MCBASTARD'S MAUSOLEUM: LONG ARM OF THE LAW PARTS I&II (1984) (88 Films Blu-ray Review)

LONG ARM OF THE LAW PARTS I & II (1984-1987)

2-Disc Deluxe Collector's Edition Blu-ray Set

Presented together in one dynamite package comes The Long Arm of the Law and The Long Arm of the Law Part 2. Directed by Johnny Mak (To be Number One) and his brother, Michael Mak (Sex and Zen, Butterfly and Sword) respectively, these two movies are packed full of Hong Kong-style action sequences, thrills, and spills, and provide an explosive prelude to what would eventually become a quadrilogy of martial arts thrillers.

LONG ARM OF THE LAW (1984)

Label: 88 Films

Region Code: A, B

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 106 Minutes 4 Seconds (HK Cut), 105 Minutes 10 Seconds (Export Cut)

Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles (HK Cut + Export Cut)

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Johnny Mak

Cast: Jing Chen, Joan Huang, Lung Jiang, Wai Lam, Ming Yeung

Long Arm of the Law (1984) is a gritty crime-thriller about a band of former Chinese criminals, former soldiers, who plot to rob a jewel store in a get-rich-quick heist. Arriving in Hong Kong the group are seduced by the vice and nightlife of capitalism, they are unaccustomed to it, and quickly taking to drinking and whoring. While scoping out the jewel store prior to the heist they are noticed by the Hong Kong Royal Police Force who immediately give chase, the sequences are action-packed with bullets flyting and cars exploding, it's terrific stuff. Having to lay low a few days till the heat dies down to pull of the heist they take a job offer from a Hong Kong gangster unaware that the intended mark is cop, realizing this fact only too late after executing him at an ice-skating rink, featuring one of the film's most violent and showy set-pieces with the gangster blown of a balcony to the ice skating rink several floors below, his bloody body smearing a trail of blood on the ice as it sleds across the ice. Eventually they hit the jewel store, culminating in another action-packed showdown inside Kowloon Walled City that gets pretty dang dire as the brotherhood of criminals find themselves pinned down in an inescapable labyrinth. This is an crime flick that packs a punch, it's well-crafted and the ensemble cast is phenomenal, you really start to care for the main characters, despite the fact that they're a bloodthirsty gang of violent criminals, one of whom who rapes a whore at gunpoint, but it certainly helps align your sympathies with them that everyone around them seems equally if not more, despicable that they are. The flick offers some lighthearted fish-out-of-water moments as well as some explosive action and break-neck action, shot with a gritty realism without the romanticism of later heroic bloodshed flicks, giving it a cynical edge that's hard hitting.

LONG ARM OF THE LAW: SAGA 2 (1987)

Label: 88 Films

Region Code: A, B

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 90 Minutes 20 Seconds (HK Cut), 87 Minutes 23 Seconds (Export Cut)

Audio: Cantonese PCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles (HK Cut), English PCM 2.0 Stereo (No Subtitles) (Export Cut)

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Michael Mak

Cast: Alex Man, Ben Lam, Stephen Chan, Yuen Yat-choh, Yuen Woo-ping.

In the slicker but still pretty gritty and thematically similar sequel a trio of mainland Chinese criminals, former cops, in an HK prison are recruited by Hong Kong cops to go undercover to infiltrate the notoriously tight-lipped Big Circle gang, in exchange for their freedom and Hong Kong passports. Teamed-up with undercover Hong Kong cop they infiltrate the gang, but find themselves under fire from all sides, and from within. Lacking a bit of the nihilistic edge of the first film this sequel is a bit more stylish and does feature some terrific action sequences, though far less explosions. Again we have a terrific ensemble cast doing wonderful work, and while we spend a bit less time holed-up with the gang establishing character I found them more likable; the character building that we do get pays off, particularly when one of the characters is tortured beheaded after being found out. The set-pieces are high-energy and hard hitting, and again there's a bit of misogyny by way of an airport beat-down put upon a woman betrayer, so just be aware of that going in. Not only a solid sequel, but in my estimation a superior sequel, making this double-feature an easy recommend.

Audio/Video: Both films arrive on region A,B Blu-ray from 88 Films advertised as a new 2K restorations and they look absolutely solid. Presented in 1080p HD widescreen 1.85:1 the grain levels are pleasing, it resolved nicely and is largely unmolested, the source is in terrific shape. The colors are solid throughout and depth and clarity while modest are quite nice as well. Darker scenes fare well with well-defined shadows and there's no compression issues that I noticed. Audio on the film include uncompressed Cantonese 2.0 with Optional English subtitles for the Hong Kong cuts, and uncompressed 2.0 English without subtitles for the Export cuts. The tracks are clean and well-balanced with some nice depth when the action and violence kicks in.

Both films get a terrific array of bonus content, beginning with new Audio Commentaries by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng that are excellent, plus over 150-minutes of new and archival interviews with the directors, screenwriter and actors, and a selection of trailers.

This gorgeous release arrives in a Rigid Slipbox with artwork by Sean Longmore, inside there are two black keepcases housing the films, each with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork also adorned with Sean Longmore artwork and the original HK artwork. Tucked away inside the keepcases are a Double-Sided Fold-Out Poster featuring the original HK artworks, plus a 40-Page Illustrated Booklet with cast and crew credits, a lengthy essay by Tom Cunliffe titled Hong Kong as Battleground: The Long Arm of the Law Saga that dives into not just these two film but all four film in the series.

Special Features:

Disc 1: Long Arm of the Law
- Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng
- From Hong Kong Police to the Big Circle Gangs - An Interview with Screenwriter Philip Chan (28:52)
- Family Business - An Interview with Director Michael Mak (16:33)

- A Conversation with Action Director Billy Chan and Screenwriter Philip Chan (37:02)

- An Interview with Director Johnny Mak (9:49)

- Theatrical Trailer (4:37)

Disc 2: Long Arm of the Law - Saga II

- Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng

- Bringing the Action - An Interview with Director Michael Mak (25:14)

- An Offer You Can't Refuse - An Interview with Scriptwriter Philip Chan (8:07)

- The Iron Fist of Crime - An Interview with Stephen Chan (24:26)

- Man of Action - An Interview with Co-Star Ben Lam (16:10)

- Hong King Trailer (3:46)

- English Trailer (1:40)

Limited Edition Contents: