protector gets a definitive release from 88 Films. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer