MAGNIFICENT WARRIORS On Blu-ray From 88 Films

 

Michelle Yeoh is a tending topic right now, due to the much-deserved kudos she is receiving for EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. It needs reminding though that Yeoh has been kicking ass on-screen for over thirty years. A prime example of that is the 1987 WWII adventure MAGNIFICENT WARRIORS, recently released as a special edition Blu-ray from 88 Films. 

In this movie Yeoh plays Fok Ming-Ming, a whip-wielding aviator and martial arts expert who works as an agent for the Chinese army battling Japanese occupiers during World War II. Ming-Ming is sent to the outskirts of China to make contact with the lord of a small city. The man has information that the Japanese want to build a factory there to make chemical weapons. Ming-Ming, along with such comrades as a secret agent and a con-artist, takes the fight to the Japanese stationed there in just about every way possible. 

MAGNIFICENT WARRIORS (also known as DYNAMITE FIGHTERS, among other titles) is wild, full-tilt, exciting and entertaining action-adventure tale that barely takes a breath during its 92-minute running time. There's stunts involving horses, jeeps, planes along with a martial-arts sequence about every five minutes. While watching this picture, one needs to realize there was no CGI used here--there's obviously some wire-work but for the most part everything you see was done in front of the camera. Director David Chang (and the expert Hong Kong action technicians who worked on this film) infuses this story with a breathless energy that the even the mega-budget comic book epics of today can't match. 

This film is a grand showcase for the then very young Michelle Yeoh, and she more than makes the most of it. (On the print of the film used on the Blu-ray, she's billed in the main credits as Michelle Kheng, and on the English opening credits included on this disc as an extra, she's billed as Michelle Khan.) Yeoh's exuberance and charisma are off the charts here, along with her physical prowess (she performs a few stunts that would make Buster Keaton wince). Her character isn't hard-bitten or cynical--despite all the violent happenings Ming-Ming has a positive smile on her face for most of the time, and at some moments she even looks cute. But make no mistake, she can handle herself in any situation. The so-called "strong independent women" of 21st Century cinema pale in comparison to Yeoh's talents in this movie. 

This Blu-ray was the first time I had purchased a product from 88 Films, and I was suitably impressed. The print used is uncut, and very colorful, with a bold sound mix that shows off the many explosions very well. There's a Cantonese audio track with English subtitles, along with an English dub track (which isn't too bad as far as those things go). 

This release also comes with a 35-page booklet, filled with stills from the film and a essay about the production by Matthew Edwards. A double-sided poster is also included as well. The disc cover sleeve is reversible too. 

The Blu-ray also features a new commentary by Frank Djeng, who gives out all sorts of info on the making of the film and the careers of those who worked on it. There's short vintage interviews with Michelle Yeoh and the movie's stunt coordinator Tung Wai. (Yeoh states that MAGNIFICENT WARRIORS was one of the toughest films she ever worked on--coming from her, that says a lot.) As mentioned, an English main credits sequence is included, along with trailers for the film, and an extensive stills gallery. 

MAGNIFICENT WARRIORS is a fun, action-packed picture that goes by in a flash...just don't expect a serious fact-based examination of the Japanese occupation of other Asian cultures during WWII. For those folks who want to know more about Michelle Yeoh's film work, it's a great introduction to the earlier part of her career. 88 Films has filled this Blu-ray release with all sorts of very welcome bells & whistles.