Once a Thief: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4K UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1991
Director: John Woo
Writers: John Woo, Patrick Leung, Janet Chun
Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang, Paul Chu, Bowie Wu 

Release Date: August 3rd, 2026 (UK)
Approximate Running Time: 108 Minutes 1 Second
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono Cantonese (Alternate), LPCM Mono English, LPCM Mono English (Alternate)
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"Our three stars play a debonair trio of international art thieves who grew up as orphaned Artful Dodgers on the streets of Hong Kong. Fresh from a successful heist in the sunny French Riviera, they set their sights on one last job: break into a heavily guarded fortress and steal a painting so valuable that it is said to be cursed. But when they’re double-crossed by their former criminal mentor, villainous triad leader Mr. Chow (Kenneth Tsang, The Killer), the gang must use their wits, skills and unbreakable friendship to take him down." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “The film has been restored in 4K resolution and graded in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

The original 35mm camera negative was sourced from the Hong Kong Film Archive and scanned in 4K by Interface Video Production Ltd. in Hong Kong.”

Once a Thief comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 91.7 GB

Feature: 72.1 GB

Although Arrow Video uses Shout! Factory's master as the foundation of their source, they have performed additional color grading. I didn't have any issues with either release's color timing, though there is some debate over which one is more aesthetically pleasing. That said, the source looks phenomenal; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5 (All Audio Tracks)

This release comes with four audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, an alternate LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in English, and an alternate LPCM mono mix in English. All of the tracks have some dialogue in French and the Cantonese track has some dialogue in English. All tracks sound excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise action sequences sound appropriately robust. Included are English subtitles for the Cantonese language track, English SDH for the English language tracks, and English subtitles for the English language tracks when French is spoken. Language tracks and subtitles can only be changed via the setup menu and not during playback.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in Cantonese and removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director John Woo titled Up Close and Personal (33 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with producer Terence Chang titled Brothers in Arms (10 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Kenneth Tsang (7 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Frank Djeng about Leslie Cheung titled Once a Star, Always an Icon (17 minutes 9 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English with removable English subtitles for Cantonese film clips), an interview with author Grady Hendrix titled Hong Kong Confidential: Once a Thief (8 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with editor David Wu titled Art of the Steal (10 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Poon Hang-Sang titled Stealing Some Shots (27 minutes 11 seconds, DTolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Clifton Ko titled Thoughts About Thievery (21 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Terence Chang titled Heists and Lows (7 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with John Woo Handling a Heist (23 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Cantonese film clips), an audio commentary with Asian cinema expert James Mudge, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 20-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Art of the Heist written by Priscilla Page, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

A trio of art thieves, who have known each other since childhood, contemplate retirement and living a normal life after completing their latest job. When a job to steal a priceless painting comes their way, two of them break their promise to retire and take on the risky heist.

John Woo had just completed his most expensive and personal film, Bullet in the Head, in 1990. When it did not perform as well as his previous three films, John Woo felt devastated and promised his producer that he would make back the money he lost with his next film. For his next film, Once a Thief, he would make a more lighthearted affair that returned him to his comedic roots. Although made quickly over a span of two months, Once a Thief would go on to be John Woo’s second most successful Hong Kong film.

John Woo sets Once a Thief apart from his other Hong Kong films by setting part of it in France. He had long been an admirer of the French New Wave, in particular François Truffaut's Jules and Jim, and Once a Thief’s love triangle mirrors that aforementioned film. His other inspiration was Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief, and Once a Thief would feature some of its locations.

To help John Woo pull off the difficult task of completing a film from shooting to post-production in a mere two months are a trio of Hong Kong cinema’s most celebrated actors: Chow Yun-fat (City of Fire), Leslie Cheung (Farewell My Concubine), and Cherie Chung (Wild Search). They are all exemplary in their roles, and their onscreen chemistry is undeniable. All three of them were at the height of their careers, and for Cherie Chung, Once a Thief would be her swan song. Rounding out the cast are other familiar faces like Kenneth Tsang (A Better Tomorrow) and Paul Chu (The Killer), who portray the three main characters' father figures.

Although Once a Thief is a breezy film that very effectively employs humor, John Woo does not shy away from doing what he does best: creating explosive action set pieces. The most notable of these are two heist sequences and a shootout finale that perfectly blend humor and bombastic action. The second heist sequence in particular is a flawlessly constructed moment that overflows with tension. When it comes to action, John Woo is a filmmaker who never disappoints.

Once a Thief is really a special film in John Woo’s filmography, and it is a shame he did not venture into this type of film ever again. While his films that followed have effectively employed humor, he never found that perfect blend of comedy and action like he did with Once a Thief. Ultimately, Once a Thief is a highly entertaining film that always exceeds its audience's expectations and leaves you wanting more.

For their release, Arrow Video has added four extras. In comparing the two releases, it is evident that Arrow Video’s version stands out as the superior choice over Shout! Factory’s offering. Once a Thief gets a definitive release from Arrow Video. 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

Operation Scorpio – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1992
Director: David Lai
Writers: Barry Wong, David Chan
Cast: Chin Kar-lok, Lau Kar-leung, Won Jin, May Lo, Fung Woo, Victor Hon, Frankie Chin, Steven Yuen

Release Date: August 10th, 2026 (UK), August 11th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 100 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £20.00 (UK), $29.95 (USA)

"A young man learns martial arts from two masters of opposing styles; he then combines them to take on the local gangster's son, who is a master of the deadly Scorpion Style." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "2K restoration from the original negative."

Operation Scorpio comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.2 GB

Feature: 30.3 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both tracks sound clear and balanced and ambient sounds are well represented. That said, the Cantonese-language track sounds more robust than the English-language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese-language track and when watching the English-language track there are English subtitles for a song and text that are Cantonese.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (stills/posters), an English-language theatrical trailer (1 minute 52 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a Cantonese language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 30 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), English-language opening and closing credits (2 minutes 14 seconds, DTS-HD mono), an archival interview with actor and martial arts choreographer Lau Kar Leung (17 minutes 46 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Won Jin (20 minutes 7 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Korean with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Chin Kar Lok (18 minutes 12 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Won Jin Audition Reel (2 minutes 44 seconds, DTS-HD stereo), a sneak peek at Jump Senior, directed, produced, written, choreographed, and starring Won Jin (2 minutes 3 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), five scene-specific audio commentaries by Won Jin in Korean with removable English subtitles, an interview with Won Jin titled Scorpion in Seoul (65 minutes 52 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Korean with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Paul Bramhall, reversible Sleeve, an O-Ring slipcase (limited to the first pressing), and a 36-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with an essay titled Lau Kar Leung: The Grandmaster of Kung Fu Cinema written by Johnny Burnett, an easy titled Operation Seoul: The Journey to Interview Won Jin written by Paul Bramhall, and Kung Fu Bob Presents Animal Styles.

Summary:

David Lai directed Operation Scorpio. He’s known for Possessed, Possessed II, Women on the Run, and Heaven and Earth.

A young man who dreams of being a martial arts hero combines the two fighting styles of his two teachers, creating a new style that he employs against a gangster's son who mastered the deadly scorpion style.

Operation Scorpio takes the familiar blueprint: a novice who dreams of being a martial arts expert, who through sheer determination archives his goal. The protagonist, Fei Yu Shu, has the right intentions but constantly gets into trouble for avoiding his responsibilities. What makes his journey more interesting than similar themed martial arts films is that he has two teachers with contrasting fighting styles that he melds into one style. That said, one of his teachers' styles relies on brute force while the other relies on control.

All around, the cast are excellent in the roles, especially Lau Kar-leung (Drunken Master II) in the role of master Lo, the most feared killer in the underworld, who’s been hiding as a cook. He also worked as the martial arts choreographer on Operation Scorpio. Chin Kar-lok (Full Throttle) is cast in the role of Fei Yu Shu, and he convincingly moves from novice to the martial arts expert. Another performance of note is Won Jin’s portrayal of Sonny Wang, who’s character has mastered the deadly scorpion style.

While the narrative does an excellent job fleshing out characters and setting the foundation, the main attraction is the action set pieces. The most notable action sequences are the ones where Sonny Wang showcases his scorpion fighting style. That said, all of the action sequences are overflowing with inventiveness and outstanding stuntwork. Ultimately, Operation Scorpio is a highly entertaining martial arts film that serves as a time capsule for the type of films that Honjg Kong used to make.

Operation Scorpio gets an excellent release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Adventure Calls! Karl May At CCC – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: West Germany/Yugoslavia/Italy, 1964 (Old Shatterhand), West Germany/Yugoslavia/Italy, 1968 (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), West Germany/France/Italy/Yugoslavia, 1964 (The Shoot), Spain/West Germany, 1965 (Through Wild Kurdistan, In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), West Germany/France/Italy, 1965 (The Treasure of the Aztecs), France/Italy/West Germany/Yugoslavia, 1965 (The Pyramid of the Sun God)
Directors: Hugo Fregonese (Old Shatterhand), Harald Reinl (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), Robert Siodmak (The Shoot, The Treasure of the Aztecs, The Pyramid of the Sun God), Franz Josef Gottlieb (Through Wild Kurdistan, In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion)
Cast: Lex Barker, Guy Madison, Pierre Brice, Daliah Lavi, Ralf Wolter (Old Shatterhand), Lex Barker, Pierre Brice, Rik Battaglia, Karin Dor, Ralf Wolter (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), Lex Barker, Marie Versini, Ralf Wolter, Rik Battaglia, Marianne Hold, Maria Grazia Francia (The Shoot), Lex Barker, Marie Versini, Ralf Wolter (Through Wild Kurdistan), Lex Barker, Marie Versini, Ralf Wolter, Sieghardt Rupp (In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), Lex Barker, Gérard Barray, Michèle Girardon, Rik Battaglia, Alessandra Panaro (The Treasure of the Aztecs), Lex Barker, Gérard Barray, Michèle Girardon, Rik Battaglia, Hans Nielsen (The Pyramid of the Sun God)

Release Date: April 27th, 2026 (UK), April 28th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 120 Minutes 41 Seconds (Old Shatterhand), 89 Minutes 26 Seconds (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), 118 Minutes 26 Seconds (The Shoot), 103 Minutes 3 Seconds (Through Wild Kurdistan), 95 Minutes 32 Seconds (In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), 101 Minutes 1 Second (The Treasure of the Aztecs), 98 Minutes 51 Seconds (The Pyramid of the Sun God)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono German (All Films), LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: A,B
Retail Price: £64.99 (UK), $109.95 (USA)

"The writer Karl May is a household name in his native Germany, where he is associated with thrilling Western tales and sweeping adventure stories. Following earlier attempts to bring his novels to the screen, films adapted from May’s work found their greatest success in the 1960s. Seven of them were produced by Artur Brauner at CCC Film, all starring Lex Barker and directed by veteran filmmakers Robert Siodmak, Hugo Fregonese, Franz Josef Gottlieb, and Harald Reinl.

Old Shatterhand and Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death both feature May’s most beloved characters: the frontiersman Old Shatterhand and the Apache chief Winnetou, who find themselves first caught up in a plot to start a war between Native Americans and white settlers and then a scheme to steal a gold shipment from the US Army. The Shoot, Through Wild Kurdistan and In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion all follow adventurer Kara Ben Nemsi as he travels through the Balkans and the Middle East, while The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God chart the exploits of Dr Karl Sternau as he seeks vast riches to fund political action in Mexico." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5 (Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death, The Shoot), 3.5/5 (Through Wild Kurdistan, In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), 4.25/5 (The Treasure of the Aztecs, The Pyramid of the Sun God)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "The Masters of Cinema Series is honored to present all seven of Artur Brauner’s Karl May adaptations for the first time ever on home video in the UK from brand new 4K restorations by CCC Film."

Old Shatterhand and Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 23.3 GB (Old Shatterhand), 17 GB (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death)

The Shoot and Through Wild Kurdistan come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 22.6 GB (The Shoot), 18.3 GB (Through Wild Kurdistan)

In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.1 GB

Feature: 26 GB

The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 21.5 GB (The Treasure of the Aztecs), 19.7 GB (The Pyramid of the Sun God)

The sources for each film have been cleaned up and they all retain an organic look. The best-looking transfers are The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God, while Through Wild Kurdistan and In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion are the weakest. Flesh tones look healthy; colors look correct; image clarity and black levels are strong; and compression is solid.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono German - All Tracks), 3/5 (LPCM Mono English - All Tracks)

All films come with a LPCM mono mix in German with removable English subtitles, while Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death, and The Shoot come with a LPCM mono mix in English and German with removable English subtitles for moments not dubbed in English. That said, there's no contest; the German tracks easily beat their English-language counterparts when it comes to depth. The German tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the disc one include a theatrical trailer for Old Shatterhand (3 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (4 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival featurette on actress Daliah Lavi (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival making-of documentary on Old Shatterhand and Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (17 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with Sir Christopher Frayling titled Old Shatterhand and the Works of Karl May (25 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (5 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian David Kalat for Old Shatterhand.

Extras on disc two include a theatrical trailer for The Shoot (2 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Through Wild Kurdistan (3 minutes 44 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), archival news footage on The Shoot (51 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival making-of documentary titled Making Karl May's Oriental Cycle (21 minutes 15 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival restoration featurette for The Shoot and Through Wild Kurdistan (21 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for The Shoot (3 minutes 22 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for Through Wild Kurdistan (3 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras on disc three include a theatrical trailer for In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion (4 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival restoration featurette for In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion (3 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Alice Brauner, managing director of CCC Film and daughter of CCC founder Artur Brauner titled Karl May at CCC (15 minutes 29 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with film historian Sheldon Hall on the late career of Robert Siodmak titled Prodigal Son (26 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion (3 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras on disc four include a theatrical trailer for The Treasure of the Aztecs (4 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for The Pyramid of the Sun God (4 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Bernhard Schmid, co-editor and contributor to Karl May Verlag (6 minutes 47 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles),an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for The Treasure of the Aztecs (4 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for The Pyramid of the Sun God (3 minutes 13 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with David Kalat for The Treasure of the Aztecs.

Other extras include a 60-page book with cast & crew credits for each film, an essay titled The Making of a German Myth: Karl May from Imposter to National Treasure written by Holger Haase, an essay titled A Frontiersman: Karl May and Popular German Cinema written by Tim Bergfelder, an essay titled Old Shatterhand: Reclaiming and Rehabilitating the German Superman Archetype written by Lee Broughton, an essay titled More German Than the Germans: Lex Barker in Germany written by Boris Brosowski, and information about the transfers titled Notes on Viewing.

Note: The hard case and book are limited to 2000 copies.

Summary:

All films that are part of this collection were adapted or inspired by German author Karl May’s writings. Karl May wrote adventure stories that he primarily sets in the American Old West, the Orient, and the Middle East. The other key component when discussing the films in this collection is producer Artur Brauner, whose other notable films are a series of Dr. Mabuse films, a series of Krimi films, and a handful of Jess Franco films, notably Vampyros Lesbos and She Killed in Ecstasy.

Old Shatterhand: A Davy Crockett-like adventurer named Old Shatterhand and an Apache Indian named Winnetou try to stop a group of renegade soldiers who are trying to derail a peace treaty between the American government and Indians.

Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death: When an army gold shipment is stolen and the Indians are blamed, Old Shatterhand and Winnetou try to bring the culprits to justice.

Although the Italians are most known for making Euro-Westerns, Germany was another country that made a few notable films. Old Shatterhand has a stronger connection to the Italian westerns because its score was composed by Riz Ortolani, whose notable western scores include Requiescant, Day of Anger, and The Unholy Four. That said, this is where any connection to the Italian spaghetti western ends.

The Shoot: A bandit known as The Shoot terrorizes the Albanian countryside.

Through Wild Kurdistan: When the son of a sheikh is kidnapped by the Turkish military, his father enlists the help of an adventurer named Kara Ben Nemsi.

In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion: An old foe, though dead, comes back to exact his revenge against Kara Ben Nemsi.

The Shoot, Through Wild Kurdistan, and In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion shift the action from the American Old West to the Middle East. Although there is a change of scenery, these films have many traits that are associated with the Western film genre. An episodic narrative connects these three films, picking up where the last left off. Besides the protagonist, Kara Ben Nemsi, there is an array of other characters who play a significant role in these films.

The Treasure of the Aztecs: A German adventurer named Dr. Karl Sternau, wanting to help Mexican revolutionary forces, looks for Aztec treasure to fund their fight against their French occupiers.

The Pyramid of the Sun God: Old enemies and new foes try to get in Dr. Karl Sternau’s way of obtaining Aztec treasure.

Both films are set in Mexico during a revolution and like the Old Shatterhand films that were set in the American Old West, they have a Euro-Western feel. The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God were directed by Robert Siodmak, who also directed The Shoot. He’s a filmmaker most known for his contributions to film noir. The narrative for The Pyramid of the Sun God picks up right where The Treasure of the Aztecs left off.

When it comes to the cast and performances, the main link throughout is Lex Baxter (La Dolce Vita) in the role of each film's protagonist. While he more than fulfills the role of the hero, each protagonist is essentially the same, albeit in a different part of the world. The rest of the cast features several who appear throughout these seven films in various roles. Another performance of note is Ralf Wolter (One, Two, Three), who portrays the protagonist's sidekick in these films. His characters are the main source for comic relief.

Despite there being four directors who worked on these seven films, they have a uniform style that’s not distinct to any one director. That said, it's clear the main creative force behind these seven films is Artur Brauner. From a production standpoint, all of these films do a remarkable job maximizing their resources. Another strength of these films is the visuals, which do an excellent job showcasing the beautiful vistas featured.

All of the narrative does a superb job drawing you in and holding your attention as they build to their finales. While these films are dialogue heavy, they do not have a good amount of action in them. Through Wild Kurdistan is the film with the most amount of action, and all films save their biggest action set piece for their finale. Ultimately, all of these films are well-crafted and highly entertaining. Recommended for fans of Euro-Western and adventure films.

Adventure Calls! Karl May At CCC is an excellent release from Eureka Video; each film comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer