Directed by Chang Cheh and starring the always reliable Alexander Fu Sheng and the Venom Mob, Chinatown Kid, while being partly filmed at Shaw Brothers Studio, was in large part filmed in secret in San Francisco. It is a film which shakes off the trappings of the typical Shaw Brothers production, trading the costumed swordplay for a more modern setting as Cheh attempts another tragic rise and fall storyline, except now with gangs and heavy drug use.
The results are mixed. Cheh was king of masculine filmmaking for Shaw Brothers. He changed a lot in the 20 years he was making movies for them, challenging their female-led tales with his own very masculine mash-ups, but here - in a very familiar story which merely swaps a gold watch for a digital one - he seems a bit off . . . if not tired.
While there are several great scenes of well-choreographed fights, Cheh’s reliance on a very formulaic narrative just feels a bit stale throughout the movie. He’s still dynamic behind the scenes, shooting some interesting footage and giving us great use of tracking shots during fight sequences, but the overall mood and production of Chinatown Kid is a bit flat. Maybe it’s the urban and streetwise setting as Tan Tung arrives in the US illegally and has to fight off all sorts of enemies he and his grandfather have to face on a daily basis.
Soon enough, Tung finds himself at the very center of a gangland turf war. It’s hard to work up any empathy for him, though. He’s being used, but doesn’t seem to mind being the bad guy either.
While nothing new is added to this familiar storyline, the performances - especially from Alexander Fu Sheng and Sun Chien - are indeed strong, proving to be some cool roles for both actors as they fight their way through the much-feared underworld empire of Hong Kong's Triad mafia, until they are face to face with the White Dragon boss (Philip Kwok). It’s a moral dilemma for both young men as Tan Tung must decide the path to take with his fighting skills. Does he combat evil or help his friend Yang Chien-wen? And to what end for him?
Full of some vicious on-screen violence and a cool break from the typical Shaw Brothers’ wardrobes, Chinatown Kid was heavily edited for several continents but, thanks to the efforts of Arrow Video, can be seen once again in the much longer international cut, which is included with the release of SHAW BROTHERS PRESENTS | THE BASHER BOX.
Chinatown Kid, packaged alongside King Boxer and The Boxer From Shantung, is now on blu-ray. All the films feature 2K scans from 4K transfers, new sub-titles for better accuracy, and are filled with hours upon hours of special features.
Home Video Distributor: Arrow Films
Available on Blu-ray - October 24, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English; English SDH
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 3-discset
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
This triple bill of redemption and revenge kicks off in 1972 with Korean director Chung Chang-wha's King Boxer, the film that established kung fu cinema as an international box office powerhouse when it hit Stateside cinemas under the title Five Fingers of Death. From there we see Chang Cheh, arguably Shaw's most prolific director, helm the blood-soaked brutality of The Boxer from Shantung and Chinatown Kid, the latter set on the streets of San Francisco.
Video
Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, The film is beautifully presented on 1080p from Arrow Video. Interiors are strong. Colors pop throughout, but it is the blood effects - burning bright in the transfer - which seal the deal on this one. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080- upgrade. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments of this epic adventure. The tracking shots are glorious to behold in 1080p. Blacks are solid and shadows maintain their lines. Even the costumes are noted stitch by stitch.
Audio
Fans of the genre get uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono tracks, plus Cantonese mono for the film.
Supplements:
Get ready to duel to the death with these supplemental items!
Commentary:
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See Special Features for the breakdown.
Special Features:
Get ready to duel to the death with these supplemental items!
Disc One - King Boxer
- 2K restoration by Arrow Films from a 4K scan of the original negative
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Restored uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio
- English subtitles for the Mandarin audio, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
- Commentary by David Desser, co-editor of The Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema and The Cinema of Hong Kong
- Appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
- Interview with director Chung Chang-wha, filmed in 2003 and 2004
- Interview with star Wang Ping, filmed in 2007
- Interview with Korean cinema expert Cho Young-jung, author of Chung Chang-wha: Man of Action, filmed in 2005
- Cinema Hong Kong: Kung Fu, the first in a three-part documentary on Shaw Brothers' place within the martial arts genre produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003, featuring interviews with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, John
- Woo, Sammo Hung, Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, Cheng Pei-pei, David Chiang and many others
- Alternate opening credits from the American version titled Five Fingers of Death
- Trailers
- Image gallery
Disc Two - The Boxer From Shantung
- 2K restoration by Arrow Films from a 4K scan of the original negative
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio
- English subtitles for the Mandarin audio, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
- Interview with star Chen Kuan-tai, filmed in 2007
- Interview with assistant director John Woo, filmed in 2004
- Interview with star David Chiang, filmed in 2003
- Conversation between stars Chen Kuan-tai and Ku Feng, filmed at a Shaw Brothers reunion in 2007
- Trailers
- Image gallery
Disc Three - Chinatown Kid
- 2K restoration of the 115-minute International Version from original film elements
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- 90-minute Alternate Version
- Uncompressed original Cantonese audio for the International Version, with English subtitles
- Uncompressed original English audio for the International Version, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles
- Uncompressed original Mandarin audio for the Alternate Version, with English subtitles
- Commentary on the International Version by Terrence J. Brady, author of Alexander Fu Sheng: Biography of the Chinatown Kid
- Select scene video commentary by co-star SUSAn Shaw from 2021
- Elegant Trails: Fu Sheng, a featurette on the actor produced by Celestial Pictures in 2005
- Trailers
- Image gallery
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 115 mins
Director: Cheh Chang
Writer: Cheh Chang; Kuang Ni; James Wong
Cast: Sheng Fu; Shirley Yu; Susan Yam-Yam Shaw
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date: 1978 (United States)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 24, 2023
Synopsis: After getting in trouble with local gangs, a young man (Fu Sheng) flees to San Francisco, where the same gangs are still causing problems. He becomes a part of a rival gang, and eventually decides to play them against each other in order to clean up the town.
