Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Perhaps the most accomplished genre picture directed by British-Chinese filmmaker Po-Chih Leong (Hong Kong 1941), The Island is Hong Kong’s answer to the likes of Deliverance, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes and Motel Hell – a film that transports the visceral survival horror so popular in the 1970s and 1980s from the backwoods of America to a remote island in East Asia. At the height of summer, teacher Mr Cheung (John Sham) takes a small group of his students on an excursion to explore a rural island that he assumes is uninhabited. But upon arrival, Cheung and his class discover that they are not alone – the island is, in fact, home to three deranged brothers and their equally deranged mother. And when one of Cheung’s students refuses a marriage proposal from the youngest – and perhaps most disturbed – member of this deeply strange family, both the teacher and the young people in his care soon come to wish that they had stayed at home. Following in the footsteps of its Western predecessors, The Island plays out a pointed class conflict as it pits its educated urbanites against the violent members of an isolated rural community – but never loses the unique qualities of a Hong Kong horror movie. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere outside of Asia. (93 Mins)

 

Legendary Collection/Joy Sales HK DVD Synopsis: The story takes place on a deserted island. The only residence on the island is a family in which the mother ruled over three of her sons: No. 1 Fat, gloomy and sullen. No. 2 Fat, vulger and cruel. No. 3 Fat, slightly retarded. Mother's earnest wish is to find a wife for No.3 Fat to continue the family tree. Po, a refugee from the Mainland China, is caught by the family and forced to marry No. 3 Fat. However, the mother furiously discovers that Po is not a virgin. Then Po is chained and hidden in a hut. After that, the mother passes away. Six months later, Cheung, nicknamed Coffin Cheung, along with six of his students arrive on the island for camping. They first meet No. 2 Fat who brings them to the grocery for a rest. No.2 Fat is delighted with the presence of the 2 young girls while No. 3 Fat falls in love at first sight with the charming girl Phyllis. He expresses his feelings to No. 1 who has sworn to his mother that he will fulfil her wish to find his youngest brother a wife. He proposes to Cheung that Phyllis be married to No. 3 Fat. Cheung first thinks that it's a joke, but soon senses that No. 1 Fat is serious and the all three brothers are actually psychologically imbalanced. He plans to escape, but no traffic is available. When No. 2 Fat tries to rape Po, she fights back and escapes. She reveals the family secret to Cheung and the students. When student Ronald is captured by the brothers as a hostage and Sandy is injured, Cheung is forced to abandon his belief in non-violence and humanity. He has to fight back. (88 Mins)

 

Views: In this creepy Hong Kong survival horror, three psychotic brothers get to let loose on a host of unsuspecting victims when a geography teacher from the city brings a group of students on a field trip to their deserted island. While the camping trip starts well, with games on the beach and stories around the campfire, things start to get a little crazy as each of the demented brothers bring their own type of horror to the visiting youngsters. Before they know it, their weekend holiday soon turns into a nightmare! Released as number 324 of Eureka Video's Masters of Cinema series on Blu-ray, The Island is a Hong Kong film that I never ever imagined would get a Blu-ray release here in the West. One of the earlier films produced under the D&B banner with the legendary Sammo Hung producing, the film wasn't a huge hit, but helped set in place the quality of cinematic outings that D&B Films became well known for. Of course, it also proved to be a very credible production that boosted many careers – including that of D&B partner John Shum, who served as the film's main star and had already appeared in D&B titles such as The Return of Pom Pom (1984) and Mr. Boo Meets Pom Pom (1985) just prior to this...

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It's also worth noting that John Shum had also produced the incredible Hong Kong 1941 – the first D&B film for British-born director Po-Chih Leong only a year before, therein setting in place their plans to make The Island. Born in Northampton in 1939, Po Chih began training his craft early on with the BBC before moving out to Hong Kong in the 1960s where he would work for TVB. In 1976, he would make his feature film directorial debut with the fantastic Jumping Ash – an action thriller starring Josephine Siao who also wrote and co-directed, Michael Chan Wai Man, Chen Sing, and Po Chih himself. This would be followed up with the Philip Chan scripted Foxbat (1977) – his first full English language feature and a film quite similar to the Hollywood made Firefox (1982), although predating it by five years. Over the years, Po Chih Leong would deliver a host of great titles including Itchy Fingers (1979), Banana Cop (1984), Welcome (1985), The Island (1985), Ping Pong (1986), Fatal Love (1988), and Shanghai 1920 (1991) with John Lone. As well as appearing in his own works – including this one – starred in Tsui Hark's Dangerous Encounters of the 1st Kind (1980) and Peking Opera Blues (1986). In the late 1990s, Po Chih headed back West where he was given the chance to direct a young Jude Law in the exciting vampire thriller Immortality (1998). He would return to work in television, directing a number of TV films and shows such as Cabin by the Lake (2000) and it's sequel, Return to Cabin by the Lake (2001), The Darkling (2000), and Walking Shadow (2001). Surprisingly, he was the man behind Steven Seagal's 2004 action-thriller Out of Reach – a film initially supposed to be directed by the late Ringo Lam. Leong would follow this up with The Detonator (2006) starring Wesley Snipes, and has since made a couple of other titles such as Baby Blues (2013) and The Jade Pendant (2017). But none compare to his earlier Hong Kong works.

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While unconventional leading man, John Shum, leads the way – delivering a fun performance that brings a realism to his character with his own unique acting style and sense of humour – the film is mainly carried by a host of new faces such as Timothy Zao, Che Ching Yuen, Amy Kwok, Helen Au, Kitty Ngan, and the popular Ronald Wong Ban who would go onto appear in films like As Tears Go By (1988), God of Gamblers (1989), Young & Dangerous 4 (1997), A Man Called Hero (1999) and more. But perhaps it's the three island brothers who steal the show with their wild moments of insanity and violence. These include the very fun Chan Ging in what was only his second role after debuting in Long Arm of the Law (1984). Of course, this recognisable actor would go onto star in most of the D&B titles that followed as well as films such as Dragons Forever (1988), Tiger Cage (1988), They Came to Rob Hong Kong (1989), Return Engagement (1990), Story of Ricky (1992) and then some. Also appearing in his second role is the brilliant Billy Ching who would go onto star in many Sammo Hung movies over the years from Millionaires Express (1986) to Pantyhose Hero (1990) as well as films such as Project A 2 (1987), Curry & Pepper (1990), Escape from the Brothel (1992), The Medallion (2003) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004). And then we have the great Peter Chan – a popular supporting actor who began his acting career back in 1967 and has been a member of both Bruce Lee and Sammo Hung's stunt teams. With around 140 film titles under his belt, Chan was definitely the most accomplished actor on the production and proves to be Shum's biggest threat in the final third of the film.

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Inspired by American independent horror classics such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Deliverance (1972), Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), the film also has shades of Dennis Yu's The Beasts (1980) and Tsui Hark's We're Going To Eat You (1980), which are probably more apt in terms of Leong's execution. The Island starts with a torture scene that proves to be a taster for what's to come, before leading viewers down a different path with some light-hearted scenes. But as we get comfortable, the film soon takes a nasty turn that eventually sees each of the victims tortured and attacked, delivering a brutal final 30 minutes that should entertain any horror fans of the aforementioned American classics. While not as accomplished as his previous film, Hong Kong 1941 (1984), Po-Chih Leong's The Island is still quite enjoyable and offers some gorgeous cinematography courtesy of prolific DOP Poon Hang Sang. This is made even more noticeable by the new gorgeous 2K restoration from Eureka Video and their Blu-ray release, which also comes with a host of extra features including two enjoyable audio commentaries. A little-seen gem of Hong Kong cinema, The Island is one for classic horror fans and an enjoyable way to spend 93 minutes!

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Overall: While it could have been better, The Island still has it's moments and is worth checking out!

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Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng, Tony Rayns on The Island, Masterclass with Po Chih Leong, Trailer

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Legendary Collection/Joy Sales DVD Extras: Trailers

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