This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray is currently available from Arrow Video.
Recently, Arrow Video has focused a lot of attention on actor/writer/director Sammo Hung. The artist famously attended the Peking Opera School with Jackie Chan and, in his homeland, became just as big and revered a star as his classmate. In recent months, Arrow has released several of his titles, like the all-star/western/kung-fu comedy Millionaires’ Express (1986) and the more traditional Knockabout (1978). This week, the distributor is premiering Hung’s period martial arts feature The Prodigal Son on Blu-ray in a special “Limited Edition” package. Watching it for the first time, the feature stands out as one of the filmmaker’s strongest efforts.
Set in the mid-1800s, the story follows Leung Chang (Yuen Biao), a young man from a very wealthy family who believes that he is the country’s greatest street fighter. After all, everyone who gets into a fight with him loses spectacularly. Little does Leung Chang know that he really isn’t talented at all, and is even the butt of jokes in the community. As it turns out, the protagonist’s parents have told his servants to bribe any potential threat. So, they simply ham it up and take a fall. One day, Leung Chang’s dim-witted friends attend a Chinese Opera and make unwanted advances towards a cast member. While the performer, Yeung Yee-tai (Lam Ching-ying) looks to be a female, he is actually a man in drag. The slender but strong artist gives them a whipping and easily humiliates Leung Chang. All is revealed and the humiliated lead soon begs Yeung Yee-tai to train him. The actor refuses, but Leung Chang once again uses his parent’s influence to join the troupe as Yeung Yee-tai’s assistant.
Things get bad for the performers when they draw the attention of Lord Ngai Fei (Frankie Chan), the son of a powerful duke. His history is almost the same as Leung Chang’s, but his family are vicious (the duke had paid the son’s bodyguards to assassinate any potential threat). Not only that, but Lord Ngai Fei also has the fearsome skills to back up his fighting claims. He challenges Yeung Yee-tai to a showdown. After a brutal attack on the opera troupe, Yeung Yee-tai and Leung Chang escape to the countryside and stay with an eccentric old friend named Wong Wah-bo (Sammo Hung). Both of these elders help train the protagonist to defend himself as enemy forces close in.
The movie is noted for its accurate depiction of Wing Chun martial arts and some incredible fight sequences. It’s a straight-forward and direct style of fighting, but as boasted the battles are quite remarkable to behold. All four main cast members get the chance to show off some stunning choreography and elaborate moves against each other. The assault on the opera theater is amazing, with the heroes attempting to survive and fight off attackers while the building around them burns to the ground. One of the main characters even hurtles themselves into the air over a large, flaming flag. It is a jaw-dropping moment.
And naturally, the final confrontation is memorable as prodigal sons Leung Chang and Lord Ngai Fei finally square off against each other to see whose skills are superior. There is some interesting strategy during the challenge that results in a series of wince-inducing falls and powerful blows. Yet despite some of the heavier subject matter, there are still some laughs in the film. Early on, the arrogant behavior of Leung Chang results in chuckles, while Wong Wah-bo’s very physical style of calligraphy is amusing to witness.
The story is simple, but after establishing the memorable characters, the film doesn’t have much fat and moves quickly. It tells an interesting story and delivers a few unexpected twists along the way. Additionally, the cinematography and sets are striking to behold. All of the different elements here congeal here more effectively than in the longer, and at times, slower-moving Knockabout and Millionaires’ Express. The picture is likely this reviewer’s favorite among Hung films of the era.
Naturally, the new 2K restoration (of both the theatrical cut and the home video edition) means that the picture looks much sharper. Everything is quite crisp and the image quality really does shine. And as always with Arrow releases, there are plenty of engaging extras as well.
There are two commentary tracks. One features martial arts cinema experts, while the other comes from action movie authorities. Both are very good. The first focuses on the use of Wing Chun and other martial arts techniques, also giving some background on how difficult it was to shoot and noting some of the remarkable stunts.
The second features info on the production, as well as background details about the various cast members and the movie’s place in Hong Kong cinema history. There are some fun facts in general between the two, as new viewers will learn that the Leung Chang character was, in fact, a real figure and that other pictures have been made about him. It is even noted that the Sammo Hung film Warriors Two (1978) features Wing Chun and one of the characters from this title. So, it is a prequel of sorts to this movie (albeit with a completely different cast). There are plenty of fun tidbits present on both audio tracks.
Additionally, there’s an interview with Wing Chun sifu Alex Richter, who shows viewers his Manhattan martial arts studio and the basic techniques that are used in this fighting style. There’s also an archival featurette that contains discussions with Sammo Hung, as well as stars Yeun Biao and Frankie Chan. The two leads note how they had to learn Wing Chun and the extensive choreography for their director very quickly, often ending up bruised and battered in the process. The Blu-ray also comes with theatrical trailers, a double-sided fold-out poster with original and newly commissioned art, as well as a collector’s booklet with more writing on the title.
The picture quality on this disc is first-rate for a Hong Kong feature and, from this reviewer’s perspective, The Prodigal Son is one of the best Sammo Hung films in the director’s catalog. If you’ve been unsure about picking up Arrow Video’s recent martial arts movies from the filmmaker, this is the strongest movie in the bunch and a great starting point. The Blu-ray is excellent and will definitely win over plenty of converts (including myself). Pick it up if you get the chance!