MCBASTARD'S MAUSOLEUM: ROSA (1986) 88 Films Deluxe Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

Sunday, February 1, 2026

ROSA (1986) 88 Films Deluxe Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

ROSA (1986)

Deluxe Collector's Edition Blu-ray

Label: 88 Films

Region Code: A,B

Rating: Unrated
Duration: 96 Minutes 59 Seconds

Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD MA 2.0, English-dub PCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung

Cast: Biao Yuen, Lowell Lo, Kara Ying Hung Wai, Hsiao-Fen Lu, Paul Chun, Dick Wei, Fat Chung, James Tien, Tai-Bo

Rosa (1986), directed by Joe Cheung (Flaming Brothers), with a screenwriting co-credit attributed to Wong Kar Wai (Chungking Express), is a Honk Kong cop action-comedy, Yuen Biao (Saga of the Phoenix) stars as Ha, aka Little Monster, a member of the elite Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force who runs afoul of his Chief Inspector Tin (Paul Chun, Royal Warriors), who demotes him to the Case Analysis Division, where he meets officer Lui Kung (Lowell Lo, She Shoots Straight), aka 'Mustache', another officer who is hot-tempered and has also fallen on the wrong side of Tin, accidentally causing the chief's wife to go into premature labor, oops. Kung complicates his relationship with his partner by developing a romantic relationship with his sister Lui Lui (Kara Hui, The Lady is the Boss), who Tin is overly protective of.

When a police informant who has dirt on a former cop turned drug trafficker Lee Wai-fung (Charlie Cho, Police Story 2) goes missing Little Monster and Moustache team-up to find him, their only lead is Rosa (Luk Siu-fan, The Sexy Lady Driver), the informer's girlfriend, but danger mounts when she herself is targeted by a syndicate looking to collect on gambling debts owed, with Ha muddies the waters of the investigation by falling for Rosa, and now both Little Monster and Moustache's romantic entanglements threaten to derail their investigation.

Honestly the mid-80s HK action-comedies have never been my bag, there are a ton of comedic set-pieces and I sort of found them annoying, far more ideal are the action sequences, and thankfully this one does have some killer stunts and fight choreography, particularly during the finale at a warehouse where our quartet must face-off against dozens, and this more or less saved the film for me, it was pretty fantastic stuff.

Audio/Video: Rosa (1986) arrives on Blu-ray from 88 Films, presented in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. the source looks terrific, near flawless, colors are robust and vibrant, skin tones are warm and black levels are good. texture and detail is generally good, grain is at times a bit uneven, and it looks like there's some digital filtering applied, there's a smoothness to it in spots, but overall a solid transfer. Audio options include both remastered Cantonese DTS-HD MA 2.0, and the English-dub by way of PCM 2.0 with newly translated subtitles. The tracks sounds fine, it's not gonna knock your ear-socks off by any mean, but it captures the kinetic slapstick-action and comedic performances jut fine.

Extras include a pair of commentaries, the first is an Audio Commentary by HK Cinema Expert David West, and a second Audio Commentary by by HK Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and F.I. DeSantis. There is also a 23-min Interview with Joe Cheung & Benz Kong, 3-min of English Opening and Closing Titles, a 2-min Image Gallery, and the 4-min Original Trailer.

This Limited Edition Rigid Slip Box set with stunning new artwork by Sean Longmore, inside of which is a full-height clear keepcase with a Reversible Wrap featuring the Longmore artwork and the original HK artwork. Also tucked away inside is a 2-sided Limited Edition Premium Art Card featuring what looks to be lobby card artwork, plus a Limited Edition 40-Page Perfect Bound Book with new writing on the film. we have 'Rosa and the Rhythm of 80s Hong Kong Cinema' by Fraser Elliot, and 'Longing for the Shaw Brothers, Reaping the Golden Harvest by Paul Bramhall, plus cats and crew info, and loads of images from the film and it's PR campaign. Also included is a Slipcover with the same terrific artwork as the wrap that slides over the entre Rigid Slip Box with spot-gloss highlights, which features both the Longmore artwork and an original HK illustrated movie poster artwork. .