Triple Threat

This month’s iconic Sammo Hung collection is a triple treat for fans of Hong Kong cinema.

Triple Threat contains three discs of top-notch Sammo action, released on blu-ray, from the ever-reliable Eureka.

Just as the kung fu films seemed to be losing steam, a new generation of martial arts stars rose to give it the kiss (or should that be kick) of life. Amongst them were Yuen Biao, Jackie Chan and the irrepressible Sammo Hung, who found fame as the director and star of The Iron Fisted Monk, The Magnificent Butcher and Encounter of the Spooky Kind. 

Eureka’s latest release spans Hung’s career, from a supporting role in The Manchu Boxer to stardom in Paper Marriage and Shanghai, Shanghai.

In Wu Ma’s The Manchu Boxer, Hung (who doubles up as the film’s fight choreographer) plays the villainous foil to a roaming martial artist who enters a boxing tournament to defeat a gang of bandits. 

The action comedy Paper Marriage, sees Hung stars as a down-on-his-luck Chinese boxer living in Canada who is paid to marry an immigrant from Hong Kong (Maggie Cheung). She wants to gain Canadian citizenship, but he just wants to keep the loan sharks off his back. 

Finally, in Shanghai, Shanghai, a young man (Yuen Biao) goes looking for his brother, a police officer, in the big city – and also finds himself embroiled with a ruthless gangster played by Hung.

From traditional kung fu, to romantic comedy, to a tale of cops and crooks with shades of the ‘heroic bloodshed’ films so popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Manchu Boxer, Paper Marriage and Shanghai, Shanghai are a fitting showcase for Sammo Hung’s range.

This action-packed collection is presented in blu-ray as part of the acclaimed Eureka Classics range, and will be available in a limited edition of just 2,000 copies this December. Housed in an O-card slipcase, the set also includes an exclusive bonus disc and a collector’s booklet.