Paula Hammond - Features EditorRATED: 4/5.
Put the popcorn on and sit back for an ‘80s bonanza of heady stunts and big hair.
Royal Warriors continues Eureka’s Michelle Yeoh retrospective with a fast and furious Hong Kong girls-with-guns classic.
Following on from the success of Yes, Madam, Michelle Yeoh returns to the girls-with-guns genre with the tale of CID officer Yip (Yeoh), a Japanese Interpol agent (Hiroyuki Sanada, Avengers: Endgame), and a security guard (Michael Wong – Beast Cops) who incur the wrath of a gang of Vietnam veterans when they foil an airplane hijacking.
The second in the loosely connected In the Line of Duty series, Royal Warriors is yet another stunning highlight of Hong Kong action cinema—issued for the first time ever in the UK, from a brand new 2K restoration.
Hong Kong fight ’em-ups have a tradition of blending slapstick comedy with action, but Royal Warriors plays its relatively straight—and even throws in a romantic subplot with Michael Wong (confusingly playing Michael Wong) attempting to win the attentions of tough Yeoh.
The film is a smorgasbord of ‘80s cliches, with brick phones, terrible fashions, and throbbing synth pop. But don’t let that put you off. Yeoh and Sanada are on top form and, while their paring doesn’t quite have the magic of Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock, the fight sequences (including one with a chainsaw) are every bit as stunning.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling (2000 copies).
- 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration.
- Original Cantonese mono audio.
- Optional English dubbed audio.
- Optional English Subtitles, newly translated for this release.
- Brand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival).
- Brand new feature length audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema.
- 2018 interview with producer and actor John Sham courtesy of the Frédéric Ambroisine video archive.
- New Locations featurette by Arne Venema.
- Trailer.
- Reversible sleeve design.
- A Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver (2000 copies).
Director: David Chung.
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada & Michael Wong.
Format: Blu-ray.
Language: Cantonese, with optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release.
Runtime: 96 mins.
Release Date: 23rd January 2023.
