It’s East vs East in this Martial Arts tournament movie by way of an arranged marriage!
Heroes of the East, directed by Lau Kar-Leung and filmed by Arthur Wong, focuses on an arranged marriage between a student of Kung Fu and the Japanese daughter of one of his father’s business associates. Tensions are at an all time high as Ho Tao (the one and only Gordon Liu) and his wife, Yumiko Kōda (an absolutely adorable Yuka Mizuno) discover that they are both deep into their own martial arts studies . . . even in the bedroom!
But, as this is set in the 1930s, they discover that their loyalties to their home techniques are quite strong. This leads to several knock down drag out fights between the two. And I do mean that quite literally. When Kōda heads back to Japan, she accidentally lets it slip that her husband has bad-mouthed her teacher (a charming Yasuaki Kurata), her country, and her training.
Offended by the absolute arrogance of Ho Tao, Sensei Takeno assembles a team of warriors to teach Ho a lesson. Armed with all sorts of fighters - which include samurai, karate, Judo, and ninja - and weapons galore - we’re talking spears, swords, chinese stars, darts, and more - the team arrives and challenges Ho to an unending set of duels, which are capped by a crab vs crane fighting style by a lake in the mountains.
Everything here works to create quite the unusual Shaw Brothers offering. No one here is a clear villain and the Japanese characters are quite strong, challenging the audience with a very human treatment to both sides of this marital conflict. Even Lau Kar-Leung gets in on the fun as he has a cameo role as So Chan, a master of drunken boxing!
Once again, Lau Kar-Leung’s film does a number of things that - in 1978 - simply weren’t being done when it came to kung fu films. Thanks to Arrow Video, Chia-Ling’s fifth film can be wholly appreciated with a 2K upgrade as it is now included with their release of SHAW BROTHERS PRESENTS: FOUR FILMS BY LAU KAR-LEUNG, a 2-disc set which includes Executioners Of Shaolin, Challenge of the Masters, and Dirty Ho.
Lau Kar-Leung was no stranger to the studio mindset of the Shaw Brothers. He had worked tirelessly on some of their biggest hits, choreographing epic fight sequences for most of their staple players during the 1960s and the 1970s. His unique vision for fight scenes were both stylistic, using the body’s movement to impact force, and full of humor, making his work truly crowd pleasing when it came to mass appeal.
Heroes of the East is a clear winner as Gordon Liu learns his lesson and learns it well.
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; Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 2-discset
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Lau's trademark mix of high-kicking kung fu choreography and knee-slapping physical comedy is on full display in one of the director's most acclaimed films, Heroes of the East, which pits Japanese and Chinese martial arts against one another and ultimately celebrates both. Last but not least is Dirty Ho, Lau's take on the odd couple buddy comedy, which shows off some of the most inventive action set-pieces in the Shaw Brothers canon and is not to be missed!
Video
Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Heroes of the East 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:
Disc One - Challenge Of The Masters / Executioners Of Shaolin
- 2K restoration of Challenge of the Masters from the original negative by Arrow Films
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for Challenge of the Masters
- English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
- Appreciation of Lau Kar-Leung by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
- Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2002 by Frédéric Ambroisine
- Interview with star Chen Kuan-Tai, filmed in 2007 by Frédéric Ambroisine
- Textless opening credits for Challenge of the Masters
- Alternate English credits for Executioners from Shaolin
- Trailers
- Image galleries for both films
Disc Two - Heroes Of The East / Dirty Ho
- 2K restoration of Dirty Ho from the original negative by Arrow Films
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films
- English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
- Commentary on Heroes of the East by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of the Martial Arts
- Appreciation of both films by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
- Interview with Heroes of the East star Yasuaki Kurata, filmed in 2003 by Frédéric Ambroisine
- Alternate opening credits for Shaolin Challenges Ninja, the international version of Heroes of the East
- Alternate English credits for Dirty Ho
- Trailers
- Image galleries for both films
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 105 mins
Director: Chia-Liang Liu
Writer: Kuang Ni
Cast: Chia-Hui Liu; Yuka Mizuno; Yasuaki Kurata
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date: December 30, 1978
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 24, 2023
Synopsis: A Chinese man (Liu) marries a Japanese woman through an arranged marriage and manages to insult all of her Japanese martial arts family by issuing a challenge to her that is misinterpreted by the others. He must then prove how good Chinese Kung Fu really is through a series of duels with the seven Japanese martial artists who come to meet the challenge.
