Let the street brawls begin! Cue the funk music because it’s time to kick some serious ass and look badass while doing it, too. Man of Iron has arrived on sparkling blu-ray!
In the history of Shaw Brothers productions, there are arguably few scenes as cool as the one here in which Chen Kuan-Tai crashes a motorcycle through a window then nonchalantly picks the jagged shards of glass from his bloody hands. It’s a badass moment which demands your attention as Chen Kuan-Tai, in a loosely-based follow-up to The Boxer from Shantung, dares to shake up the underworld and claim a piece of the pie for himself.
Well-shot and full of great rain-soaked cityscapes, Man of Iron is now on blu-ray, part of the Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol 2. To say this film is underappreciated is indeed an understatement as Old Shanghai gets a facelift. This is, after all, a dangerous place where knife gangs rule the streets and funk struts reign supreme and Chen Kuan-Ti masters them all, including knowing how to take a hit and then hit repeatedly back.
When it comes to non-stop action, Man of Iron walks the walk like few other wuxia films.
Starring Chen Kuan-Tai and directed by Chang Cheh & Pao Hsueh-Li, Man of Iron tackles the gangster scene with its wuxia formula as Qiu Lian-Huan (Chen Kuan-Tai) attempts to move on up the hierarchy of criminals by taking out two competing bosses of organized crime, Chang Gen Bao (Chu Mu) and Yu Zhen-Ting (Yeung Chi-Hung), by any means necessary . . . even by falling in love!
With his eyes firmly on Shen Ju-Fang (Ching Li), another man’s girl, while strutting around the town in his leather jacket with the Italian-esque funk songs playing, Qiu wants it made clear that the smaller guys deserve respect, too. He’s kicking ass and taking names, along with anything Yu Chow-Kai (Tin Ching) thinks he possesses. Money? Gone. Girl? Gone.
It doesn’t help matters that Yu is the son of Yu Zhen-Ting. Or does it? It seems that this is Qiu’s aim all along. Get noticed. Annoy the old school fellows, and then take them down!
Complete with stunning fight sequences in the rain, Man of Iron is a fun watch as Qin uses everybit of a bicycle for a weapon. He’s always outnumbered, but - with fists like his - that matters little in the grand scheme of things.
It is now on blu-ray thanks to Shout Factory’s ongoing Shaw Brothers Classics series!
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - August 15, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 12-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Chen Kuan-tai exuded incredible power on screen, which his directors used to great advantage in this fight-filled follow-up to the smash hit The Boxer From Shantung. The only thing Chou Lien Huan does wrong is win some money gambling with a Shanghai gang leader's playboy son ... but that's enough for the father and child to want obsessive revenge. It all culminates in an incredible climatic fight, choreographed by the legendary Lau Kar-leung and Chan Chuen, co-star of Bruce Lee's Fist Of Fury.
Video
Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Man of Iron, gets its hands bloody and never once rinses its fists as beauty is birthed in this same blood, all with its audience in mind. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the spooky script and looks visually eye-popping due to the upgrade. The visual poetry on display comes through in the city at the center of this meaty martial arts film, the crispness of the interiors and the haunting exteriors in which some rundown urban locations become a playground full of blood, and the sudden violence which echoes throughout the film, including its big finale. 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.
Audio
The audio is presented with your choice of a clean lossless Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation and an English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio.
Supplements:
Full of two commentaries and a brand-new supplemental covering the history of Shaw Brothers from Meredith Lewis, the supplemental items are legit.
Commentary:
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There are two feature-length commentaries: one from James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks and another from Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of This Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog). Both are fantastic.
Special Features:
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NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
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NEW Audio Commentary With Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of This Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)
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An Iron Will – Meredith Lewis, Author Of Ask For The Moon: Innovation At Shaw Brothers Studios, A 77-Minute Documentary On The Genesis, Rise, Peak And Fall Of The Shaw Brothers Movie Empire
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Original Theatrical Trailer
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German Trailer
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Celestial Trailer
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 92 mins
Director: Cheh Chang; Hsueh-Li Pao
Writer: Kuang Ni; Cheh Chang
Cast: Kuan Tai Chen; Li Ching; Mu Chu
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date: October 12, 1972
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 15, 2023
Synopsis: Chen Kuan-tai exuded incredible power on screen, which his directors used to great advantage in this fight-filled follow-up to the smash hit The Boxer From Shantung -- which culminates in an incredible climatic battle, choreographed by the legendary Liu Chia-liang and Chen Chuan.
