(Hong Kong 1982) 

Original Title: Ren Xia Ren 人嚇人 (aka) Fight Among Ghosts

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Directed by Wu Ma Produced by Raymond Chow, Sammo Hung Action by Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lam Ching Ying, Billy Chan Starring: Sammo Hung, Wu Ma, Lam Ching Ying, Cherie Chung, Hui Leung Mei, Chin Yuet Sang, Chung Fat, Yuen Miu, Wellson Chin, Kwan Yung Moon, Hiu Ying Ying, Peter Chan, Billy Chan Reviewing: Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Release Genres: Martial Arts / Horror / Comedy

Rating - 4.3 / 5

Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Criminally unseen in the West, The Dead and the Deadly is a horror-action-comedy-special effects extravaganza in the same vein as Mr. Vampire and Encounters of the Spooky Kind. Directed by Wu Ma (one of Hong Kong cinema's most beloved multi-hyphenates; over a 50 year career he was hugely successful in writing, directing, producing, and acting) in perhaps his best directorial effort, and also starring Sammo Hung – The Dead and the Deadly is a must-see for both horror and action fans. Wu Ma also stars as a man who fakes his death in order to steal his family's funeral treasure. When the plan fails, his co-conspirators kill him (for real this time) and his vengeful spirit seeks out the help of his friend (played by Sammo Hung), who helps him seek revenge on his murderers. Also starring Lam Ching Ying (as a Taoist priest, foreshadowing his future role in Mr. Vampire) and Cherie Chung, The Dead and the Deadly comes to home video for the first time ever in the UK from a brand new 2K restoration! (99 Mins)

 

Deltamac HK DVD Synopsis: This is a ghost story about a young man who is into sorcery, his girlfriend, and the ghost who goes astray. The young man is honest Gee, a helper to Grand Uncle who is the town's high priest. They are now found in the ancestral shrine of the Mas working wonders. Gee is also being reprimanded by Grand Uncle for being rude to his fiancee, Ah Wun. The last of the Mas, the richest family in town, is back, but Ma Cheung-In is coming home dead. Accompanying the body is a woman who claims to be Ma's wife and very much pregnant. But Gee knows his boyhood friend Ma couldn't be a husband because he was impotent. Gee therefore examines Ma's body. There is no wound. Gee concludes Ma has been poisoned. He is wrong. Ma is not dead. He is using some magic in order to fake death in order to steal the family's funeral treasure. When no treasure is discovered, except a promise that Ma's son would inherit a fortune, Ma is killed forthwith by his cohorts... (95 Mins)

 

Views: The wonderful Sammo Hung stars as the Chu Wang Lee, a bumbling oaf that works in a funeral home, who takes it upon himself to investigate the death of one of his closest friends. But unbeknownst to him his friend, Cheung, is only pretending to be dead. His plan, along with a wicked hooker and her deadly kung-fu brother, is to get into the Cheung family tomb so that he can steal whatever precious treasures have been left in there. But when the greedy siblings learn that everything in the tomb is worthless, they kill Cheung for real which triggers a host of supernatural events. Now, as a ghost, Cheung must try to convince Chu to loan him his body so that he can exact revenge for his murder, enlisting the help of his wife and Chu's old master – resulting in a martial-arts battle to the death, and supernatural showdown to save both men from a life in purgatory!

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I thoroughly enjoy The Dead & The Deadly. I want to say that I love it, but I know deep down inside that it's just missing a little something. Coming out just two years after Sammo Hung's more superior Encounters Of A Spooky Kind, this similarly themed kung-fu horror-comedy has been hailed by many as a sequel of sorts – and it totally could have been, on many levels – although it would be another 8 years before an official sequel would come out with Encounters Of A Spooky Kind 2, aka Spooky Encounters, that could have been the final chapter of a fine trilogy. Produced by Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest and Sammo Hung's Bo Ho Films, The Dead & The Deadly is a hugely entertaining film with some fantastic martial-arts action and plenty of fun comedy moments. The film is directed by the late and legendary Wu Ma, an industry journeyman who had been a staple part of Hong Kong cinema from the mid-60s through to his death in 2014. Starting life in the industry as a bit-player in many Shaw Brothers classics, Wu would soon win the role of assistant director only 5 years later, working on 4 titles over the year such as The Singing Thief, Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman, The Invincible Fist, and Dead End – most of which he also starred in. In 1970, Wu would make his directorial debut with independent film, Wrath Of The Sword; a historic swordplay flick starring Tang Ching, Shu Pei Pei, and Shek Kin. Although he had proven himself as an actor and assistant director, Wu Ma's directorial debut was clearly good enough to gain the attention of the studio bosses back at Shaw's who gave him the chance to direct a host of titles from 1971 to 1976, including films such as The Water Margin, The Pirate, All Men Are Brothers, and Seven Man Army with Chang Cheh, as well as Wits To Wits and others. Around the same time, Wu would direct The Manchu Boxer for a young Raymond Chow which would be the first time he would work directly with Sammo Hung, who choreographed the action and co-starred alongside the director. Of course, this would be the start of a long and healthy relationship between the pair that saw them go on to work together on an amazing number of films of the years, with Wu turning up in the majority of Hung's productions among many other Hong Kong classics. Proving to be one of the hardest workers in the industry, Wu Ma would go on to star in well over 300 films as well as directing close to 50 including Eunuch Of The Western Palace, Mr. Boo Meets Pom Pom, Picture Of A Nymph, Just Heroes, Stage Door Johnny, Kickboxer, Circus Kids, and this underrated classic, of course. In The Dead & The Deadly, Wu also does a fantastic job as the unfortunate Cheung – artfully doubled by the incredible Yuen Biao for his major fight scene – and delivers plenty of laughs in one of the most memorable roles of his career.

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Of course, no one is ever going to say that The Dead & The Deadly is a Wu Ma film. That honour will always go to the great Sammo Hung; the portly legend who is credited as the main star, producer, martial-arts director, and even screenwriter (alongside the late Barry Wong). I love Sammo in this film. It's a role that, as previously mentioned, is similar to that of his role in Encounters Of A Spooky Kind and allows Hung to deliver some fantastic comedic moments, as well as a solid display of martial-arts action. Of course, Sammo already had two decades of acting behind him by the time this went into production, making his mark in many of the first Golden Harvest films as well as becoming a highly sought-after fight choreographer coming into the 1970s. Going on to be one of the greatest film-makers and stars of Asian cinema, it would be safe to say that Sammo has made more than an impact in the world of film with over 200 acting credits to his name, over 30 as a director, almost 50 as a producer, and so much more. Interestingly enough, 1982 wasn't exactly the busiest year for the star, with Sammo only starring in the fantastic Carry On Pickpocket alongside this, after coming off the success of the incredible Prodigal Son. But he had already pulled together a strong team of stuntmen, choreographers and actors; many of whom had worked with him on many titles for a good five years already. These included the wonderful Yuen Biao, brothers Peter Chan and Billy Chan, Yuen Miu, Chin Yuet Sang, Ka Lee, Tai Bo, and the late, great Lam Ching Ying who stars here as Hung's aged Taoist master, Uncle Ko. And while it would be another few years before Lam would go on to star in his iconic role in Mr. Vampire, it just seems right that he was cast in a similar role here – albeit as an older version. In the 10or 12 years leading up to production, Lam Ching Ying and Sammo Hung had shared the screen many times over the years,as bit players in films such as The Invincible Eight, The Angry River, A Touch Of Zen, Hapkido, Enter The Dragon, and The Man From Hong Kong among many others, before both shifted to another level in Sammo's titles like Enter The Fat Dragon, Dirty Tiger Crazy Frog, Odd Couple, Warriors Two, The Victim, Magnificent Butcher, and the amazing Prodigal Son. Of course, their relationship would go on to last decades with the pair working together on many great titles, until Lam's untimely death in the mid-90s. Joining them is a fun supporting which includes the brilliant Chung Fat – another famed Hong Kong star who has been a part of the Sammo Hung team for many years, from films such as Broken Oath to Warriors Two and Pedicab Driver to Pantyhose Hero. Korean actor Kwan Yung Moon, a recognisable face who has appeared in plenty of classics including The Shaolin Plot, Master With Cracked Fingers, Killer Constable, My Young Auntie, Dragon Lord, and Project A, also appears along with Yuen Miu; both of whom play the right-hand-men of Chung Fat's character. Of course, they are in cahoots with Lee Yuet Ying, the feisty female who is pulling the strings in getting Wu Ma's riches by pretending that she is pregnant with his child. She is played by Hui Leung Mei in, what looks like, her one and only film role to date. I find this really hard to understand as she pulls off the role brilliantly in both the drama and action department. A couple of other female stars help flesh things out, with the beautiful Cherie Chung starring as Sammo's wife - although really only coming in to play for the second half of the film – and the prolific Hiu Ying Ying (in one of her 318 roles) playing a brothel madam once again. Other popular stars of the time that pop up throughout are Sammo's aforementioned team as well as Chin Yuet Sang, To Siu Ming, Chang Ching Po, Yue Tau Wan, Pang Yun Cheung and Wellson Chin; director of The Inspector Wears Skirts films, Super Lady Cop, Crazy Hong Kong, and Prince Of The Sun, respectively. As well as playing a brief role here as an adulterer, Chin also serves as one of the films assistant directors.

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While many have complained that The Dead & The Deadly doesn't contain enough martial-arts action – no doubt expecting the same quantity of that seen in Sammo's previous horror-comedy – I felt that there was definitely still plenty to enjoy, with a host of genuinely comedic moments including the beautifully executed scene that sees Sammo act (for a great length) as one of the paper dolls at the funeral. While many other fun moments keep viewers entertained, the 2 or 3 fight scenes that are on offer were delivered with such perfection, they are totally worth waiting for. This is all thanks to Sammo Hung himself and his action team at the time which included Lam Ching Ying, Billy Chan, and the hugely talented Yuen Biao who gets to show off some incredible moves when he doubles Wu Ma for his fight scene against Chung Fat, Kwan Yung Moon, and Yuen Miu. That fight scene, for me, is a genuine highlight of the film – as is the final battle between Sammo and the villains which shows the star at the top of his game. But I guess it is, indeed, the final act of the film that really seems to have thrown most people. It's a scene that involves bizarre ghostly-aliens (spirit guards) who look like cousins of E.T. to some degree, period-stained underwear, and a fight to get Sammo's spirit back into his body before it's too late. It's odd, it's wacky, it's different, but it definitely leaves an impression!

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Another thing I really loved about The Dead & The Deadly, as well as its funky soundtrack, was the awesome cinematography and lighting on offer. The latter was courtesy of Huang Wei Shing and Choi Wah; two lighting guys who have worked on titles such as The Young Master, Duel To The Death, and Project A, who provide some well lit and colourful shots. The film benefits from no less than 3 cinematographers in the shape of Cheung Yiu Cho, who has captured films such as Last Hurrah For Chivalry, Project A 1 & 2, Wheels On Meals, Dragons Forever, Police Story 1& 2, and Drunken Master 2; Danny Lee Yau Tong who worked on many of the same titles, and Mr. Vampire director Ricky Lau – who had already directed Crazy Couple and Two Toothless Tigers by this point, as well as having already captured films such as Enter The Fat Dragon, Warriors Two, Incredible Kung Fu Master, Knockabout, Prodigal Son, and Carry On Pickpocket for Sammo. I really loved how The Dead & The Deadly was shot, and even more so having been able to watch it again in its 2K restoration on Blu-ray from Eureka Video. While it may be short on action, this underrated classic never fails to entertain and is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Sammo Hung, Hong Kong horror-comedy, or just in need of something a little different...

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Overall: Hugely entertaining and a lot of fun, The Dead & The Deadly is a fantastic Hong Kong horror-comedy well worth checking out!

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Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng & Michael Worth, Q&A Session with Sammo Hung, Interview with Sammo Hung

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Deltamac DVD Extras: Trailers

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Watch my unboxing video of this Eureka Video release HERE