Eureka Video UK Blu-ray Synopsis: The only collaboration between action master Ringo Lam (City on Fire) and Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs), The Adventurers is an explosive story of heroic bloodshed featuring Rosamund Kwan (Once Upon a Time in China), David Chiang (Election) and Victor Wong (Big Trouble in Little China). Wai Lok-yan (Lau) was just eight years old when his parents were killed before his eyes in Cambodia, where his father had been working for the CIA during Pol Pot’s ascent to power in the latter days of the Cambodian Civil War. Taken to Thailand by his father’s colleague Shang (Chiang), Yan grows up to join the Thai Air Force and comes to discover that his father’s murderer – Ray Lui (Paul Chun, Royal Tramp), once a double agent – has now become a wealthy arms dealer based in the United States. With the help of the CIA, Yan intends to get close to Lui and have his revenge by taking on an assumed identity and gaining the trust of Lui’s daughter, Crystal (Jacklyn Wu, A Moment of Romance) – but first he will need to go undercover in San Francisco’s criminal underworld to rescue her from the clutches of the criminal Black Tiger Gang. Made shortly before Ringo Lam departed for Hollywood to make Maximum Risk with Jean-Claude Van Damme, The Adventurers is a hidden gem amongst the many heroic bloodshed films produced in Hong Kong during the 1990s. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration. (110 Mins)

 

Cargo Movies German Mediabook Blu-ray Synopsis: Young Andy watched as his parents were brutally murdered. Lee, his father's best friend, who, like him, worked for the American C.I.A. Was the traitor. 20 years later, Andy is an Air Force officer and he still cannot forget his parents' murder – he only lives for his revenge. Lee has now become an influential businessman. He uses devilish tricks to try and eliminate Andy. However, he steadfastly follows his path to carry out his revenge. (110 Mins)

 

Views: Often considered to be his calling card to Hollywood, Ringo Lam's The Adventurers is a movie that I have been wanting to have in my collection since it got released 30 years ago. If it ever did have a UK VHS release in the past (possibly from Eastern Heroes) I totally missed it. Not until 2024 did I have the pleasure of watching this fantastic movie on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Cargo Movies, who released it as Cover Hard 3 in a pretty neat mediabook format. Finally! But imagine my excitement when Eureka Video announced that they would be putting this underrated classic out there for British and Irish fans to enjoy – and with a new 2K restoration at that. Well I can safely say that I was not disappointed. In fact, it was an incredible HD print (even better than the German Blu-ray) that came with a host of great extras, and quite possibly the best release of The Adventurers to date...

 

Late director Ringo Lam has always been hailed as one of the most exciting and finest of Hong Kong directors throughout the 1980s and 90s, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that many of his titles have been quite underrated over the years. Films like this along with Wild Search (1989), Undeclared War (1990), Burning Paradise (1994), and even his Van Damme efforts Maximum Risk (1996), Replicant (2001) and In Hell (2003). To me, the man never made enough, unfortunately leaving us in 2018. Here, Lam's direction along with Arthur Wong/Andy Lam/Chow Kei Sheung's beautiful cinematography is just fantastic offering some stunning moments of action and drama with plenty of exciting camera movement, Dutch-angles, and great lighting. While I can understand some critics finding its running time a little too long (with more going on in the first hour than most films offer in full), as well as a few other minor gripes, I found The Adventurers to be a fast paced, highly exciting action-thriller and a hugely accomplished piece of film-making for Ringo Lam. The film eventually takes a breath on the one-hour-mark, allowing about 30 minutes of drama that thickens the plot before taking us into its explosive and emotional finale.

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Andy Lau gives one of his finest performances as Wai Lok Yan, the vengeful orphan who will do anything to kill his parents killer. Leaving his usual cheesiness at the door, he does a fantastic job in both the drama and action department. After a number of years of working on multiple projects at a time, The Adventurers was only one of two titles he would star in that year, alongside Derek Yee's Full Throttle – clearly two big productions that needed his undivided attention, although the latter would prove to be a bigger hit at the box office. Interestingly, this would be the only project both Andy Lau and Ringo Lam would work on together. Lau's regular co-star, Jacklyn Wu Chien Lien, stars as Andy's main love interest (again) and daughter to the big bad, doing a fine job in the role with both stars sharing a great non-screen chemistry. Of course, they would star together again the following year in A Moment Of Romance 3 (1996), the second sequel to the film they first starred in together when Wu made her debut role. While much feistier in this compared to her previous roles, I really enjoyed her performance and often thought she reminded me of Anita Mui at times. As her and Lau's relationship grows, there are a few moments of humour sprinkled throughout but not in a way that detracts from the seriousness of the film...

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A top cast joins Andy Lau and Wu Chien Lien such as Philip Ko Fei, who makes an extended cameo as Lau's father. Shaw Brothers legend David Chiang stars as Shang, best friend to Yan's father and CIA operative who raises Yan as his own – drafting him into the airforce as an adult. Chiang's half-brother and prolific actor Paul Chun stars as Ray Lui, the big bad of the show that killed Yan's parents and continues to haunt hi life in later years. Interestingly, Paul would also star alongside Lau in Full Throttle that same year. His bit on the side is played by the wonderful Rosamund Kwan who previously starred with Andy Lau in a host of titles including Three Against The World (1988), Crazy Companies 2 (1988), Proud & Confident (1989), Casino Raiders (1989), Tricky Brains (1991), Saviour Of The Soul 2 (1992), The Sting (1992) and more with their last pairing being in Andrew Lau's sci-fi misfire, Wesley's Mysterious Files in 2002. It's also worth noting that prior to this, Kwan had also worked under Ringo Lam in Undeclared War (1990), though plays a very different role here. Fans will also enjoy the likes of Ben Ng (Red To Kill), John Ching (Burning Paradise), Parkman Wong (Untold Story), Wong Kam Kong (Burning Paradise) and William Ho (China White) who also star, while American-Chinese actors George Cheung, Ron Yuan, and the great Victor Wong – Egg Chan of Big Trouble In Little China (1986) – also make an appearance.

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While it hasn't been cited as Lam's finest work, The Adventurers still has enough going on to keep things interesting and most definitely action-packed in it's (almost) 2 hour running time! Of course, no Ringo Lam movie would be complete without its violence, and The Adventurers is no exception as its story jumps from Thailand to Cambodia, San Francisco to the Philippines - from the murder of his parents to the kidnap of Lui's daughter, things just get bigger and darker as the film rolls on. It's quite clear that The Adventurers was no small project. With Wong Jing serving as the executive producer (with rumours stating that he was the original director before Ringo Lam took over), celebrated director Soi Cheang as the assistant director, and Teddy Robin Kwan handling the score, this is a film that deserved more attention. I must also give kudos to action-choreographer Lam Moon Wa – a recognisable face from films such as Kung Fu Master Named Drunk Cat (1978), Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984), A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987), and with Andy Lau in Rich & Famous (1987), but also the man behind the action of over 50 titles including Lau's Prince Of Temple Street (1992) and Don't Fool Me (1991), Prison On Fire 2 (1991), Avenging Quartet (1993), The Hero Of Swallow (1996), Conan Lee's little seen King Of The Sea (1994), and classics such as The Club (1981), Crazy Shaolin Disciples (1985), and Young Hero Of Shaolin 2 (1986). From exciting and explosive shoot-outs to brutal hand-to-hand fight scenes, Lam delivers a host of great action throughout backed by Fan Chin Hung and Adam Chan, with Marcus Fok working his magic on vehicle stunts – later returning to work with Ringo Lam on Full Alert (1997), The Suspect (1998), Looking For Mister Perfect (2003), Wild City (2015) and Sky On Fire (2016). All in all, ignored and underrated for far too long, The Adventurers is a fantastic slice of Hong Kong action and a great effort from the late director. Hopefully this new Eureka Blu-ray release will help it find a new audience and the love it deserves!

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Overall: Slickly directed and wonderfully made, The Adventurers is rammed with great action scenes, multiple locations, and top performances from everyone involved!

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Eureka Video Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary by David West, Interview with Gary Bettinson, Archival Interview with writer Sandy Shaw, Trailer

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Cargo Films Blu-ray Extras: Trailers

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