Verdict
Summary
Golden Harvest originally released this, and it has its own identity and never quite feels like the junkier, quickie exploitation movies that most “Bruce-sploitation” movies inevitably were. It has a solid production budget with nice cinematography, good action, stunts, explosions, and a snappy score and solid direction by Jeong Chang-hwa. This is one of the good ones in the realm of “Bruce-sploitation” movies and should be seen for fans of those.
Plot:
A cop goes on the warpath to avenge his father’s death.
Review:
Tough, take-no-shit detective Lung (Shin Il-ryong) received word that his father has died. It’s bad: He was murdered. What’s worse is that his father leaves him a cassette tape that explains everything, and it comes as a stunning revelation to him: His father was a criminal in league with a partner who betrayed him, and the mother Lung never knew (she died in childbirth) was also a criminal. Lung grits his teeth and vows to honor the memory of his father by avenging his death, which means he’ll be going undercover off the books, rankling the ire of other detectives, who realize he’s trailblazing a path of vengeance, screwing with the law. After resigning from the force to make his transition into undercover criminality official, Lung goes to Hong Kong where his father’s partner Wang (Chao Hsiung) is conducting business and building a comfortable empire of crime, but he’s too well protected and too insulated in a fortress surrounded by “yes” men and protectors (watch for Sammo Hung in an early role as a thug). Lung teams up with a former associate of his father’s, a smuggler with the right mindset to help Lung get to Wang. The smuggler is Chang (Chan Sing), who has a penchant for using dynamite as a weapon, and with these two guys (and a girl whom Lung begins to romance amidst the carnage) together, nothing can stop them.
In line with the “Bruce-sploitation” flicks that permeated the exploitation film market in the mid-to-late ’70s and carried on into the ’80s, The Double Crossers resembles what might’ve become a vehicle that Lee could’ve starred in, but it deserves to stand alone and apart from those, despite the fact that its lead actor (and some of the “double crosser” bad guys we see early on in the film) who resembles Lee. Golden Harvest originally released this, and it has its own identity and never quite feels like the junkier, quickie exploitation movies that most “Bruce-sploitation” movies inevitably were. It has a solid production budget with nice cinematography, good action, stunts, explosions, and a snappy score and solid direction by Jeong Chang-hwa. This is one of the good ones in the realm of “Bruce-sploitation” movies and should be seen for fans of those.
Eureka! has just released a top-notch Blu-ray edition of The Double Crossers that comes packed with bonus features and an insert booklet. The HD presentation is crisp and clear and should please even the most hardened enthusiasts of hard copy media collectors.
Bonus Materials
- Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling
- 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration
- 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original English language export cut from a brand new 2K restoration
- Original Mandarin and optional classic English dub (Hong Kong theatrical cut)
- Classic English dub (Export version)
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong theatrical version by East 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
- Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
- Trailer
- Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by James Oliver