Hong Kong Legends DVD

[SAI]

For my money THE best dvd label out there right now is Hong Kong Legends. Always the best transfers they can possibly afford, always in their correct aspect ratios and always stocked with large amounts of decent extras. I'll add more reviews to this thread as time goes on and would encourage nyone else who has any HKL dvds to do the same

The Killer
The Film: Arguably John Woo's best work (though Hard-Boiled and Bullet In The Head come close). The Killer is well written and acted as well as being insanely, yet beautifully, violent. The format has been copied many a time since (Notably by Woo, much of Face/Off would appear to have its roots here) but nobody in the west has come close to making a film in this genre tha resonates the way The Killer does. 5/5

The DVD: A fascinating commentary track by HK cinema expert Bey Logan, his are fast becoming my favourte commentaries. Logan seems to know everything about the movies he talks about, right down to the names of the stuntpeople. His acks are well paced and strike a decent balance of infomaton and entertainment.
Interviews wih Sally Yeh, Kenneth Tsang and Peter Pau
5 Deleted scenes (A REAL rarity for HK movies asmost are not retained)

A proper making of doc or input from Woo, Danny Lee or how YnFat would have made this one score higher. 4/5

[bob]

**SIGH**

I wish I had a region-free player...

[James Logan]

Originally posted by bob
**SIGH**

I wish I had a region-free player...

I have three. ;)

Gotta buy some of those HK Legends DVDs...probably can find some at the Chinaman's.

NOTE: The Chinaman's is what me and my boys call a little TV/DVD shop in town. We call it that because, drum roll, it's run by a Chinaman! :)

[bob]

Originally posted by James Logan
I have three. ;)


You're also a moderator and you live in Paris. I think we've established you live a slightly more rewarding life than me.:p

[The Delfonics]

Originally posted by bob
**SIGH**

I wish I had a region-free player...

Bob there are some easy ways to make your DVD player region free. I have a 50 dollar DVD player in my room, Pressed 5 buttons on the remote to make it region free :)

[Slim]

Originally posted by The Delfonics
Bob there are some easy ways to make your DVD player region free. I have a 50 dollar DVD player in my room, Pressed 5 buttons on the remote to make it region free :)

Yes, bob. Get with the times, man. There are ways around it. Cheap solutions to your problem.

[Ren Hoek]

Originally posted by The Delfonics
Bob there are some easy ways to make your DVD player region free. I have a 50 dollar DVD player in my room, Pressed 5 buttons on the remote to make it region free :)
Was it the code I posted in the "Region free player" thread in the DVD forum? Just interested...


And yeah, I love the HK legends DVDs. The audio commentary for THE KILLER is fantastic and the transfer is excellent. I just bought the ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA DVD the other day and the audio/video quality is superb (anamorphic WS and 5.1 sound of course!). Damn, up until I listened to Bey Logan, I was convinced that Quentin Tarantino is the fastest speaker when it comes to commentary tracks, but Mr. Logan beats him in this department hands down. Now bring on Special Edition DVDs for FULL CONTACT and BULLET IN THE HEAD and I can die as a happy man. ;)

[bob]

I'd like to get with the times very much, but RenHoek has just informed me that my Toshiba player is unhackable. Anybody know if he's right?

Ah, what the hell, he's got no reason to lie...

[SAI]

Another HKL review:

The Prodigal Son
The Film: A brilliant blend of comedy and action telling the story of the early life of real life wing chun legend Leung Jaan (Yeun Biao). Leung Jaan is known as The Street Brawler a legendary fighter who has never lost but, unbeknownst to him, this is because all his opponents are paid off by his family. He finds out that his Kung Fu is useless in a duel with Leung Yee Tai (Lam Ching Ying) and the rest of the film shows his training in wing chun by Leung Yee Tai and his kung fu brother Wong Wah Po (Sammo Hung).
There are many reasons this film is a classic of its genre; The acting by Yeun Biao and Lam Ching Ying is far better than the reputation (and dubbing) of kung fu movies would have you believe, the story is strong and told well and the comedy translates better than in many films of this era. Of course the main reason this film is held in high regard among genre fans is the fight coreography. There are two main wing chun duels in the film which Bey Logan (who provides commentaries for most HKL discs) describes as the two best ever put on film, the first, between Lam Ching Ying and Frankie Chan (who plays the 'villain' Master Ngai) is the stand out the coreography is beautiful and incredibly intricate but Yeun Biao also has his chance to shine in the more punishing final scene (also against Frankie Chan)
I'm not going to talk about the film any more other than to say that if you like kung fu action films then this is about as good as you'll ever see. 5/5

The Disc
The transfer looks astonishingly fresh for a hong kong made film from 1982, not quite new looking, but damn close at most times.
Bey Logan again provides a commentary that should act as a how to manual for all features of its kind. He talks a lot about the history of wing chun, the real Leung Jaan, Leung Yee Tai and Wong Wah Po and also finds time to relate some behind the scenes info (such as the fact that in the final scene Yeun Biao is sometmes fighting himself as he was doubling Frankie Chan for the more acrobatic kicks). Logan seldom draws breath and just about everything he says is interesting.
Interviews with Biao, Hung and Frankie Chan are a welcome addition and all 3 are engaging speakers.
Lam Ching Ying passed away in 1997 of cancer of the liver and is represented with a biography.
Add a wing chun demonstration feature with Sifu Guy Lai and Sifu Austin Goh and you have a disc worthy of this excellent film
5/5