Explosive
Summary
This is a solid collection of the first two films in this franchise, with great transfers and tons of bonus content. Here’s hoping 88 Films does a volume II set with the remaining films in the franchise.
Long Arm of the Law (1984) Plot: Mainland Chinese soldiers take an illegal two-day trip to Hong Kong to live it up, steal a fortune in jewels, and go out with guns blazing.
Review: Five mainland Chinese soldiers come up with a plan that could change their lives forever: They’ll forge documents, skitter over the border into Hong Kong illegally, and do their best to live it up for two days before executing a do-or-die robbery of a jewelry store and somehow try to make it back home alive. Their plan goes sideways almost immediately: One of their own is killed trying to cross the border (he’s shot and mauled to death by dogs), leaving their troupe one fewer. When their ploy to pose as drummers on their way to celebrate Buddha’s birthday (which also coincides with the Christmas holiday in Hong Kong, which is under British rule) succeeds, they’re free to eat well (McDonalds and pizza, which is decadent to them), visit a whorehouse, which is their first time doing so, and make an alliance with a gangster, who asks them to do him a favor with a reward that can help kick start their two-day crime spree. They help execute a man in front of a whole bunch of witnesses inside an indoor shopping mall (at Christmastime during an ice skating outing), which puts the four men on the radar of the police enforcers, and they become more unhinged and unpredictable as the day goes on. Their robbery of a jewelry store is spectacularly haphazard and they kill a security guard and go on the run into the grottos where they’re relentlessly pursued and cornered and must make a final stand in order to survive.
Wow, here’s a doozy of a crime film! Long Arm of the Law was apparently based on a real story, and I can believe it. The cast is full of unknowns, which gives the movie an off-kilter sense of reality, and while the movie sometimes relies on goofy music cues to give the film some unnecessary levity (there’s lots of sex and nudity, but those scenes are sometimes played to comedic effect), the movie still has a really sharp edge, and when the climax hits, it goes all-in and doesn’t let go until the end credits. The antiheroes of the movie are humble guys with families who put their lives and destinies at risk for a leg up in the world, but the movie doesn’t shy from showing the consequences. It’s a powerful little movie, and I’m surprised that they’ve never tried to remake it. Sammo Hung produced. Johnny Mak directed.
This title comes in a new 2K transfer, a reversible sleeve with the original Hong Kong artwork, two versions of the film, an audio commentary, interviews, and more, plus a thick insert booklet about the film.
Long Arm of the Law: Saga II (1987) Plot: Mainland Chinese cops with complicated pasts are drafted to come into Hong Kong to clean up the streets of crime.
Review: The triads are wreaking havoc in Hong Kong, and the worst of them is the Big Circle Gang, which seems to be running rampant without consequence. The Hong Kong Royal Police Force drafts three illegal immigrants with a history of law enforcement from Mainland China to form an off-the-books task force, with a leader (played by Elvis Tsui) who – along with the other guys – will be granted citizenship if they can bring down the Big Circle Gang. Once they get organized, the men have their individual duties: One guy (played by Yuen Yat) goes deep undercover and falls in love with a beautiful hostess whose brother is one of the top Big Circle men, and another of the guys makes the grave mistake of confessing to his girlfriend (who’s cheating on him) that he’s an undercover cop, which blows his cover big time, putting the others at risk. One of the task force guys is captured and tortured to death (in a really rough scene where they force him to swallow a rat), and things get really dicey when the Big Circle boys declare war on the cop traitors who are now being attacked on both sides because the Royal Police Force turns their back on them and figure they’re expendable now that their cover has been blown.
Much slicker in style and execution than the first film, Long Arm of the Law 2 is a straight-ahead action film with big action sequences, martial arts elements, and a crew of guys you care about, which makes its bleak, action-packed ending hit harder than you’d expect. Director Michael Mak (brother of Johnny Mak, director of the first film) gives the film an adrenaline-stacked pace and the script is pretty solid this time around. While the first film felt like a true crime drama, this one takes it to the next level and goes ballistic.
This disc comes with new cover artwork (with a reversible sleeve), an audio commentary, two cuts of the film, interviews, trailers, and more. The film has been restored in a 2K transfer, and I’m certain the movie has never looked or sounded better.
Bonus Materials
- Reversible sleeves featuring original artwork
- Brand new artwork by Sean Longmore
- Stunning new 2K restorations of both films in 1:85:1 aspect ratio
- Audio Commentaries by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng
- Brand New Interviews with Actor Philip Chan
- Brand New Interviews with Director Michael Mak
