Explosive
Summary
Eureka! brings these two titles (on one disc) to Blu-ray, presenting the films in perfectly adequate high definition and includes a bunch of bonus features for the invested fans. Both films are highly enjoyable and nicely paired in a package that belongs on the classic kung fu collector’s shelf. It’s limited to 2000 copies, so act fast.
Magnificent Wanderers (1977)
Plot: Three nomads in search of a cause join a wealthy warrior who is at war with a Mongolian army.
Review: Word is out: A meeting is to take place at a restaurant where a very wealthy man named Chu Te-Sa (David Chiang) hopes to hire on as many rebels to join his cause against the invading Mongolian hordes, but the meeting is cancelled with an arrest warrant on Chu. Everyone at the meeting flees in fear of also being arrested … except three wandering hero misfits – Lin Shao-Yu (Fu Sheng), Shi Da-yong (Chi Kuan-chun), and Guan Fei (Li Yi-min) – who stay for the food and respect the fact that they’re not paying for any of it. Instead of just letting Chu be arrested, they fight for him and thank him for his generosity, and thus begins a strong relationship and alliance between the four of them. The three wanderers join Chu’s cause because no one else will, and since he has tons of gold (his weapon is a slingshot / bow that propels little gold bullets, so you know the dude is wealthy if he’s just throwing gold away), they sign up for whatever war he wants to fight. The Mongolian leader is a stuttering old fool who basically lives encased in a suit of armor too big to walk around in, and with a horde of willing servants and soldiers, he’s outmatched by “the magnificent wanderers” who have no fear.
A Shaw Brothers comedic action film, Magnificent Wanderers is a lighthearted and fun film with a winning formula of appealing heroes and a villain who’s easy to jeer at, but the action is spry and plentiful, with the four heroes constantly finding ways to get the better of their attackers. Fu Sheng died very young at 28, and would’ve been as big as Jackie Chan if given the chance, and so this film featured him in his prime and at his peak. Filmmaker Chang Cheh managed to keep things quick and interesting, never allowing the film to be a slog or lose momentum.
The Magnificent Trio (1966)
Plot: A corrupt magistrate continues to tax a starving populace, and when a war veteran kidnaps his daughter for a ransom, it triggers a revolution.
Review: A war veteran turned swordsman-for-hire named Lu Fang (Wang Yu, later “Jimmy” Wang Yu from The Man From Hong Kong) sees deep corruption in a land he wanders into, which is lorded over by a wealthy magistrate with an army of thugs at his disposal, who all work for food and a small wage. The land is in the middle of a famine, and so the strongest warriors entreat the magistrate for employment because he’s the only employer in the realm who feeds his workers. Lu Fang kidnaps the magistrate’s daughter and goes into hiding with a group of humble and starving farmers, hoping that they’ll provide – at the very least – a place where he can keep his captive safe until he decides to trade her for a ransom. It immediately becomes clear that the farmer, whose crop and livelihood are on the verge of completely collapsing in the famine and under the strict taxation of the magistrate, looks to Lu Fang as a hero for what he did, and Lu Feng’s entire mindset about his immediate plans begin to change. Meanwhile, two other war veterans (played by Lo Lieh and Lei Cheng) have signed up for work as heavy hitters working for the evil magistrate, and slowly, they too begin to realize that they’re fighting on the wrong side and redeem themselves by joining Lu Fang as a fighter for justice against the corrupt regime. But with three against (very) many, their fight will have increasing urgency because every attempt to alert the emperor that the local magistrate is evil and corrupt is thwarted, which is where the magistrate’s now-humbled daughter comes into play because she finally realizes that her kidnapper was correct and that her father is evil, and the entire population of the realm depends on her to make the right choice in choosing a side.
From director Cheh Chang, The Magnificent Hero is a rock solid wuxia action film with some graceful acrobatic gliding sequences and acts of impossible heroism using wires and clever editing techniques. The three leads are perfectly cast, and it becomes a little like the American westerns of the era, things such as The Magnificent Seven being the most obvious one. A timeless story of good versus evil with a satisfying climax, this one is a winner.
Eureka! brings these two titles (on one disc) to Blu-ray, presenting the films in perfectly adequate high definition and includes a bunch of bonus features for the invested fans. Both films are highly enjoyable and nicely paired in a package that belongs on the classic kung fu collector’s shelf. It’s limited to 2000 copies, so act fast.
Bonus Materials
- Limited edition of 2000 copies
- Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)
- 1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures
- Original mono audio tracks
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- New audio commentary on The Magnificent Trio by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth
- New audio commentary on Magnificent Wanderers by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Chang Cheh Style – new video essay by Gary Bettinson, editor-in-chief of Asian Cinema journal
- PLUS: A limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on Chang Cheh by writer and critic James Oliver