88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: From Golden Harvest, the legendary Hong Kong studio which had previously delivered classic Bruce Lee flicks The Big Boss, Fist Of Fury and Enter The Dragon comes the fast-paced martial-arts fantasy, The Iceman Cometh. When 16th century Ming guard Fong Sau-Ching (Yuen Biao) sets out to capture vicious rapist Fung San (Yuen Wah), both men end up falling into a glacier to be frozen in time. Thawed out by scientists over 300 years later, the confused guard must learn to cope with the modern world and continue in his quest to vanquish his opponent. Fast, furious and fabulously entertaining, The Iceman Cometh rocks with time-travelling kung fu vibes. (115/127 Mins)

 

Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray Synopsis: Fong Sau Ching is the Chief Royal Guard during the Ming Dynasty, whose job it is to protect the Emperor at all costs, including with his own life. One day, Ching discovers that one of his men, Fung San, is a sadistic rapist with a penchant for murdering his victims by breaking their limbs. After Fung San attacks the Princess and several other women, Ching is tasked by the Emperor with hunting down and killing him in order to restore his own honor. However, things take an unexpected turn when the two men come face-to-face for a duel to the death, only to become literally frozen in time by a mystical device known as the 'Wheel of Life and Death'. 300 years later, in modern Hong Kong,Ching and Fung San are accidentally thawed out. Unfamiliar with his surroundings, Ching struggles to adapt to his strange new environment and soon finds himself at the mercy of an obnoxious call girl named Polly while attempting to continue to search for Fung San, but little does he know that Fung San is adapting quite nicely to both the weapons and crime ridden modern world and is beginning to resume his murderous ways. Featuring an awesome, action-packed final face-off that ranks amongst the most over-the-top in Hong Kong cinema, Clarence Fok's (The Naked Killer) THE ICEMAN COMETH skilfully combines daring action set pieces with fantasy and horror elements, all wrapped up in a comedic 'fish out of water' scenario. Packed with memorable and death defying stunt work, including a fight on top of a jeep hanging from a construction crane, and starring Hong Kong superstar Yuen Biao (Righting Wrongs), legendary stuntman Yuen Wah (Rendezvous With Death) and acclaimed actress Maggie Cheung (In The Mood For Love), Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present this piece of genre defying Hong Kong cinema, complete with sword fights, gunplay, and a healthy dose of dark and mystical elements. (115/122 Mins)

 

Hong Kong Legends UK DVD Synopsis: In the days of his nation's greatest Emperor, a young warrior (Yuen Biao) took an oath to protect his Kingdom against the treachery of its greatest evil. Alone, he fought with honour, until the day when destiny would seal his fate. Now, centuries later, frozen in time and space, he will awaken in a strange new land, and, once again, stand alone, to prevent an enemy of the past from becoming the master of our future. Experience jaw-dropping action and daredevil stunts in one of the greatest action adventures from the Golden Era of Hong Kong Cinema. (109 Mins)

 

Made In Hong Kong UK VHS Synopsis: Clarence Fok's martial arts fantasy epic stars Yuen Wah as a sadistic renegade swordsman, reincarnated in modern day Hong Kong, where he encounters his ancient foe, the master warrior Ah Ching (Yuen Biao). Against an explosive backdrop of triad violence and troubled romance – Maggie Cheung (The Heroic Trio,The Executioners) co-stars as the beautiful, hard-hearted hooker who falls reluctantly for Ah Ching – Fok masterfully orchestrates his tale of vengeance, interweaving classic swordplay with mind-bending martial arts action. (115 Mins)

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Views: Raymond Chow and Johnny Mak present this wonderful joint production about a Ming Dynasty warrior who has thawed out in modern-day Hong Kong, determined to stop an evil rapist from his past while trying to adapt to his new life. If it all sounds vaguely familiar and you haven't yet seen this 1989 production, then you've most likely seen (or heard about) the poor Donnie Yen remake and its sequel that came out in 2014 and 2018, both of which were subject to scathing reviews. And while The Iceman Cometh may lack the polished look, CGI, and huge budget of its remake, it still proves to be a far superior piece of entertainment – even over 30 years later.

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The incredible Yuen Biao plays Fang Shou Zheng, a commander of the Ming Dynasty who has been tasked to find Feng San (Yuen Wah) who has raped and murdered many women of the palace. After catching up with the maniac, the pair are whisked away on The Wheel – an ancient time-traveling device that drops them off on a snowy mountain top, in a random time and place. After an incredible sword battle, the commander grabs Feng and throws both of them off the mountain top, landing in the deep snow below and freezing to death in each other's arms. 300 years later, and just by luck, a team of explorers come across the frozen men and have them transported back to their lab. After some thugs break into the place, they accidentally turn off the freezer system and in turn, defrost the Ming warriors who confusedly take to the streets of Hong Kong. As he tries to figure out where he is and avoid getting run over by a vehicle, Fang is soon taken under the wing of Polly (Maggie Cheung) – a fast-talking hooker who, he thinks, needs rescuing. Believing that Fang is an illegal immigrant who has lost his mind, Polly takes him home and employs him to be her bodyguard while dealing with clients and relishes in his actions of drinking toilet water, or screaming at the television in thinking that people are trapped in there. Meanwhile, Feng San has well and truly settled into modern life. Having joined forces with a small criminal gang, the murdering maniac pulls off robberies and escapes by car surfing through the streets of Kowloon. As expected, Fang Shou Zheng soon learns that Feng is in town, and up to his old tricks once again. Remembering his promise to the Emperor, the young warrior sets out to capture his nemesis once and for all, resulting in an incredible cat and mouse chase of wild action, big stunts, and martial arts battles across Hong Kong!

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When The Iceman Cometh got released to VHS by Made In Hong Kong in the mid-90s, I was incredibly excited! I watched that video at least once a week for ages, blown away by what I was watching and the incredible action on-screen. Opening with a scene reminiscent of A Chinese Ghost Story, with Yuen Wah raping and murdering a number of women in the palace, the film starts off with quite a serious tone only really bringing in the laughs when the story shifts to modern-day Hong Kong From there, The Iceman Cometh plays as a wonderful fish-out-of-water story offering many hilarious sequences that show Yuen Biao adapt to modern life. I must say, and as much as I love Donnie Yen wholeheartedly, that Biao delivers the wonderment and reactions of this character in a much more natural way than that of Yen in Iceman 3D, the heavily criticised remake. That's not to say that Yen did a bad job at all, but I just believe this was written in a more realistic way which definitely proved to be much funnier. With Iceman 3D, I felt that the Ming Dynasty characters all caught on to the ways and technology of modern life far too easily considering how difficult most tech today, is tricky to master. Regardless, in 1989 a toilet, electricity, cars, and television, was enough to confuse the hell out of a past warrior – but it does make for some incredibly funny moments. ​I'm a big fan of director Clarence Fok – renowned for his cult classic, Naked Killer. Also known as Clarence Ford, the Hong Kong film-maker has been involved in a huge number of hits over the years and has appeared in cameos and bit-parts in films like Police Story and Project A 2, played a member of The Losers band in Armour Of God alongside Jackie and Alan Tam, and a hilariously flamboyant character in Body Weapon with Vincent Zhao. Starting his career as a part-time scriptwriter for TVB at the age of 15, Fok went on to produce and direct a number of television shows, including The Bund with Chow Yun Fat, before making his feature film debut with Job Hunter with Leslie Cheung, and/or The Man From Vietnam, which starred Stanley Fung who went on to cameo in this (dressed in a Santa Claus outfit). Of course, Fung would be more recognisable to Hong Kong film fans as one of the Lucky Stars in the famed movies from Sammo Hung. Clarence Fok would follow up with the exciting teen-triad thriller, On The Wrong Track with Andy Lau, before going on to deliver some crackers including The Greatest Lover (on which he first worked with Yuen Wah), They Came To Rob Hong Kong, The Dragon From Russia, Gun n' Rose, Her Name Is Cat, The Black Panther Warriors, Century Of The Dragon, and most recently – the underrated Special ID starring Donnie Yen. With The Iceman Cometh, Fok delivers one of his finest films to date that offers some stylish direction, great cinematography (that included work from Peter Pau and Jingle Ma), hilarious comedy sequences, awesome action, and memorable performances from all involved.

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Let's be honest, both Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah need no introduction. By this stage of the game the pair had shared the screen many times before, appearing in any amount of hit titles for a good 20 years – starting as stuntmen and extras from Shaw Brothers hits to early Golden Harvest works, with Yuen Wah even doubling Bruce Lee in a few of his titles. Of course, they would go on to wow the world of cinema with their moves and performances in countless titles which included The Iceman Cometh, with both of them doubling up as the action choreographers of the film – joined by brother Yuen Tak, and the great Chin Kar Lok. Between them, the team brings a host of incredible fight scenes and amazing stunt work to the screen starting with the opening sword battle between the Ming Dynasty warriors. Both Yuen Biao and Yuen Wah have recalled how this snow fight was one of their hardest ever shoots – taking no less than 5 trips to Korea to complete the scene, with a lot of the cast and crew suffering from frostbite and snow-burns caused by the extreme conditions. During the fight, their swords were fixed with electrical wires that created sparks every time they clashed – and very noticeably so during the fight scene. This in turn would give its stars the odd shock, which I'm sure only added to the stress of filming in such conditions. Their dedication is more than respected though, as the pair offer up an amazing opening fight scene that showcases some incredible moves, and lets viewers know just what to expect when the story gets going...

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Of course, the action stays strong with a number of scenes sprinkled throughout from Yuen Wah's awesome car surfing getaway to some impressive high jumping stunts, Yuen Biao's rescue of Maggie Cheung against familiar faces such as Tai Bo and Ka Lee, and Yuen Wah's brutal attack on his criminal partners. Just after the halfway mark, Yuen Biao goes after Wah on horseback after he escapes in a jeep. It's a pretty exciting take on the typical car chase and gives Biao the chance to show off his incredible horseback skills. This scene in particular went on to cause a court case after a producer was arrested during production. As he gives chase to Yuen Wah in his jeep, Biao's horse suddenly came to a stop before it joined the busy junction on the Wan Chai bridge causing a build-up of traffic behind him, with many angry drivers and a lot of horn blasting that attracted the attention of the local traffic cops. This was a typical thing of Hong Kong productions filmed in this era, as they often winging more complicated scenes while trying to get them wrapped before the police would turn up or anyone would complain. It's pretty much how I shoot most of my own stuff today, to be honest. This chase in turn would lead to the docks, where Wah's jeep would be caught in the hook of an overly excited crane driver who lifts the vehicle into the air. As Biao leaps onto the under-carriage of the vehicle, the pair give fans another incredible fight scene that takes place high above the water. The final 10 minutes offers one of the best finales from 1980s Hong Kong cinema as both Yuen's clash, with Biao's sword taking on Wah's guns before he finds his own blade – eventually going fist to toe in a lengthy exchange of moves which is just epic! Shifting from rooftops to museum interiors, the pair move their fight onto (and around) the time-traveling device, The Wheel, that sees Yuen Biao eventually take his beaten prisoner back to his time in a very Highlander inspired moment. It's an amazingly choreographed fight scene that stands strong as one of their finest (yet is often forgotten about by most fans of Hong Kong cinema), that sees Yuen Biao's foot crack off Yuen Wah's face and body with full-impact, more than a few times. Unlike its remake with Iceman 3D, this film mages to bring its story to a complete closure as a future reincarnation of Yuen Biao's Fang Shou Zheng, appears outside Maggie Cheung's new place of work. Excited to see him, she jumps on his back to hug him as the poor stranger yells out for help. Simple, fun, and an ending that leaves a smile on your face – unlike the 2014 production!

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The wonderful Maggie Cheung plays Polly, the fast-talking hooker who exploits Biao's skills while she rips off clients and evades gangsters, laughing at his inability to understand modern technology and treating him like a servant by having him cook, clean, and listen to her abuse. I have to say though, she was amazing in this role and proves to incredibly funny and highly entertaining the whole way through. Cheung gets to play a change of character after she is abused by Yuen Wah, slapped about, and used as a bargaining tool against Biao who offers to drink a potion that will destroy his martial arts powers to save her life. After declaring his love for her, Cheung starts to see her saviour in a different light and soon starts to respect the warrior for what he really is. Kicking off her film career in 1984s Prince Charming, Maggie Cheung spent an incredibly busy 5 years appearing in hits like Police Story 1 & 2, It's A Drink, It's A Bomb, The Seventh Curse, Project A 2, Paper Marriage, As Tears Go By, and so much more, before starring in The Iceman Cometh. She would return to work with Clarence Fok the following year in the exciting Dragon From Russia and became in such high demand throughout the 90s with roles in Will Of Iron, Days Of Being Wild, Centre Stage, New Dragon Gate Inn, Moon Warriors, Police Story 3, Twin Dragons, All's Well End's Well '92, Holy Weapon, and Flying Dagger, as well as many other amazing titles. There are also a host of recognisable faces that pop up throughout The Iceman Cometh, many of which are just for comedy cameos. Prolific director Wong Jing appears as the excited crane driver who is listening to the races on his earphones and misses the fact that he's just hooked a vehicle. The aforementioned Stanley Fung shares a scene with the great Corey Yuen Kwai, who plays a bum that offers Biao a book on the history of China. Anita Mui's sister, Ann, appears as a brothel madam, with Walter Tso popping up as Yuen Biao's master in the Ming Dynasty. Of course, Walter would be most recognised today for his roles as a policeman in the likes of the Lucky Stars trilogy and Aces Go Places series. Frankie Ng plays the criminal boss of Yuen Wah's gang, while Lam Chung delivers yet another role as a gun-toting gangster. There's a lot to love about The Iceman Cometh, and while its SFX may be laughable in comparison to today's works, its stunt work and action is not – providing a prime example of what made Hong Kong cinema so amazing back then. It obviously proved to be a favourite role for Yuen Biao as he recreated a similar story and characters for his directorial debut, A Kid From Tibet, just a few years later. This would see both him and Yuen Wah return as enemies and face-off again with some exciting sword battles and amazing hand-to-hand combat!

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It was also interesting to note that Tsui Hark and Ching Siu Tung's wonderful film, A Terracotta Warrior, came out the same year – a film that follows a very similar storyline, although set in very different times. And although I'm not too sure what came first, I must admit that I do favour this one more so. Saying that, both are very different movies, but The Iceman Cometh tops it for me with much stronger Hong Kong action and the undeniable charms and skills of Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, and Miss Maggie Cheung of course. Both Vinegar Syndrome and 88 Films decided to release their beefed-up Blu-ray versions of the film in 2022, with each offering two different cuts of the film restored in 2K. While I appreciated both, I have to say that 88 Films won that battle with a stunning set that included plenty of extras, and the gorgeously extended Taiwanese cut. Because of that, The Iceman Cometh looked incredible and proved to be the best version of the film I've seen to date...

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Overall: A classic of Hong Kong cinema and one of my favourite Yuen Biao movies, The Iceman Cometh is amazing fun!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Hong Kong Version (115 Mins), Taiwanese Version (127 Mins), Audio Commentary with Kenneth Brorsson & Phil Gillon, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng, Interview with Clarence Fok, Tony Rayns on The Iceman Cometh, David West on The Iceman Cometh, Archival Interviews with Yuen Biao & Yuen Wah, The Time Warriors Opening & Closing Credits, Before/After VFX Comparison, Yuen Biao Action Showcase, Trailers

 

Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Samm Deighan, Interview with Cinematographer Poon Hang Sang, Archival Interviews with Yuen Biao & Yuen Wah, The Time Warriors Alternate Credits, Trailers

 

Hong Kong Legends DVD Extras: Audio Commentary with Bey Logan, Interviews with Yuen Biao & Yuen Wah, Trailers

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Watch my unboxing video of this Vinegar Syndrome release HERE

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Watch my unboxing video of this 88 Films release HERE