88 Films UK 4K UHD Blu-ray Synopsis: Move over Indiana Jones! The very great Jackie Chan stars as The Asian Hawk, an adventurous archaeologist who's about to face his greatest challenge: an evil cult is on the trail of some priceless artefacts, and heaven help us if they get hold of them. If Hawk can't stop them, then the whole world is in danger! (88/98 Mins)

 

88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Unquestionably the most popular martial arts actor of his generation, superstar Jackie Chan features in this mid-80s Indiana Jones-esque romp which mixes Hollywood thrills with Hong Kong-style action. Former musician Asian Hawk (Chan) becomes embroiled in a dangerous quest to seek out the last three parts of lost treasure the Armour Of God, in order to save his ex-bandmate's girlfriend from the clutches of a ruthless cult. Heavily inspired by Spielberg's movie series, the style and stunt sequences are delivered with the star's custom brand of slapstick and physical prowess. All the elements come together in a pleasing assortment of comedy, misadventure, and gloriously realised action set pieces. (88/98 Mins)

 

Hong Kong Rescue Blu-ray Synopsis: What do you get when you combine Indiana Jones-style globe trotting adventure, James Bond-style gadget-laden cars and Jackie Chan-style martial arts action? ARMOUR OF GOD... Jackie's answer to RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Chan plays a former musician turned treasure hunter who goes by the nickname “Asian Hawk”. He must team up with his former band-mate (Alan Tam) to rescue his ex-girlfriend (Rosamund Kwan) who has been kidnapped by a religious cult as a means of blackmailing Chan to deliver the remaining pieces of the legendary “Armour of God”, a mystical artifact from the Dark Ages. What follows is a non-stop, pulse-pounding, adrenaline ride of precision vehicle stunts, acrobat martial arts fights and high-flying stunts that only Jackie Chan can deliver. Heralded as one of Jackie's all-time classics, the film is also infamous for featuring a flubbed stunt that nearly cost Jackie his life. Thankfully, Chan recovered and returned to complete the film, which went on to break box office records across Asia. (97 Mins)

 

Splendid Film German DVD Synopsis: Jackie Chan in the footsteps of Indiana Jones and James Bond! Magnificent scenes, such as the daring balloon escape, the battle against a horde of Amazons, and the turbulent fights, are the recipe for success of this masterpiece and bring the outstanding story to its highest perfection. Jackie at his best! In dark Africa, the adventurer Jackie (Jackie Chan) steals the sword of a medieval suit of armour. When he runs out of money again some time later, he offers the piece at an auction. But Jackie doesn't know that the sword belongs to the supreme relic of a criminal sect, the legendary five-piece 'Armour of God'. And to get their hands of the three missing pieces, the criminals will stop at nothing, not even kidnapping Jackie's girlfriend... (95 Mins)

 

Hong Kong Legends DVD Synopsis: Starring as “The Asian Hawk”, a bounty hunter and martial arts expert, with an insatiable taste for adventure, Jackie is blackmailed by a mysterious cult leader into acquiring 'the Armour of God', a mysterious artefact from the Dark Ages, which holds the key to unlimited power. Combing action, romance and Chan's trademark Keaton-esque comedy, “Armour of God” is an explosive heart-pounding martial-arts extravaganza, which is internationally one of Jackie's highest grossing films to date. Featuring a dazzling array of precision driving stunts, high-falls and explosive, high-energy fight action, this is one movie that is guaranteed to thrill from beginning to end. Making this film very nearly cost Jackie his life, and the accident footage is included in the end credits. With an exclusive, remastered DVD transfer, and a selection of exciting 'special features', this is one title no Chan fan will want to miss!! (94 Mins)

 

Made In Hong Kong UK VHS Synopsis: Jackie Chan, undisputed Hong Kong action king, literally explodes onto the screen as The Asian Hawk, a fearless bounty hunter hell-bent on saving former lover (Rosamund Kwan - “Once Upon A Time In China”; “Tiger Cage II”) from the drug-dealing religious sect that has kidnapped her. For her release, the cult demands the theft and safe delivery of The Armour Of God, a priceless collection of ancient, sacred and potentially devastating weapons. Jackie sets out on his bullet-riddled, dynamite-fuelled quest. Both director and star, Chan is – as always – inimitable, effortlessly weaving his trademark split-second comedy and death defying stuntwork into another outrageous action-thriller classic. Needless to say this film nearly cost him his life. Watch the end credits! (94 Mins)

 

Eastern Heroes UK VHS Synopsis: Jackie Chan plays the Asian Hawk, a bounty hunter who must save an old flame Laurelei, from the cult who have captured her. In exchange for her freedom they want 'the Armour of God', a collection of weaponry dating back to the dark ages. The wealthy collector who owns the pieces is content to lend them on the condition that his beautiful but spoilt daughter travels with the Hawk. Also on hand to help him is Alan, Laurelei's fiance, and the Hawk's long-time rival. Their quest to free Laurelei and to protect the armour takes them throughout Europe and involves car chases, hot air balloons and some very mean Amazon women, not to mention the cult of power-hungry maniacs. One of Chan's highest grossing films, ARMOUR OF GOD has the ingredients of a classic action-adventure comedy. Chan's stuntwork is incredible and making this film nearly cost him his life, as the accident footage during the end credits out-takes shows! (90 Mins)

 

VPD UK VHS Synopsis: Jackie is something of a modern-day buccaneer. Among the many curious trophies of his adventures are some fragments of an ancient religious artifact, the fabulous 'Armour Of God'. Being of no significance to Jackie, he is happy to sell them to an antique collector called Bannon – for the right price. But there are others who also place a high price on the relics, the followers of an evil ancient cult. They kidnap the only woman Jackie ever truly cared for. To trade the armour for the girl Jackie first has to borrow it back from Bannon. He agrees but only if his beautiful daughter goes along to keep an eye on the treasure. Enlisting the help of an old friend the three quickly become embroiled in a heady cocktail of death-defying stunts, danger and double-cross as Jackie fights to win the day, the love of Bannon's daughter, and the 'Armour of God'. (88 Mins)

 

Views: Without a doubt one of Jackie's most internationally known and respected films, Armour Of God may be a little rough-around-the-edges, but it still brings me great joy and such a feeling of nostalgia over 30 years later. I'm pretty damn sure that this film was one of the first modern-action Jackie Chan movies that I had ever seen, and while I had been hiring out his Lo Wei classics from a young age, I hadn't quite experienced the modern Jackie Chan we all know and love today – albeit for his brief stint in Cannonball Run. From the first time I saw it, Armour Of God fast became a weekly ritual for me (until I could own my own video tape), as well as one of my all-time favourite Hong Kong movies – and that was only from watching the trimmed original 1980's English dub that was released on video in the UK (it would be another 20 years before I could see this classic uncut). Not too long after that, I managed to catch a great insight to Jackie Chan when Jonathan Ross introduced him to the UK on his television programme The Incredibly Strange Film Show, which ultimately sealed the deal of my love for Jackie Chan and the fantastic film industry of Hong Kong!

 

It's no secret that this was the film that almost cost Jackie his life. After perfectly completing a simple stunt in the first take, Jackie wanted to get one more which involved him leaping from a wall to a tree branch, before swinging over to safety on the next wall. But he was not to make it. As his hand slipped from the branch, Jackie came falling down; snapping more branches before hitting the ground hard below and smashing his head on a rock. Of course, this quickly brought a stop to the production – and almost his life! Thankfully, one of the worlds top surgeons happened to be in Yugoslavia during the time of the accident and was able to save the legend, allowing Jackie to bring us many more years of incredible entertainment and a long happy life for him. The great Eric Tsang, who had starred with Jackie in The Lucky Stars Trilogy, Accidental Spy and many more, had originally been drafted to direct, completing a healthy amount of the film before the aforementioned accident stalled the production. This included the memorable and exciting opening scene at the castle ruins, where Jackie steals the sword from some African natives in the middle of a sacrifice. After some spectacular acrobatics, slick moves and comedic moments, the Asian Hawk makes his escape which, of course, led to the accident. Another memorable scene completed under Eric's eye, was the attack on the fashion show by gunmen. It's a brilliantly executed scene, that actually proves to be a little more dark and violent than usual for a Jackie Chan movie of that era. One scene in particular shows a gunman fire a bullet through the lens of an unsuspecting photographer, which goes right through his head and splatters the screen with blood. Brutal, but beautiful! By the time Jackie had healed and was ready to come back, Tsang had to move-on due to a clash of schedules, but seeing that hint of darkness delivered by Tsang from his time spent on the production, I'd love to have seen just what direction Armour Of God may have went had he directed the whole thing.

 

Once in the directors seat, Jackie kicked things off from the moment of his accident. Continuing his getaway, the Asian Hawk slides down the side of the mountain where his hair grows a bit longer by the time he reaches the bottom. It's an odd moment, but funny at the same time – and all down to a very honest reason. Apart from growing his hair to cover the scars from the operation, some older executives at Golden Harvest advised Jackie to get back his long-locks, since cutting his hair short (for the first time in his career) had brought him bad luck – a suggestion that he easily agreed with after almost losing his life. Elsewhere, an army of crazed monks are desperate to get their hands on the legendary Armour of God for the sake of their cult. After finding out that Jackie has the sword, they make an elaborate plan to kidnap Laura (an old girlfriend of his played by Rosamund Kwan), so that they can blackmail the Asian Hawk into finding the rest. It just so happens that Laura, Jackie and Alan used to be in a band together called The Losers – a riff on Tam's own band from his past called The Wynners – along with original band-mates Anthony Chan, Bennett Pang and Kenny Bee, as well as actress Carina Lau, actor Danny Yip, and director Clarence Fok. After learning that Laura is now a famous fashion designer in Paris, the monks send a small army of gunmen to kidnap her which results in the fantastic (and aforementioned) brutal scene, intercut with an epic live-performance of Alan Tam on stage as he sings the highly memorable, Midnight Rider. Giving the audience a bit of a breather after such an epic opening, and probably allowing Jackie a little more healing time – the story slows down a tad when Jackie, who has just sold the sword at auction to the lovely Lola Forner, returns to his hotel to find a distressed Alan waiting for him with news of Laura's kidnapping. After clearing the air about their past love-triangle, the pair start planning her rescue and pay a visit to a local Baron who just happens to own most of the legendary armour. With the promise of bringing him back the rest of the armour (that the monks should have in the possession), the Baron agrees to help the odd couple, along with the addition of his daughter – Lola – the very same girl who bought the sword at auction. Although things slow down, it's certainly not in a boring way. There are a number of comedy sequences that keep things ticking- especially from their time spent in the Baron's magnificent house – and a bizarre nightmare sequence of Jackie getting chased by his car as Alan and Rosamund wave to him as a happy couple. I also really enjoy the montage of the trio on their journey as they head to Yugoslavia in search of the monks hideout, covered by the wonderful song called Friend which is sung by Jackie and Alan.

 

With the lovely Lola positioned high, sniper rifle at the ready – Alan soon meets the monks and tries to trick them with some scrap metal, in replace of the armour, but a quick scuffle breaks out with the monks gaining the support of about 20 bikers who suddenly give chase to the Asian Hawk and his side-kick. This leads to an incredibly fun, stunt-filled, and wild car chase through the village. This was the first time I had really seen the connection with Jackie and his long-time sponsors, Mitsibushi. I had always dreamed of owning his car here; a slick-silver convertible with turbo boosters and a single motorbike that ejects from the passenger side. While this film was Jackie's nod to Indiana Jones, the car was definitely all about James Bond! Soon after, the guys find their way to the monks mountain home by hitching a ride with a truck load of prostitutes who are destined for the hooded horn-balls. One of these women is Lola, in disguise (of sorts) who surprises Jackie and Alan when they see her - perhaps a nod to the role she played a couple of years earlier in Wheels On Meals. Aware that the heroes have arrived in the monastery, the head monk drugs Laura (Kwan) with an 'obedient drug' and orders her to drug Jackie when they get home. Unaware that the monks have purposely lowered their guard, Jackie, Alan and Lola soon find Laura and escape on the next truck out. That evening at home, we are treated to a fun scene where Jackie tries to stop Lola from finding Alan who is hiding in her bedroom – a situation that reminded me of the fantastically funny and clever sequence from Project A 2 (made just a year later) when Maggie Cheung experiences a host of visitors, all of which much hide from the next ones. Perhaps this was a small inspiration for that moment – After escaping, Alan makes his way into Jackie's darkened room and quickly finds a needle stuck in his ass-cheek by Laura who was hiding behind the door.

 

With both Alan and Laura now in the hands of the evil monks, Jackie must set-out on a lone rescue mission to save them both, which begins with a crazy abseil down a cliff-face to enter the monastery through an old cave system. This in itself kicks-off a solid 30 minutes of excitement packed with incredible fight scenes, solid stunt-work, plenty of comedy, explosions, and much more. While I'm guessing that this was based on a set in Hong Kong, it comes across as a fantastically lit and epic looking place. The finale of Armour Of God comes in 3 parts starting with Jackie taking on a small army of monks in their dining hall. With such intricate choreography and dedicated stuntmen, Jackie and his team deliver a fight scene that stands-tall as one of his best and most exciting. Busting some incredible moves, Jackie kicks, punches and flips his way to the next stage – almost like getting to the big-boss level of your favourite computer game. Once in the main-domain, with the titular Armour of God in his sights, Jackie is attacked by 4 very tall and very muscular black women – all of who know how to throw a kick. Now, granted that throughout the whole fight sequence 6 of them were his stuntmen and 3 were actually women – it still looks amazing and is one of the highlights of both the film and his career. In fact, kung-fu queen Cynthia Rothrock was originally set to be the final 'big boss' of the show, but was shifted to Yuen Biao's brilliant Righting Wrongs after Jackie's fatal accident delayed schedules. Once defeated, Jackie is approached by the army of monks only to scare them off with his vest of dynamite, which he accidentally lights and literally brings the house down! As the mountain collapses around him, Jackie makes a dash for the cave he entered from where he sees Alan, Laura and Lola nearby in a hot-air-balloon. Without a second thought, Jackie leaps off the cliff-edge and base-jumps right onto the top of the balloon. It's a pretty incredible sight and one hell of a closing scene that launches the end credits, backed by another brilliant song (or 2 depending on which version you are watching), before we get treated to some fantastic behind-the-scenes footage, NG shots, and that crazy accident that almost took this amazing man from us far too soon...

 

With things up in the air after Jackie's aforementioned accident and prolonged healing time, original director Eric Tsang was moved onto direct the fun Lucky Stars Go Places – produced by Sammo Hung and choreographed by his action team, with Tsang also making an appearance in his classic Millionaires Express the very same year – although it's pretty clear just what scenes he was behind. It's also worth noting just how many assistant directors worked on the film, with the majority of them going on to make a career for themselves in the film world. These include Alexander Chan – a popular actor and industry journeyman who also directed films such as Lover At Large, His Fatal Ways, and The Fiend as well as assisting on Millionaires Express, Dragons Forever, Eastern Condors, Project A 2, and many more. Another is award winning director Stanley Kwan of Rouge fame, who also helmed films such as Centre Stage, Love Unto Waste, and Everlasting Regret to name but a few. They are joined by Wong Ying Kit, Season Ma, and O Sing Pui, an actor and assistant director who has went on to direct the remake of Golden Swallow, An Eye For An Eye, My Flying Wife with Sammo Hung, and more. One thing I really want to highlight about Armour Of God is the incredible score and soundtrack it carries. I absolutely love it and have been singing its songs and humming its tunes to myself for decades now. Apart from some superb songs by both Jackie Chan and Alan Tam, the wonderful Michael Lai Siu Tin gives the film an original score that has lasted forever (and no, its not that Miramax nonsense). Lai was the composer of many Jackie Chan movies such as the Project A, Police Story and Lucky Stars series, as well as other Hong Kong classics such as City War, Duel To The Death, and Miracles before unfortunately passing in December 2019. Even watching it today, 35 years later, I can still see why I totally fell in love with Armour Of God and Jackie of course. For years I was bouncing bubble-gum off walls and doors, perfecting the gum-style of the Asian Hawk and how he ate it, and even after his life-saving surgery, it's hard to deny the man his dues as Jackie Chan shows that he is the king of Hong Kong action comedies; giving a showcase that still blows me away today. Just avoid the US edited version by all means!!

 

I must also add that, with each edition I have had of this amazing movie over the years, I've had the chance to experience some great extras included (on both the DVD and Blu-ray's of course). With the 88 Films Deluxe Edition, fans are treated to a highly enjoyable candid interview with Jackie on Celebrity Talk Show. This is the second episode of season two, hosted by actor & entertainer James Wong, producer Lam Chua – who produced Armour Of God, Mr. Nice Guy, Robotrix, Story Of Ricky, and Crime Story – and prolific screenwriter and author Ni Kuang, who was responsible for writing the majority of the Shaw Brothers greatest titles. New star Andy Long directs a fan-film with pop duo Side-By-Side called High Upon High: The Armour Of Funk, which sees them revisit most of the films most popular locations and recreate as much of the action as the can for their music video. Action superstar and Hong Kong cinema mega-fan Scott Adkins discusses Jackie's work with Matt Routledge on an episode of his web-series The Art Of Action, and there are a few great audio commentaries to choose from when you feel like going back for a re-watch. This Blu-ray release also carries the same Jackie & Willie Chan interviews from the Hong Kong Legends DVD release, as does the fan-made Blu-ray release from Hong Kong Rescue. While I don't agree with the how the guy produces them by stealing other peoples produced work to compile the ultimate editions and sell them, I simply can't deny the work he puts into the restoration of the prints (which are first class) and compilation of extras. Of these, the exclusive featurette called Under The Armour offers a neatly made bio on the film which offers plenty of unseen stills and footage from Jonathan Ross' Incredibly Strange Film Show and more. High Upon High: The Armour Of Funk also appears here, but the biggest special feature for me is the addition of the Jackie Chan produced Traces Of A Dragon – a full-length documentary that tells the story of his parents and his younger years. This runs for a good 70 minutes and is an emotional tale of the Chan family, directed by Mabel Cheung. The featurette called This Is Jackie Chan offers a neat BTS look at Jackie in everyday life – cleaning the gutters, taking out the trash, and playing with his toys and gadgets. Of course, there are plenty of other exciting extras to enjoy on both releases that should fill the day of any true Jackie Chan fan!

 

Overall: Though it may hail some minor flaws, Armour Of God still proves to be one of Jackie's greatest films with amazing fight scenes, incredible stunt-work, great comedy, and an awesome soundtrack that still entertains as much today!

 

88 Films 4K UHD Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, 3 Versions of the Film, Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng & F.J. DeSanto, Audio Commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, Audio commentary with Kenneth Brorsson & Phil Gillon of the Podcast On Fire Network, New Interviews with Stanley Kwan and Alexander Chan, The Art of Action with Scott Adkins & Matt Routledge, Jackie Chan on VHS - The VPD Years with Steve Lawson, Rise of the Phoenix - Radek Sienski on Armour of God, Celebrity Talk Show (1989) Season 2 Episode 02 (57 Mins), Short film High upon High – The Armour of Funk (2016). Produced as a 30th-anniversary music video and was shot at original location from Armour of God, High Upon High - Behind the Scenes with Andy Long Nguyen & Side-by-Side, Hong Kong Movie Tours - Then & Now, Japanese Closing Out-takes, Interview with in-house Golden Harvest editor Peter Cheung, Archival Interviews with Jackie Chan &Willie Chan, Hong Kong Cantonese Trailer, Hong Kong Mandarin Trailer, Japanese Trailer, English Trailer, Blu-ray Trailer, Rare Police Story Trailer

 

88 Films Blu-ray Extras: 4K Restoration, International Cut (88 Mins), Audio Commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Audio commentary with Kenneth Brorsson & Phil Gillon of the Podcast On Fire Network, The Art of Action with Scott Adkins & Matt Routledge, Jackie Chan on VHS - The VPD Years with Steve Lawson, Rise of the Phoenix - Radek Sienski on Armour of God, Celebrity Talk Show (1989) Season 2 Episode 02 (57 Mins), Short film High upon High – The Armour of Funk (2016). Produced as a 30th-anniversary music video and was shot at original location from Armour of God, High Upon High - Behind the Scenes with Andy Long Nguyen & Side-by-Side, Hong Kong Movie Tours - Then & Now, Japanese Closing Out-takes, Interview with in-house Golden Harvest editor Peter Cheung, Archival Interviews with Jackie Chan &Willie Chan, Hong Kong Cantonese Trailer, Hong Kong Mandarin Trailer, English Trailer, Blu-ray Trailer

 

Hong Kong Rescue Blu-ray Extras: Alternate Miramax Version, Audio Commentary with Podcast On Fire, Traces Of A Dragon Documentary, Image Gallery, Restoration Featurette, Under The Armour Featurette, Jackie Chan & Willie Chan Interviews, Outtakes, Trailer Gallery, Japanese Promotional Archive, That Same Question Featurette discussing Jackie's injuries and footage of The Wynners, Short film High upon High – The Armour of Funk (2016), Jackie's Oscar Win, Officially Amazing Featurette, This Is Jackie Chan Featurette, There Can Only Be One Featurette, Comedy Special Featurette, HK Cinema 101 – A series of short documentaries from The University of Hong Kong, Charitable Chan, 'Sing Lung' Sings, Working With Jackie – A short film showcasing Martial Club's project with Jackie Chan, Hong Kong Rescue Trailer

 

Splendid Film DVD Extras: Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Interview with Peter Cheung, Music Video

 

Hong Kong Legends DVD Extras: Jackie Chan Bio, Trailers, Photo Gallery, Interview with Jackie Chan & Willie Chan

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Fortune Star DVD Extras: Comedy Special on Jackie Chan

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Made In Hong Kong VHS Trailers: Police Story, Once Upon A Time In China, Fist Of Legend

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VPD VHS Trailers: Black Eagle, Police Story 2, Priceless Beauty, No Holds Barred

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Watch my unboxing video for the 88 Films 4K UHD release HERE

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Watch my unboxing video for the 88 Films Blu-ray release HERE

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