Friday 12 June 2015

NEWS: HONG KONG LEGENDS ON SHINY BLU


It looks like some of HKLegends most famous releases are getting a new lease of life. Mediumrare Entertainment is delighted to announce the acquisition of some of Hong Kong's finest martial arts films to be released through 2015. Plans are still to be ironed out but most of the titles will be restored in high definition from original 35mm masters and will be available in Bluray and limited edition steelbook, these movies will never have looked so good! 

Some highlights from the newly acquired titles are, Fist of Fury, Game of Death, The Way of the Dragon, The Big Boss, When Taekwondo Strikes, Armour of God, and the infamous Riki-Oh- The Story of Ricky. Armour of God is currently scheduled for a DVD & Blu-ray dual-format release on September 7, 2015. Here's what we think of the movie, alas, in standard definition. 

"The first thing that sprung to mind whilst watching Armour of God was, "Crikey, look how young Jackie Chan is". Obviously it has been way too long since I watched the world's number one action-star at his prime.

Jackie plays The Asian Hawk, a bounty hunter and martial arts expert with an insatiable appetite for adventure. Jackie is blackmailed into acquiring the Amour of God, a mysterious artifact from the Dark Ages, which holds the key to infinite power. Basically, a hokey plot device that allows Jackie to unleash his wondrous box of tricks.

The second thing that sprung to mind whilst watching Armour of God was, "Crikey, this is actually quite violent for a Jackie Chan picture". The opening act is all over the place. Violent shootings, bloody murder, slapstick comedy and wooden performances compete for your undivided attention.

It's not until the second act that things calm down, and in between the generous helping of action sequences, Armour of God falls prey to weak character traits, casual racism, mild misogyny and unwelcome romance - none of which are that uncommon in 80s Jackie fare.

However, the action sequences are exhilarating, especially when Jackie puts himself in harms way. Chan was hospitalised during the shooting of this film when a stunt went wrong. As luck would have it, you too can relive that terrifying moment as the outtakes roll. Not only do they show Chan being taken away on a stretcher, but they also show the accident which rendered him unconscious.

Jackie's dedication to his profession has never been in question but Armour of God is not the best example of his colourful career. From an action perspective Armour of God really does hit the spot, but as a movie experience it feels dated and mildly insulting. But, oh boy, that action..."


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