The Candy Snatchers – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, June 1973
Director: Guerdon Trueblood
Writers: Bryan Gindoff, Guerdon Trueblood
Cast: Tiffany Bolling, Ben Piazza, Susan Sennett, Brad David, Vince Martorano

Release Date: February 25th, 2020
Approximate running time: 94 Minutes 43 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $32.98

"Candy, a teenage heiress to a large fortune, is kidnapped by a trio of small time criminals on her way home from Catholic school. After burying her alive in an unmarked grave, the trio attempts to extort Candy's father, a wealthy jeweler, for a hefty ransom. But, what seemed like a simple, straightforward kidnapping soon spirals out of control with violent consequences and Candy's only hope for survival is a young mute boy who knows where she is buried." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original camera negative."

The Candy Snatchers comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray. 

Disc Size: 34.9 GB

Feature: 26.7 GB

The source looks excellent; this is easily the best The Candy Snatchers has ever looked. Flesh tones are healthy, colors are nicely saturated, and the image always looks organic. Also, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid.

The Candy Snatchers comes of a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 6 GB

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in excellent shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a promotional still and archival article gallery with music from the film playing in the background, an interview with producer Gary Adelman titled Digging up the Past (9 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), an interview with actor Vince Martorano titled Snatching the Role (10 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), an interview with director Guerdon Trueblood titled A Dark Film (15 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), an introduction by Guerdon Trueblood (1 minute 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), and an audio commentary with film historian Nathaniel Thompson.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Other extras include reversible cover art.

Summary:

Three kidnappers abduct a girl named Candy Phillips on her way home from school. They hide her away in a hole in the ground while they wait for her father to pay their ransom demands. When her father doesn't show up or pay the ransom, the kidnappers must come up with a new plan.

The Candy Snatchers is a brutal crime caper that failed to connect with an audience upon its initial theatrical release. It nearly faded into obscurity until Subversive Cinema released it on DVD in 2005. Subversive Cinema found the camera negative just in time before it was discarded, making their release significant.

The most surprising aspect of The Candy Snatchers is how it was directed by a first-time director named Guerdon Trueblood. His direction is never showy or overly stylized, as he focuses most of his attention on letting the actors develop their characters. That said, despite his solid direction, The Candy Snatchers was Guerdon Trueblood's one and only feature film as a director.

Immediately, one has to feel sorry for actress Susan Sennett, who plays Candy, as her character spends most of the film blindfolded, and in her interview, she explains how they made her keep it on in between takes for continuity. Her screams of despair will send chills up your spine, as they at times feel almost too realistic.

When it comes to the three kidnappers, they have three distinctive personalities. Jessie, the ring leader, is only in it for the money; her psychotic brother Alan is along for the ride; and Eddy starts to regret his actions the further they get away from their original plan. The actor who plays the little boy with autism, Christopher Trueblood, the director's son, does a pretty good job. That said, it was a bold move to have a character with autism in the 1970s.

Most of the characters in The Candy Snatchers are hard to sympathize with; only Candy and Shawn, the boy with autism, exude sympathy. Also, there are an ample amount of double dealings and twists, which ensure there is never a dull moment. And an unforgettable bleak finale is built through the perfectly constructed tension-filled narrative, which does an excellent job of maintaining momentum. Ultimately, The Candy Snatchers has many moments that push the envelope, despite not being as violent as The Last House on the Left, another grindhouse film released around the same time.

The Candy Snatchers gets an exceptional release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

 Written by Michael Den Boer

The Long Good Friday: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1980
Director: John Mackenzie
Writer: Barrie Keeffe
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Eddie Constantine, Paul Freeman, Leo Dolan, Pierce Brosnan

Release Date: May 27th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 114 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English, Dolby Atmos English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) is a businessman with great ambitions. Spotting the development potential of London's derelict Docklands area years before the Thatcher government, he tries to broker a deal with his American counterpart (Eddie Constantine) that will make them both millions. But who is killing Harold's other associates and blowing up his businesses - and why?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution. The film was restored in 4K resolution and graded in HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Scanning, grading and picture restoration was completed at Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The restoration was approved by director of photography Phil Méheux.

All materials for this restoration were made available by Handmade Films via The British Film Institute.”

The Long Good Friday comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 92.9 GB

Feature: 80.1 GB

The source looks excellent, and this release gets a solid encode from Fidelity in Motion. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5 (LPCM Mono English, Dolby Atmos English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in English and a Dolby Atmos mix in English. Both audio tracks sound excellent; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, both sound robust when they should. Also, the Dolby Atmos track is an exemplary track that perfectly complements the original mono source. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include two theatrical trailers (4 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with producer Barry Hanson (16 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with cinematographer Phil Méheux (17 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Barrie Keeffe (14 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a Q&A with Bob Hoskins and John Mackenzie, moderated by Richard Jobson (27 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Hands Across the Ocean, a comparison of the differences between the UK and US soundtracks (7 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Barry Hanson (5 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Phil Méheux (3 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Barrie Keeffe (8 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with first assistant director Simon Hinkly (18 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with assistant art director Carlotta Barrow (6 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival Making of documentary titled Bloody Business, including interviews with director John Mackenzie, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Barry Hanson and Phil Méheux (54 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with John Mackenzie, reversible cover art, a double-sided foldout poster (limited to the first pressing), a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 44-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Long Good Friday written by Mark Duguid, an excerpt titled Making The Long Good Friday from Titan Books' Very Naughty Boys: The Amazing True Story of Handmade Films written by Robert Sellers, contemporary reviews, cockney rhyming slang glossary, and information about the restoration. 

Summary:

Directed by John Mackenzie, whose other notable films include Unman, Wittering, and Zigo, A Sense of Freedom, and the controversial short film Apaches.

A British crime boss, after peacefully building his empire for ten years, puts his partnership with the mafia in jeopardy due to a series of bombs and the killings of people close to him.

The release of The Long Good Friday was delayed by a year after completion due to its subject matter. The Long Good Friday was originally intended as a television movie in its early stages. Fortunately, The Long Good Friday would find new financial backers who would release it theatrically and without any alterations.

Content-wise, The Long Good Friday goes against the grain when compared to other gangster-themed films. The narrative focuses more on the who and why of things happening to the protagonist. And though The Long Good Friday is a dialog-driven film, it’s the violent set pieces that ultimately set the tone. Also, The Long Good Friday is wonderfully paced, as it lets each new revelation have just enough time to sink in before moving on to its next plot twist. The most surprising asset of The Long Good Friday is Francis Monkman’s synth-infused score, which perfectly reinforces the mood.

The Long Good Friday is a character-driven film; it should not come as a surprise that the performances are rock solid. The most dominating performance came from Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa) in the role of the protagonist, a British crime lord named Harold Shand. He delivers an exceptional performance that has just the right amount of intensity.

Helen Mirren’s (O Lucky Man!) portrayal of Victoria, whose character is Shand’s girlfriend, is another performance of note. She takes what is basically a background role and turns it into a mesmerizing performance that at times rivals Hoskins performance. Other performances of note include Eddie Constantine (Alphaville) in the role of the Mafia boss and Pierce Brosnan (Tomorrow Never Dies) in his first feature film, in the role of an IRA hitman.

Another strength of The Long Good Friday is its visuals, which do a superb job keeping the viewer unbalanced, and no more is evident than when a jarring moment like a bomb going off occurs. Also, when it comes to what unfolds in The Long Good Friday, expect the unexpected. One of The Long Good Friday’s most memorable moments visually is a scene where the protagonist's henchmen round up his rival crime bosses, all hung upside down inside a freezer containing meat carcasses. Ultimately, The Long Good Friday’s meticulously laid-out narrative and its well-defined characters make for a riveting tale that resonates in one’s mind long after its shocking finale.

The Long Good Friday gets a phenomenal release from Arrow Video that comes with a flawless audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, 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 VLC player and lossless PNGs.

 Written by Michael Den Boer

The Great Alligator – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1979
Director: Sergio Martino
Writers: Cesare Frugoni, Ernesto Gastaldi, Sergio Martino, Luigi Montefiore, Maria Chianetta
Cast: Barbara Bach, Claudio Cassinelli, Mel Ferrer, Romano Puppo, Richard Johnson 

Release Date: May 28th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 10 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.95

"At the opening of a tropical resort, a photographer (Claudio Cassinelli of Slave of the Cannibal God), an anthropologist (Barbara Bach of The Spy Who Loved Me) and an arrogant hotelier (Mel Ferrer of Eaten Alive!) are besieged by hostile natives, obnoxious tourists and a gargantuan river beast that intends to devour them all." - synopsis provided by the distributor

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

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “newly scanned in 4K from the original negative.”

The Great Alligator comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 65.7 GB

Feature: 64.5 GB

Though the source looks excellent, there are still some very minor instances of print debris. Flesh tones look healthy; color saturation and black levels are solid. That said, image clarity is generally solid, with some moments, notably the underwater scenes, not being as strong as the bulk of this transfer. Also, compression is very good, and the image always looks organic.

The Great Alligator comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.4 GB

Feature: 26.9 GB

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

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, both tracks sound good, with the Italian-language track sounding more robust than the English-language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 56 seconds, DTS-HD mono with text in English).

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 56 seconds, DTS-HD mono with text in English), a Video essay titled Paradise House: Christianity and the Natural World in The Great Alligator by Lee Gambin, author of Massacred by Mother Nature (18 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with production designer Antonello Geleng titled Alligator Land (6 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Giancarlo Ferrando, Antonello Geleng and special effects supervisor Paolo Ricci titled 3 Friends and an Alligator (16 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with underwater camera operator Gianlorenzo Battaglia titled Underwater (7 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with Antonello Geleng titled Later Alligator (16 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with camera operator Claudio Morabito titled Beware of the Gator (16 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Silvia Collatina titled Minou (16 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an interview with director Sergio Martino titled Down by the River (10 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art.

Summary:

The Great Alligator was directed by the versatile Italian filmmaker Sergio Martino, who worked in whatever genre was popular at the time. Having said that, he was best known for his work in the Giallo and Commedia sexy all'italiana genres. Notable films he directed include The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, All the Colors of the Dark, The Violent Professionals, Torso, and The Suspicious Death of a Minor.

The narrative revolves around a wealthy businessman who creates a resort in a tropical paradise, and when things start to go awry, he does everything in his power to keep things quiet, not wanting to start a panic.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, whenever something was successful in Hollywood, the Italian film industry never wasted an opportunity to cash in with their cheap knock-off films. Few of these Italian knock-offs made it to North American audiences, despite many of them being released to global audiences. Sergio Martino, more than any other director working at the time in Italy, shifted effortlessly from genre to genre, crafting several genre classics.

Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is the obvious influence that inspired Sergio Martino’s The Great Alligator. Both films, to great effect, feature a predator that mostly remains in the water. Also, The Great Alligator does a great job of not showing too much, making the alligator more menacing. Another area where The Great Alligator draws inspiration from Jaws is when it comes to the fate of the alligator.

Out of the various genres that Sergio Martino has worked in, the action-adventure genre is the one that holds the least interest for me. Sergio Martino, a director who prefers to work rather than pursue a personal project, consistently delivers solid direction. The Great Alligator's exotic locations, beautifully photographed, are its most durable assets. Also, the underwater sequences are surprisingly strong.

The performances get the job done. That said, no one performance stands out. The cast has several recognizable faces, many of whom have worked with Sergio Martino on other films: Barbara Bach (The Island of the Fishmen), Claudio Cassinelli (The Scorpion with Two Tails), Mel Ferrer (The Suspicious Death of a Minor), Romano Puppo (2019: After the Fall of New York), and Richard Johnson (The Island of the Fishmen).

Content-wise, The Great Alligator is a cross between the Man vs. Nature films of the 1970s and the action adventure stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. That said, The Great Alligator is a textbook example of a B movie, and yet it often exceeds the sum of its parts. Ultimately, The Great Alligator is not one of Sergio Martino’s strongest efforts; still, it offers plenty of action and adventure that is distinctively Italian.

The Great Alligator gets a solid release from Severin Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, 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 VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Devil’s Honey – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1986
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Jaime Jesús Balcázar, Lucio Fulci, Ludovica Marineo, Sergio Partou, Vincenzo Salviani
Cast: Brett Halsey, Corinne Clery, Blanca Marsillach, Stefano Madia, Paula Molina, Bernard Seray 

Release Date: May 28th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 82 Minutes 48 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $44.95

"a young woman who abducts and subjects a doctor she holds responsible for the death of her boyfriend and subjects him to unspeakable acts!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

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

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “now scanned in 4K from the original negative.”

The Devil’s Honey comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.4 GB

Feature: 59.7 GB

This transfer is a marked improvement over Severin’s 2017 Blu-ray, and it looks similar to the source that 88 Films used for their 2020 Blu-ray release. The colors look correct, the black levels are strong, the compression is very good, and the image always looks organic. That said, though The Devil’s Honey has a soft focus, image clarity is generally strong.

The Devil’s Honey comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.1 GB

Feature: 24.9 GB

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

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian) 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds and the score are well-represented. That said, the Italian language track sounds more robust than the English language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 46 seconds, DTS-HD mono with text in English).

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 46 seconds, DTS-HD mono with text in English), an alternate opening (6 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio essay titled Fulci's Honey by Troy Howarth, author of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and His Films (16 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Stephen Thrower, author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci (21 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with composer Claudio Natili titled The Devil’s Sax (9 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with burnt-in English subtitles), an archival interview with producer Vincenzo Salviani titled Producing Honey (13 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with burnt-in English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Corinne Cléry titled Wild Flower (12 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with burnt-in English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Brett Halsey titled The Devil’s Halsey (17 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with director Lucio Fulci by Michele Romagnoli (6 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an interview with actress Blanca Marsillach titled Sax, Lies and Videotape (14 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art.

Summary:

The Devil’s Honey was co-written and directed by Lucio Fulci, who is primarily known for his gore films like The Beyond and Zombie and thrillers like Don’t Torture a Duckling and A Woman in a Lizard’s Skin. Though there have been erotic undertones in many of his films. Outside of a handful of erotica/comedy hybrids like The Eroticist, Dracula in the Provinces, and My Sister in Law, he rarely ventured into the erotica genre.

The Devil’s Honey is a story about two lovers, Johnny, an up-and-coming musician, and Jessica, his girlfriend. The film establishes early on that they have a very psychic relationship that is frequently tumultuous. Johnny rides around Jessica on his motorcycle one day after a lover's spat to prove his undying love for her. This event leads to him hitting his head really hard on a rock, which leads to his seeing a doctor named Wendell Simpson, a prominent brain surgeon. Doctor Simpson, the surgeon called in to operate on Johnny, was also going through his own turbulent relationship woes with his wife, Caroline. Unable to focus, Johnny dies during the operation. This is when The Devil’s Honey shifts away from its blatantly overt use of erotica into themes more geared towards revenge. Jessica kidnaps Doctor Simpson, whom she then proceeds to put through a series of grueling punishments. Not wanting him to die until he has suffered to her liking, she even gives him mouth-to-mouth in one scene to revive him after he nearly drowns.

Though revenge is the modus operandi of the latter half of the film, this does not mean that The Devil’s Honey has abandoned its erotic overtones that dominate the opening part of the film. In fact, during the bulk of the time that the Jessica Simpson character is torturing the Doctor Simpson character, she is either topless or fully nude. Visually, The Devil's Honey demonstrates that director Lucio Fulci was always able to create interesting compositions and set pieces despite a limited budget or material.

The Devil’s Honey’s strongest asset is its editing. The Devil’s Honey editor Vincenzo Tomassi worked with director Lucio Fulci a total of sixteen times, beginning with The Eroticist and ending with Voices from Beyond. Also, The Devil’s Honey does a great job filling in the backstory of Johnny and Jessica through a series of flashbacks.

The Devil’s Honey features a few familiar faces: Brett Halsey in the role of Doctor Simpson (Four Times That Night), in his first collaboration with Lucio Fulci, and Corinne Clery (Hitch Hike) in the role of the doctor’s wife Caroline. The Devil’s Honey’s most memorable performance comes from Blanca Marsillach in the role of Jessica, the girlfriend of the musician who tragically dies. That being said, as good as her performance in The Devil's Honey is, it only highlights how bad Stefano Madia's performance as Johnny is. In the end, The Devil's Honey is a late-career Lucio Fulci film that demonstrated what he was capable of producing when given adequate resources and a compelling story to work with.

The Devil’s Honey gets an excellent release from Severin Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, 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 VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Dragon Fist: Limited Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1979
Director: Lo Wei
Writer: Wang Chung-pin
Cast: Jackie Chan, Nora Miao, James Tien, Yen Shi Kwan, Eagle Han-ying, Wu Wen-sau, Im Eun-Joo 

Release Date: December 10th, 2018
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 53 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: OOP (UK)

"Helmed by the iconic and groundbreaking director Lo Wei (who called the shots on the Bruce Lee masterworks The Big Boss and Fist of Fury of his master, Chan is in fine form as he gets tangled up in the sort of convoluted and carnage-packed plot that golden age kung-fu classics do all-too well. Make no mistake, Dragon Fist is Chan at his hard-fisted best - ready for action and jacked to the ears..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 2k restoration."

Dragon Fist comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.4 GB

Feature: 28.1 GB

The source is in great shape, the colors look good, and the compression is solid. Also, the image generally looks crisp, and the black levels fare well. That said, there is digital noise reduction, which looks worse in some moments than others.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese), 4/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with six audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Mandarin, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. All of the 5.1 audio tracks do a great job opening up the original mono source; they all sound noticeably more robust. That said, the English-language mono audio track sounds flat compared to the two other mono audio tracks. Also, the English-language 5.1 audio track has some background noise. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin language tracks, removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks, and when watching with the English language track, there is a removable English subtitle track for Mandarin text.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a lobby card image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), an interview with NEO magazine writer and journalist David West titled A Dragon’s Rules (20 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, 4 lobby card reproductions (limited to the first pressing), and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Lo Wei directed Dragon Fist. He is most remembered for directing two Bruce Lee films, The Big Boss and Fists of Fury. He collaborated with Jackie Chan on six films.

A student's quest for revenge against his master's killer is interrupted when he gets entangled in a feud between two clans.

Though Dragon Fist was filmed before Jackie Chan’s breakout films Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master, it was not released until a year after these two films. Content-wise, Dragon Fist has a more serious darker tone that is devoid of the humor that became synonymous with Jackie Chan after Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master.

Despite being yet another martial arts film about revenge, Dragon Fist actually puts an interesting twist on a familiar scenario. There are double crosses, traitors waiting for the best moment to strike. And everything comes to a head in a rage-filled finale that serves as a perfect climax.

The cast is all great in their roles. Jackie Chan (Twin Dragons) delivers a solid performance in the role of an avenger. Though his character's Dragon Fist fighting style is not in line with his style of martial arts, he still excels when it comes to his fight sequences. In the supporting cast, there are a few recognizable faces: Nora Miao (Way of the Dragon) and James Tien (The Big Boss).

Dragon Fist’s weakest link is Lo Wei; despite directing some memorable 1970s martial arts films, he had no distinct style as a filmmaker. He was a workman-like director whose stars, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, made his films better in spite of his direction. That said, Dragon Fist’s fight sequences are, for the most part, great, especially in moments with Im Eun-Joo in the role of the daughter of the man who killed Jackie Chan’s character's master.

Though heavy on action, the narrative actually does a great job building up characters and maintaining momentum. The scores for so many 1970s martial arts films use uncredited music cues; Dragon Fist has music cues from Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Sand Pebbles. Dragon Fist would mark the sixth and final film that Jackie Chan made with Lo Wei as director. These six films directed by Lo Wei all pale in comparison to the films Jackie Chan made with other directors. That said, Dragon Fist is the best of these six Jackie Chan/Lo Wei films.

Dragon Fist gets a strong release from 88 Films that comes with a good audio/video presentation and an informative interview.

Written by Michael Den Boer