Riki-Oh The Story of Ricky: Limited Edition – 88 Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1991
Director: Lam Ngai Choi
Writers: Tetsuya Saruwatari, Masahiko Takajo, Ngai Choi Lam
Cast: Louis Fan Siu-wong, Mei Sheng Fan, Ka-Kui Ho, Yukari Ôshima, Kan-Wing Tsang, Kwok-Pong Chan, Kôichi Sugisaki, Frankie Chi-Leung Chan, King Chan, Phillip Chung-Fung, Kwok Tetsurô Tanba, Gloria Yip, Suet Lam

Release Date: July 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Theatrical Mix), DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Home Video Mix), DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: OOP

"Wrongly convicted of manslaughter, martial arts master Ricky (Fan Siu-wong) is thrown into a nightmarish penitentiary where sadistic wardens rule and the inmates are locked in a constant battle for dominance. Facing monstrous opponents and unimaginable cruelty, Ricky must unleash the full force of his power to stay alive—and strike back against a system designed to break him." - synopsis provided by the distributor

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

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New 4K restoration in 1.85:1 aspect ratio from the original 35mm camera negatives."

Riki-Oh The Story of Ricky comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.1 GB

Feature: 59.5 GB

The transfer looks excellent; it improves upon the 88 Films 2022 Blu-ray, which was at that time the best this film looked on home video. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Riki-Oh The Story of Ricky comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.3 GB

Feature: 29.8 GB

The Blu-ray uses the same source as the 4K UHD does for its transfer.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese Theatrical Mix, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese Home Video Mix, DTS-HD Mono English), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with four audio mixes, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese labeled "theatrical mix," a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese labeled "home video mix," a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. The three monolingual tracks are similar quality-wise. Dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. That said, the DTS-HD 5.1 is not as satisfying an experience as its mono counterparts. There are three subtitle options: each Cantonese language track comes with its own English subtitle track, and there are English subtitles for the Cantonese text when watching the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an English language trailer (2 minutes 7 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), a Hong Kong theatrical trailer (4 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Louis Fan Siu-wong (36 minutes 4 seconds, LPCM stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), a new interview with Louis Fan Siu-wong (19 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Frank Djeng, an archival audio commentary with Kim Newman and Sean Hogan, an archival audio commentary with Audi Sorlie and Chris Ling, reversible cover art, a double-walled slipcase (limited to the first pressing), and a fold-out poster featuring new artwork and original poster art (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Lam Ngai Choi directed some of the wildest films to emerge from Hong Kong cinema in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Notable films he directed include The Seventh Curse, Her Vengeance, Erotic Ghost Story, and The Cat. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky was adapted from a manga titled Riki-Oh, written by Masahiko Takajo and illustrated by Tetsuya Saruwatari.

From its opening moments, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky establishes a brutal tone in which limbs are severed, organs are removed, heads are crushed by fists, and other grotesque moments of carnage unfold. That said, everything in Riki-Oh! The Story of Ricky is an exaggeration of reality.

Set in the near future, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is a post-apocalyptic tale that is set in a prison run by a sadistic warden, his equally cruel assistant, and guards that frequently brutalize prisoners. The narrative revolves around a character named Riki-Oh, who recently arrived at the prison. Once inside, Riki-Oh is challenged by various prisoners, who quickly learn that he is a formidable foe whose hands are deadly weapons.

As good as the entire cast is, they are all obscured by Louis Fan Siu-wong’s (Ip Man's) portrayal of Riki-Oh. He delivers a commanding performance that steals every scene he is in. Another performance of note is by Mei Sheng Fan (The Magnificent Butcher), who portrays the assistant warden with a hook for a hand. The scenes between a real-life son and father are easily the most entertaining.

From a production standpoint, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is a film that far exceeds the sum of its parts. The premise is deliriously executed, the narrative does a great job building momentum, and an absurd finale puts a perfect exclamation mark on the events that preceded. Another strength of the narrative is some well-timed flashbacks that fill in Riki-Oh’s backstory. The fight sequences are well-executed, at times inventive, and most importantly, gory. Ultimately, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is one of the best examples of Hong Kong’s Cat III cinema.

Riki-Oh The Story of Ricky makes its way to 4K UHD and receives its best home media release to date. Highly recommended.

Note: 88 Films has rereleased Riki-Oh The Story of Ricky in a standard edition.

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