"Actor: Chung Wang"

• The Magnificent Butcher | DVD | (23/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Based on the real-life exploits of Butcher Wing, Magnificent Butcher is an action-packed kung fu comedy filled with lowbrow physical slapstick and breathtaking, if repetitive fight scenes. Sammo Hung is the well-intentioned 19th-century butcher whose unerring ability to misread a situation leads to trouble. When Wing's long-absent brother comes to town, Ko Tai-Hoi (Hark-On Fung) imprisons his wife, and our hero joins forces with an old drunken kung fu master played by Siu Tien Yuen (reprising his title role from Drunken Master which brought Jackie Chan to fame). This is Siu Tien Yuen's last film and it's obvious he's been replaced by a stunt double at times, although it remains a fine tribute to his remarkable martial arts talent. Taking an unexpected turn with a brutal attempted rape and murder, farce gives way to bloody retribution. The gradual return of comical elements may seem at odds with the later more realistic violence. While the uneven tone jars, the film is an impressive showcase for some of the greatest talents in Hong Kong cinema. Director Woo-ping Yuen has since found fame as the kung fu/action choreographer on The Matrix (1999) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).On the DVD: Considering how poor most 1970s Hong Kong films looked on video, the anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 image here is superb; pin sharp with accurate colours and barely a hint of grain. Unfortunately there is still a little of the image missing at the sides, though it is a vast improvement over any panned and scanned cassette. The mono audio is generally good, though the music distorts occasionally. There are two soundtracks: the original Cantonese with optional subtitles, and a bad English dub. Additionally there is an outstanding audio commentary by Bey Logan packed with fascinating information about martial arts, Hong Kong cinema and the historical characters the film is based on. A 12-minute interview with Sammo Hung and 20-minute interview with Woo-ping Yuen are both interesting, though are not specific to Magnificent Butcher. Beyond these there are detailed biographies of star and director, an extensive stills gallery, stills from deleted scenes, two trailers and text information and photos of the real Butcher Wing. Finally, making stylised ultra-violence look extremely cool, there are ten anamorphically enhanced widescreen trailers for further releases. When "Hong Kong Legends" say they want to produce the best quality DVDs in the world they clearly mean it. This is a fine package assembled with the loving care of true fans. --Gary S Dalkin

• Flying Guillotine 2 | Blu Ray | (08/08/2022) from £15.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Follow up to Master of the Flying Guillotine, cited as one of Quentin Tarantino's favourite movies, FLYING GUILLOTINE 2 AKA PALACE CARNAGE continues in the same vein as the original with its visceral mix of martial arts expertise and weapons-grade violence. To fight against the evil emperor's reign of terror outlaw rebel Ma Teng joins a group of female freedom fighters, however, she soon finds herself embroiled not just in a battle with enemy forces but also in with group leader's torn family loyalties. Brutal, fast and furious FLYING GUILLOTINE 2 is an even more off-kilter Shaw Brothers entry than usual, containing familiar tropes as well as unique elements, it is arguably the best of the Flying Guillotine sequels, rolling along at an impressively enjoyable pace. Product Features HD Transfer From the Original Negative in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio High Definition (1080p) Blu-rasy Presentation 2.0 English Mono 2.0 Mandarin Mono with English Subtitles Audio commentary with Asian cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema Original Trailer

• Island On Fire | DVD | (22/05/2000) from £8.97   |  Saving you £-2.98 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Island on Fire is, as the trailer says, "five films in one!". Despite the packaging headlining Jackie Chan this violent modern-day prison drama is an ensemble piece with Chan, a pool-player in prison for accidentally stabbing a man to death, on screen for no more than a quarter of the 92 minutes. Anyone buying this as a Chan movie may be seriously disappointed, for apart from the brevity of his role there is no trademark Chan humour. Also in the brutal and corrupt prison is Andy Lau, an undercover cop searching for the murderer of his professor, and Sammo Hung offering comedy and pathos as an inmate who keeps escaping to visit his son. There are many more characters, together with one subplot involving a mouse which anticipates The Green Mile (1999) and another concerning an assassination conspiracy which parallels Nikita, also released in 1990. Island of Fire is an uneven, always entertaining, sometimes moving film which packs an incredible amount of incident into its running time. However, it should be noted that it is an imitation of, rather than an official entry in, Ringo Lam's Fire series, which includes Prison on Fire (1987) and City on Fire (1987). On the DVD: The anamorphically enhanced 1.77-1 picture is a very good transfer of a rather grainy print, though given the many darkly lit scenes, this grain is probably part of the original film. The mono sound is fine. The film can be watched with the original Mandarin soundtrack and English subtitles, or with a much better than average English dub. The packaging claims there are over 60 minutes of extras. In fact there are nine deleted/extended scenes of variable quality, the best of which give more emotional depth to Sammo Hung's character, together with video interviews with Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wong Yu and director Chu Yen Ping. These total around 20 minutes and are interesting but not specific to the film. Also included is the theatrical trailer, Hong Kong Legends' own "music promo" trailer and eight trailers for further releases. There is also a six-page "animated" biography of Jackie Chan. --Gary S Dalkin

• Five Kung Fu Daredevil Heroes | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The five heroes pose as gun dealers and acrobats in order to get close enough to exact a deadly revenge upon the criminals responsible for the death of one of their brothers...

• One Armed Boxer 2 | DVD | (31/07/2000) from £9.98   |  Saving you £3.01 (23.20%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Many heads have rolled at the hands of Fung and his terrifying weapon - the Flying Guillotine. Only one man a one-armed man is capable of devising a technique that can combat it...

• Game of Death 2 | DVD | (23/01/2012) from £9.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (44.50%)   |  RRP £17.99

  From Ng See Yuen, the legendary producer of Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master, this non-stop martial arts showcase is a dynamic tribute to Bruce Lee and the Game of Death phenomenon. Travelling to Japan to investigate the mysterious murder of his brother, Bobby Lo (Tong Lung) discovers a secret trail, which leads to the mysterious Tower of Death. A forbidden fortress, buried hundreds of feet under the earth, it's deadly secret is guarded by elite warriors, each championing a different style of combat.To bring his brother's killer to justice, and discover the Tower's secret, Lo must first run the gauntlet of death, from which no-one has ever returned alive! Taking over three years to complete, Game of Death 2 is choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping, action-director of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and features the formidable kicking skills of legendary Korean Tae-kwon-do master, Hwang Jang Lee (Drunken Master). Now restored and re-mastered for the first time ever! Special Features: Digitally re-mastered and restored DVD transfer 2:35:1 Anamorphic version enhanced for widescreen TV's Feature length audio commentary with Bey Logan and co-star Roy Horan Trailer Gallery including original theatrical trailer with rare deleted footage from Enter the Dragon Dolby Digital Audio Biography Showcase Production Photo Gallery Deleted footage Archive Interview Gallery with Roy Horan and Korean kicking expert Casanova Wong Fully Animated Menus

• Island Of Fire | DVD | (02/10/2000) from £10.25   |  Saving you £11.00 (122.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Island on Fire is, as the trailer says, "five films in one!". Despite the packaging headlining Jackie Chan this violent modern-day prison drama is an ensemble piece with Chan, a pool-player in prison for accidentally stabbing a man to death, on screen for no more than a quarter of the 92 minutes. Anyone buying this as a Chan movie may be seriously disappointed, for apart from the brevity of his role there is no trademark Chan humour. Also in the brutal and corrupt prison is Andy Lau, an undercover cop searching for the murderer of his professor, and Sammo Hung offering comedy and pathos as an inmate who keeps escaping to visit his son. There are many more characters, together with one subplot involving a mouse which anticipates The Green Mile (1999) and another concerning an assassination conspiracy which parallels Nikita, also released in 1990. Island of Fire is an uneven, always entertaining, sometimes moving film which packs an incredible amount of incident into its running time. However, it should be noted that it is an imitation of, rather than an official entry in, Ringo Lam's Fire series, which includes Prison on Fire (1987) and City on Fire (1987). On the DVD: The anamorphically enhanced 1.77-1 picture is a very good transfer of a rather grainy print, though given the many darkly lit scenes, this grain is probably part of the original film. The mono sound is fine. The film can be watched with the original Mandarin soundtrack and English subtitles, or with a much better than average English dub. The packaging claims there are over 60 minutes of extras. In fact there are nine deleted/extended scenes of variable quality, the best of which give more emotional depth to Sammo Hung's character, together with video interviews with Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wong Yu and director Chu Yen Ping. These total around 20 minutes and are interesting but not specific to the film. Also included is the theatrical trailer, Hong Kong Legends' own "music promo" trailer and eight trailers for further releases. There is also a six-page "animated" biography of Jackie Chan. --Gary S Dalkin

• Guy With Secret Kung Fu | DVD | (24/01/2005) from £7.98   |  Saving you £2.01 (20.10%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Evil vs. Good as the outlaw bandits try to destroy the only people able to protect a small village. However the young challengers use their abilities to fight bravely and keep their town from these brutal thieves.

• Shaolin vs Lama | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £12.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Originally made in 1983, Shaolin vs Lama is an example of the kung fu movie at its most cultish. The story is largely unimportant but concerns Yu Ting and his search for a kung fu master, a search that leads him into conflict with the Flying Eagle gang and their leader, Golden Wheel Lama. This is as far as it goes plotwise, not that that really matters. The focus of the film is, of course, the fight sequences and breathtaking they are too, though the whole film is given unmistakable aura of campness by its comical English dubbing. Still, it would be churlish to argue with the glowing recommendation of the Wu Tang Clan's Rza (a man who knows his kung fu stuff) of Shaolin vs Lama as one of the giants of the genre. On the DVD: filmed in a rather basic manner, Shaolin vs Lama is a colourful visual experience but not one that particularly shines on DVD. The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound gives the fight sequences an added bite but, as is so often the case, the potential of the format is frustratingly underused. There is no attempt to provide any sort of background to the film or the kung fu genre in general, instead leaving us with scene selection and the original theatrical trailer. --Phil Udell

• The Way of the Dragon (aka Return of the Dragon) | Blu Ray | (15/04/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In the sub-label 'Films of Fury' the newest entry is The Way of the Dragon, directed by and starring Bruce Lee. This volume includes exclusive extra features, O-ring packaging, and a collector's postcard (limited to 3000), based on the original theatrical poster.A young martial arts stunt man, is invited to Rome to help his relatives with a restaurant they own. However, a powerful local business corporation foresees the profit potential of the restaurant site and tries everything to force the family to sell the place to them.Feature documentary: Iron Fists and Kung Fu KicksCelebrities interviews including Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, Paul Pui, Wong Jing, Flora Cheong, Clarence Fok, Rocky LaiAlternate OpeningStills GalleryRe-edited 4K TrailerEnglish TrailerMandarin TrailerTrailers from HellAustralian director Brian Trenchard-Smith on The Way of the Dragon

• Ninja Dragon | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Set in Great Shanghai two rival gangs the Furious Fox and the Black Eagle are fighting to establish domination in the territory. Only one force can stop the never-ending killings: the Ninja Dragon!

• Magnificent Bodyguards | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Jackie Chan stars as Ting Chung the man entrusted because of his martial arts skills to act as bodyguard by the beautiful Nan Nan to escort her seriously-ill brother to the home of the only doctor who can save his life.

• Shaolin Vs Lama | DVD | (02/02/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In search of a master, a kung fu obsessive named Ting rescues a young Shaolin monk from a group of local gangsters and decides to use the opportunity to his advantage, persuading the monk to sneak him into the Shaolin temple. Thrown out soon afterward, he engenders the hatred of the Golden Wheel Lama, leader of the notorious Flying Eagle Gang, by rescuing a girl from its thugs/members. Now that he's in the sights of the once peaceable monk gone bad, Ting's only chance for survival is to unloc...

• The Old Master | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Ageing kung fu expert Master Yu (Yu Jim Yuen) is invited to travel from Hong Kong to Los Angeles to save a local school from its rivals by taking on the headmasters of each of the other schools in a kung fu contest. Realising the school he has been working to save has been using him to make money from gambling Yu disowns the school and sets about teaching one of his students (Bill Louie) the secrets of his kung fu style. In doing so he incurs the wrath of a local Mob boss who has lo

• Blood Teasury Fight | DVD | (28/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Chow Kwan-hai is the only man alive who knows the exact location of a stash of pearls worth a fortune or does he? Kwan-hai leads an apparent suicide mission to the Bloody Mill to retrieve the treasure with the help of a mousy criminal a pickpocket a muscle-bound mute and a beautiful but deadly woman.

• Ninja Dragon / The Ninja Squad | DVD | (24/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Ninja Dragon: Set in Great Shanghai - two rival gangs the Furious Fox and the Black Eagle are fighting to establish domination in the territory. Only one force can stop the remorseless killings: the Ninja Dragon! Ninja Squad: The Ninja Empire is at stake as the supreme Ninja master and his disciple confront Ivan the Red a power-hungry Ninja. When the police fail to help the young disciple must reveal his amazing fighting ability to save his sister and avenge his mother's murder. The master must face Ivan the Red in a final gruelling duel to determine the fate of the Ninja Empire.

• Shaolin Invincibles/Eunuch.... | DVD | (13/06/2005) from £13.48   |  Saving you £1.51 (11.20%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The Shaolin Invicibles (Dir. Cheng Huo 1977): Two young women take revenge on the Emperor. Shaolin Heores strikes again this time lead by Lui Sze-Lung Kam Lung-Chee and Pei Tai-Koon. They swear to kill their mutual enemy Emperor Yung Ching. A few attempts are made to assassinate the Emperor but not until the final fight in the forbidden city Golden Palace does this story climax into an all out war resulting in superb fight scenes and stunning back drops. Eunuch Of The Western Palace (Dir. Ma Wu 1979): Martial artists battle the power hungry eunuch Wang. This is the story of passions that rise from the Three Palaces and Six Houses - The Emperors own house for the empress and concubines where all contact between men and women is forbidden. These men and women will overcome all dangers and obstacles to survive.