"Actor: Cheung Yan Yuen"

• TWO TAOIST TALES (Eureka Classics) Special Edition Two-disc Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (23/09/2024) from £27.35   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Eureka Entertainment to release TWO TAOIST TALES (TAOISM DRUNKARD and THE YOUNG TAOISM FIGHTER), a couple of crazy kung-fu extravaganzas from the first family of Hong Kong martial arts, the Yuen Clan. Presented in their worldwide debuts on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restorations. Available from 23 September 2024 as part of the Eureka Classics range, the first print run of 2000 copies only will exclusively feature a limited edition O-card slipcase, and a collector's booklet. In the wake of Encounter of the Spooky Kind, the Hong Kong film industry launched headlong into a prolific genre cycle that drew upon Taoist folklore. Popular throughout the 1980s and into the next decade, these films combined elements of horror, fantasy, comedy, and martial arts as they pit their protagonists against hopping vampires, vengeful ghosts, and evil sorcerers. Here, Eureka Classics is proud to present two of the most mind-bending tales of Taoist magic ever committed to film: Taoism Drunkard and The Young Taoism Fighter! Directed by and starring Yuen Cheung-yan (The Miracle Fighters), Taoism Drunkard follows a man with a love for wine who accidentally damages a sacred statue. To atone for this blunder, he is asked by an enraged Taoist priest (Hsiao Hou-tao) to find a virginal boy (Yuen Yat-chor) to aid in defending his temple from a demonic sorcerer (Yuen Shun-yi). Then, in The Young Taoism Fighter (directed by Police Story's Chen Chi-hwa), a practitioner of Taoist kung fu (Yuen Yat-chor) manages to separate his soul from his body before teaming up with a vengeful young woman (Hilda Liu Hao-yi) to take on a sinister sorcerer (Kwan Chung) and the evil leader of a rival kung fu school (Yen Shi-kwan). Filled with imagery both fantastical and thrilling - not least Taoism Drunkard's banana monster - and featuring some of the most jaw-droppingly inventive fight sequences in the history of martial arts cinema, Taoism Drunkard and The Young Taoism Fighter are cult classics from the celebrated Yuen Clan that need to be seen to be believed. Both films are presented on Blu-ray for the first time ever from brand new 2K restorations.Limited edition O-card slipcase (First print run of 2000 copies only) featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling | Both films presented in 1080p HD from brand new 2K restorations | Original Cantonese audio and optional English dub tracks (original mono presentations) | Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release | Brand new audio commentaries on both films by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) | Brand new audio commentaries on both films by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema | Brand new interview with director and actor Yuen Cheung-yan | Brand new interview with critic Andrew Heskins (easternKicks) | Trailers | PLUS: A limited edition collector's booklet (First print run of 2000 copies only) featuring new writing on the film by Southeast Asian horror expert Dr. Katarzyna Ancuta, and Spooky Encounters author Daniel O'Brien | * All extras subject to change

• THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS | Blu Ray | (24/06/2024) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The Miracle Fighters is a comedic tale of taoist magic directed by the martial arts maestro behind Drunken Master, The Magnificent Butcher and Iron Monkey - the legendary Yuen Woo-ping! During the Quing dynasty, marriage between Manchu and Han people is outlawed. When it is discovered that high-ranking official Kao Hsiung (Eddy Ko) has taken a Han wife, the Emperor informs him that he will be forgiven - but only if he kills his beloved before the court. When he refuses, Kao Hsiung is marked for death by the powerful Sorcerer Bat (Yuen Shun-yee) and forced to watch as his wife is slain before his eyes. Kao Hsiung flees, kidnapping the Crown Prince during his escape - but soon the prince is dead, and Kao Hsiung is forced to silently replace him with another young boy. In adulthood, that innocent child - Shu Gut (Yuen Yat-chor) - finds himself relentlessly pursued by Sorcerer Bat, and turns to two quarrelling taoist priests in the hope of protecting himself with their magic. Made in the same mould as its contemporaries Encounter of the Spooky Kind and The Dead and the Deadly, this riotous kung fu fantasy was followed by two equally entertaining thematic sequels in Shaolin Drunkard and Taoism Drunkard. Eureka Classics is proud to present The Miracle Fighters on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration. Extras: Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [First print run of 2000 copies only] | 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration | Original Cantonese mono audio and optional classic English dub | Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release | Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong theatrical version by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) | Brand new audio commentary on the export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema | Action Master: An Interview with Yuen Woo-ping - archival interview by Frédéric Ambroisine | John Kreng on Yuen Woo-ping - brand new documentary featurette by Michael Worth | Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork | Trailer | PLUS: A limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by James Oliver [First print run of 2000 copies only]

• Twin Warriors | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £3.56   |  Saving you £12.43 (349.16%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Jet Li teams up with Michelle Yeoh in Twin Warriors, a period martial-arts tale of revenge and retribution filmed in 1993. Directed by Yuen Woo Ping (who also directed Jackie Chan's popular Drunken Master and Yeoh's Wing Chun), it matches over-the-top melodrama with fantastical fight scenes. Li and Chin Sui Hou play Junbao and Tienbao, two misfit monks who have been getting into trouble at their Shaolin temple since childhood. Tienbao's volatile temper and ego get them banished from the monastery, and the pair try to make a new life for themselves in a nearby village. From here they take decidedly different paths. Tienbao joins the military regime of a ruthless eunuch ruler while Junbao joins a group of political rebels that includes Yeoh. Tienbao's violent quest for power erases his friendship with Junbao, his betrayal causing Junbao to go temporarily insane. During this period Junbao discovers tai chi, which prepares him for a final confrontation with Tienbao. The action scenes include a memorable match-up of Li and Chin against the entire monastery, where in the non-stop action Junbao escapes attack by riding one of his foes like a snowboard out of the fray. Yeoh's fight scenes include a complicated orchestration involving tables and chairs; her scenes are so impressive that it's a shame she wasn't given more screen time. --Shannon Gee, Amazon.com

• New Dragon Gate Inn | DVD | (31/07/2000) from £11.42   |  Saving you £8.57 (75.04%)   |  RRP £19.99

  New Dragon Gate Inn is the DVD title of the 1992 swordplay adventure Dragon Inn, producer Tsui Hark's follow-up to Once Upon a Time in China and Swordsman 2 (both 1991). In the wake of the huge success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon it is a film ripe for rediscovery. A pair of warriors (Brigitte Lin and Tony Leung), who only admit their love when it is too late, have to rescue two children from the clutches of a corrupt warlord. Fleeing through the vast, highly pictorial desert, they seek shelter in the isolated Dragon Inn run by the man-eating Maggie Cheung (traveller's tip, don't try the "mixed meat"). The scene is set for intrigue, romance and exhilarating wirework, as our heroes wait for the enemy to arrive in what is essentially the classic High Noon scenario. The build-up isn't always coherent, though that may have something to do with the subtitles, which are unnecessarily crude. Despite this the production values and high-flying fights are first-rate and the two actresses make the film, particularly the devilishly sexy Maggie Cheung. The final showdown in a desert storm is breathtaking.On the DVD: In the cinemas this was an absolutely gorgeous 2.35:1 widescreen film, which here has been reformatted to 16:9 TV ratio, sacrificing important visual information at either side and significantly damaging the stunning cinematography. Enough survives to indicate just how beautiful the complete images are, and the anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 transfer is sharp and clean on exterior shots, though some of the dimly lit interiors display considerable grain. Although only mono the sound is full and free from distortion, providing a good showcase for the atmospheric score. The film can be watched with the original Mandarin soundtrack and English subtitles, or dubbed. Included is an interview with Donnie Yen and detailed text biographies of the two female stars. The music promo is Hong Kong Legends' own trailer, included together with five further trailers for other releases. The original theatrical trailer is also present, and no matter what screen setting it is played at, everything looks vertically compressed. However, change the DVD player setting from widescreen to 4:3 letterbox and the trailer plays in the correct 2.35:1 proportions, confirming how the film was really shot. Though the DVD packaging bills this edition of Dragon Inn as the full-length original version though there is no explanation of what footage has been restored from previous releases. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Fist Of Legend | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £9.25   |  Saving you £6.74 (72.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Jet Li stars in Fist of Legend, a 1994 remake of The Chinese Connection (also known as Fists of Fury, which starred the greatest martial arts legend of them all, Bruce Lee). This film is set in 1937, when Shanghai was occupied by the Japanese and racial tensions were high. Jet Li is Chen Zhen, who returns to Shanghai to avenge the death of his master, whom he learns was poisoned. His popular freestyle fighting technique and Japanese girlfriend do not endear him to his former friend, now his master's successor at the martial arts school. If Jackie Chan is inspired by Buster Keaton, Li seems to be channelling Steve McQueen here. He speaks softly and carries a big kick, and like Steven Seagal, even when he is under siege by a horde of attackers, no one can lay a finger on him. The dialogue and dubbing are atrocious, but the fight sequences are incredible (they were choreographed by Woo-ping Yuen, who lent his expertise to The Matrix). Perhaps most memorable is a bout between Chen and his girlfriend's uncle during which the combatants wear blindfolds. This is essential viewing for martial arts buffs and Li's growing legion of fans. --Donald Liebenson, Amazon.com

• Drunken Tai Chi | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Action master Yuen Wo-Ping and his family bring you their Hong Kong masterpieces! Drunken Tai Chi stars Yuen Family favorite Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey Once Upon A Time in China 2) in his very first starring role. See authentic training and Tai Chi action the way the Yuen's know best!

• Red Wolf | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £18.88   |  Saving you £6.11 (32.36%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Director Yuen Woo Ping's The Red Wolf is, like Under Siege (1992) and Speed 2 (1997), essentially Die Hard on a ship. However, rather than being "inspired by", this movie is virtually a Hong Kong remake of the Bruce Willis action classic, right down to the jump-off-the-roof crash-through-the-window highlight. The setting is New Year's Eve on a cruise liner which happens to be carrying a consignment of plutonium. Gangsters hijack the ship and it's up to an unnamed security officer (Kenny Ho) and tender-hearted pickpocket Lai (Christie Chung) to save the day. Budget limitations are revealed by only having about 60 passengers, and by an almost complete absence of shots of the sea, but the director manages to pack plenty of extremely violent action and by playing things straight generates considerable suspense from the formulaic story. Helping immensely are strong turns from Elaine Lui and Wing Cho as the psychotically ruthless main villains. Some of this film is very nasty indeed, so a tension-shattering detour into slapstick by Chung is simply bizarre, and the finale goes laughably OTT. The dubbing is mediocre but the blend of furious marital arts and Terminator-style slaughter is still a winning combination for hardcore action fans. --Gary S Dalkin

• The Last Hero in China | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Village girls have been mysteriously going missing. The elders request Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) to investigate. He does not want to get involved but with a plot to kidnap women for the slave trade a temple of corrupt monks and a dragon dance contest of the century Wong Fei Hung soon finds he must fight the battle of his life to save his village and his reputation.

• Shaolin Drunkard | DVD | (21/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Legendary Hong Kong director and fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping (The Matrix Trilogy) crafts yet another martial arts masterpiece in which the Yuen clan star as a group of wacky Taoist wizards each bettling for supremacy in the martial world. Who will come out on top? Mad non-stop action like you've never seen in which only the strongest will survive!

• Wild Search | DVD | (22/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Hong Kong legend Chow Yun Fat is reunited with long time on-screen lover Cherrie Chung in this explosive retelling of Peter Weir's 'Witness'. The ever-charismatic Chow stars as a cynical big city cop charged with protecting a vulnerable murder witness from the sadistic killer who wants her dead whatever the cost... An intense hardboiled love story-thriller 'Wild Search' twins nerve shredding tension and incendiary gun play with uniquely compelling performances from the director

• Flying Dagger | DVD | (26/06/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  The Han brothers are bounty hunters who track down criminals to make a lot of money. Unfortunately they keep getting beaten to the prize by the Two Witches - a female duo...

• Last Hero In China | DVD | (02/06/2000) from £10.98   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  In Last Hero in China, Jet Li reprises the role of Wong Fei-hung, a legendary figure in China. Both a doctor and a teacher of martial arts, Wong has just moved his school in Canton, only to discover that the neighbouring house is a brothel. Though Wong's students are delighted and the earnest brothel master only wants to study with him, Wong feels he has lost face. But this becomes the least of his troubles: soon he's fighting a corrupt police chief, a temple of slave-trading monks and a deafness-causing medicine sold to children--and that's just in the first hour. Last Hero in China is a grand melodrama, featuring exaggerated heroes and villains, goofy humour and hyperbolic kung fu action. The plot takes some hard-to-follow turns, but the action is so non-stop it hardly matters. The lion vs centipede dance/fight has to be seen to be believed, to say nothing of the priest with a floating lotus chariot and a flying claw. Jet Li is in fine form, Gordon Liu (as the venal top cop) is maniacal and despicable, and the lovely Cheung Man plays an expert martial artist looking for her kidnapped sister. The character of Wong Fei-hung also appears in the Once Upon a Time in China series (where he was first played by Li) and in Jackie Chan's Drunken Master movies. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

• The Last Hero in China | DVD | (29/08/2002) from £17.96   |  Saving you £-11.97 (-199.80%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In Last Hero in China, Jet Li reprises his role as Wong Fei-Hong, a legendary figure in China. Both a doctor and a teacher of martial arts, Wong has just moved his school in Canton, only to discover that the neighbouring house is a brothel. Though Wong's students are delighted and the earnest brothel master only wants to study with him, Wong feels he has lost face. But this becomes the least of his troubles: soon he's fighting a corrupt police chief, a temple of slave-trading monks, and a deafness-causing medicine sold to children--and that's just in the first hour. Last Hero in China is a grand melodrama, featuring exaggerated heroes and villains, goofy humour and hyperbolic kung fu action. The plot takes some hard-to-follow turns, but the action is so non-stop it hardly matters. The lion vs. centipede dance/fight has to be seen to be believed, to say nothing of the priest with a floating lotus chariot and a flying claw. Jet Li is in fine form, Gordon Liu (as the venal top cop) is maniacal and despicable, and the lovely Cheung Man plays an expert martial artist looking for her kidnapped sister. The character of Wong Fei-Hong also appears in the Once Upon a Time in China series (where he was first played by Li) and in Jackie Chan's Drunken Master movies. --Bret Fetzer

• Drunken Tai Chi (1995) | DVD | (27/10/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99