COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - ONE-ARMED BOXER (ARROW BLU RAY)
The genre of cult cinema is broad and inclusive. From the various forms of exploitation cinema to slasher films and martial arts, cult films are by definition not actually bound by any genre. I suspect this is why many horror fans have such broad tastes when it comes to film. There is an inherent appreciation for films that sit outside of the boundaries of normalcy and exist to entertain our guiltiest pleasures on screen. Martial arts films in particular have a long-standing tradition of indulging viewers with fantastical sets, jaw-dropping fight choreography, and in many cases excessive amounts of violence. Like every genre, martial arts films have adapted and changed over time. Most notably they have become even more death-defying in their stunt work and more action-packed with the meshing of hand-to-hand combat with the awesome firepower of modern arsenals. One thing that has not changed over time is the violence, all the bright-red arterial spray is something that still persists in a similar form (albeit with advances in practical and computer-generated effects) as it has since the early days of the genre. With the recent passing of WANG “JIMMY” YU in April of this year, it is serendipitous that ARROW has bestowed upon us a brand new blu ray of one of the late and great actor’s finest films, ONE-ARMED BOXER, with copious amounts of aforementioned blood-letting. At the COLLECTOR’S CRYPT, we take a deep dive into this new disk thank you to our fine friends at MVD ENTERTAINMENT!
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Yu Tian Long (WANG YU) is the best fighter to come out of his local martial arts school, but when he crosses the ruthless leader of a local crime syndicate, the big boss’ brutal bevy of deadly killers makes mincemeat out of the school and everyone inside. Now the only survivor of the massacre, and short of one appendage, Yu is gifted a powerful elixir that promises to give him the strength to take swift revenge on the army of assassins, each representing the most lethal forms of fighting from across the Eastern hemisphere.
HOW IS IT?
Much like our previous review of another ARROW martial arts release (COME DRINK WITH ME) we once again find ourselves kung-fu fighting in the crypt! Where the previous release we covered erred more towards a serious tone, ONE-ARMED BOXER goes for the jugular to be over the top. The premise alone is enough to take it out of the realm of serious contention, and the plot is essentially a set-up to provide ample amounts of hand-to-hand combat showcasing various forms of fighting from the East. To start, there is a very familiar theme song that blares in the opening and the credits. If you know your essential Blacksploitation films you’ll have no trouble recognizing the tune even though the famous title and lyrics have been removed. The fact that there is a 70s funk song in a movie that takes place at least a hundred years before the said song would be released is the kind of movie you’re getting with ONE-ARMED BOXER. It’s not here to tell you a complex story about hardship and struggle, it’s here to let WANG YU kick everyone’s ass with two arms and ultimately one. The music is a constant reminder that what you’re watching wasn’t created to elicit a certain time or place, it’s just there to sound good. I respect that level of vision, even if it might just be a lack, it makes the film unique even if it does make it silly.
The story is basically one we have seen time and time again, one which BRUCE LEE would riff on with his famous final film ENTER THE DRAGON. What ONE-ARMED BOXER has that ENTER THE DRAGON doesn’t is a sense of humor. The characters themselves all seem to be the most stereotypical version of the representative fighting style and person from that region, with the Yoga fighter being one of the funnier, and yet, more deadly styles on display. The star of the show is Erh Ku Da Leung, the karate champion from Okinawa who kind of looks like a Japanese vampire. He is essentially the most ruthless fighter Yu has to face, and every time he is on screen he is memorable. It’s hard to pick a favorite fight scene because 87% of the movie is just people fighting. In this way, ONE-ARMED BOXER is never dull and often interest is kept simply wondering what level of absurdity will come next. There are times when some of the fighters use what I can only refer to as “special moves” and in many cases, a character will announce them as they are happening. My favorite one is “teleporting mountain fist”.
If you’re reading this so far and thinking, “yeah, this isn’t for me” then that’s totally okay. The absurdity of this film is part of its charm, but if you’re looking for the straight-up serious fare you would best seek that elsewhere. The star of the film, WANG “JIMMY” YU, also directed the film and it’s quite apparent that this is only his second directorial effort. There are times when the camera comes into focus in the shot, sloppy editing, and the strangest soundtrack choice one could imagine are all things that make this both amateur and endearing. The one-armed fighting scenes are as hilarious as they are entertaining, and while I think it’s novel at first I prefer the fighting when everyone is equally equipped. That said, not many people can make one-armed fighting look as cool as WANG YU.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
As is the case with many of the films from this era, the transfers are as good as we are likely to ever get and ONE-ARMED BOXER is no different. While it is not a pristine transfer, with the occasional sign of wear from the original negatives, it is still a very sharp and colorful restoration. ARROW VIDEO presents ONE-ARMED BOXER in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and it was restored in 2K for this release using the original film elements. Screenshots of the transfer are seen below and throughout the review.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Nothing special and completely adequate. This release is presented in its original Mandarin and English monoaural soundtracks, and also included is an alternative Mandarin mono track with a different music score. The sounds are crisp and sharp and considering the limitations of the monoaural soundtrack are decent-sounding on both television and home theater systems.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
A slightly lighter special feature release this time around, but still plenty to feast on for fans of the film and the WANG YU more broadly. I watched a never-before-released career retrospective of WANG “JIMMY” YU which clocked in at about 41 minutes. One of the joys of watching these kinds of interviews is that you get to hear stories that you might have never heard otherwise. Case in point, WANG YU calls out that JACKIE CHAN took the idea for SHANGHAI NOON from him. He wasn’t bitter about this, and it’s hard to know if it is true or not, and it’s not the only time he mentions Chan. In fact, he compares himself to CHAN in a fraternal way and it’s quite nice to hear how much pride he has in Jackie. A full list of the rest of the special features is below.
Commentary by Frank Djeng from the NY Asian Film Festival
Career retrospective interview with Wang Yu, filmed in Nantes in 2001 and never released before, courtesy of the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive
Trailer gallery, featuring the original Hong Kong theatrical trailer, a US TV spot (as The Chinese Professionals), and over half an hour of trailers for other Wang Yu classics including One-Armed Swordsman and Master of the Flying Guillotine
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Simon Abrams
LAST RITES
ONE-ARMED BOXER is a ridiculous and fascinating martial arts film from the late and great WANG “JIMMY” YU. It won’t win over any non-believers in the genre, but for those who enjoy this brand of outrageous violence and showmanship ARROW has put out once again another fine release to adorn those shelves. Happy collecting, from the crypt!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you again to our friends at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a copy for our review. ONE-ARMED BOXER is out NOW and can be purchased at MVD or ARROW DIRECT.
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