Despite living in an age where thousands of films are available at the touch of a button, there’re still far too many films that are either difficult-bordering-on-impossible to stream, thereby making physical media the best way to access what you want, when you want. This includes out of print films like Dogma (1999) or Titus (1999) or films with multiple cuts like the Daniel Lee-directed (What Price Survival), Jet Li (Romeo Must Die; Cradle 2 the Grave; Hero) and Lau Ching-wan (Running Out of Time series)-starring 1996 comic adaptation Black Mask. Thanks to premier United Kingdom boutique distributor Eureka Entertainment making its U.S. debut via MVD Entertainment Group, action cinema fans have the opportunity to explore Li’s Black Mask like never before, but is it worth it for folks without this film in their cinemalogue already?
Jet Li as Tsui Chik/Black Mask in BLACK MASK. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment/MVD Entertainment Group.
Former member of an elite killing squad who endured changes to their neuropathy in order to not feel pain, Tsui Chik (Li) spends his days quietly working at a library, able to read at this leisure and peacefully engage with humanity. However, when his friend, Inspector Shek Wai-Ho (Lau) catches the case involving 100 dead drug dealers, Tsui can no longer sit on the sidelines if he wants his friend to stay alive, donning a black mask to preserve his identity as he tries to stop the killers from taking out Inspector Shek, too. But what’s first just a means of protecting his friend turns complicated as he discovers that his old unit, dubbed the 701 Squad, are the perpetrators and Tsui will have to confront his past in order to preserve his future.
L-R: Jet Li as Tsui Chik and Lau Ching-wan as Inspector Shek Wai-Ho in BLACK MASK. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment/MVD Entertainment Group.
Black Mask is considered by many within the martial arts action community as one of the best Jet Li films. With ties to Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix) who served as the action director and being based on a 1992 comic of the same name by Li Chi-Tak that heavily draws from Bruce Lee’s The Green Hornet in character design, it makes sense that so many would view the film in high regard. One of the best things about restorations of older films is the opportunity to reevaluate it within a new context. Now, we’ll get to the restoration itself in a moment, but what’s fascinating about the film is the execution of action and the way it blends the Shaw Bros. era style of action with the style emblematic of 1990s sci-fi/comic tales. Rather than utilizing in-camera choreography so that the audience can tell that the actors on screen are engaging in complicated blocking, there’s a heavily reliance on editing to convey action/reaction. It’s not that Li, Lau, or Françoise Yip (Blade II; Romeo Must Die) are incapable of making the fights believable, it’s that this era of action cinema was more interested in making things look cool than actually being cool (think of it as spectacle over substance), so there’re far more moments in which action plays out and it’s edited in such a dizzying manner that you have to let it wash over you rather than try to process it. Another great example of this is in the sole fight between Tsui and Shek, when the former has learned that the latter is connected to the killers he’s chasing, which allows for longer takes so that we can really see what the actors are capable of, however the foley work in the sequence sounds ripped from the days of Warriors Two (1978) or One-Armed Boxer (1972). In this sequence, old and new styles converge and blend beautifully, even if they don’t necessarily match the tone of the film as a whole.
In terms of the story from Koan Hui (The Blade), Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China), Teddy Chan (Kung Fu Jungle), Joe Ma (Big Bullet), the premise may be taken from a comic book, but that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t seek to adapt it in a way that translates well into its own thing. The “retired fighter pulled in for a new fight” makes sense here because Tsui is trying to put the past behind him, serving as a peaceful monk-sort among humanity. This aspect works in defining the relationship between himself and Shek, and it’s that relationship that makes Black Mask feel grounded amid the literal and figurative highwire work. The inclusion of the storyline with Karen Mok Man-Wai’s Tracy as coworker to Tsui and potential love interest only really works as a means to create tension when Tsui is attacked by Yip’s Yeuk Laan and Tracy serves as a bystander for Tsui to protect while injured, recreating an emotional character beat from Yeuk and Tsui’s past. This works as an opportunity for the audience to learn that (a) Yeuk is capable of the change Tsui is, but also that their commander (Patrick Lung) is not being as above-board with his talk of loyalty as he kills Yeuk immediately upon her hesitancy to shoot Tsui and verbal betrayal of the team. Tsui was already motivated to stop his former commander because of the danger they pose to the public and to his friend, but killing Yeuk comes off as fridging. Considering the film hails from the far-begotten year of 1996 (::writer turns to dust::), much of the above is expected and tracks with other projects of the same release period, continuing into the 2000s with many other fantastic projects with Li in the lead, so don’t mistake the awareness of the issues to mean that there can’t be some diamonds amid the rough.
If you’ve come this far, you want to know about the restoration and all that comes with it. So let’s get on with it.
L-R: Jet Li as Tsui Chik and Françoise Yip as Yeuk Laan in BLACK MASK. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment/MVD Entertainment Group.
In a regular home release review, this is where information on the packaging, any included physical home release materials, and the process of creating the print would be. Though a review copy of the two-disc limited edition was provided by MVD Entertainment Group to conduct this home release review, this is a check disc set and only comes accompanied by the film and on-disc materials. According to the official release sites, the limited edition set is limited to 2,000 copies, includes an O-card slipcase featuring new art from Grégory Sacré (see at the bottom of review), and a booklet with new writing from James Oliver. Eureka’s website puts a lot of emphasis on this edition being limited and the only way to get the second disc with the Taiwan and extended cuts, so keep this in mind if you’re a fan of the film and want to ensure you have a copy of all four cuts of Black Mask.
According to the available materials, the 2K restoration applies only to the uncut Hong Kong (HK) and U.S. editions, which are on Disc 1. Neither of the editions on Disc 2, the Taiwan and extended cuts, appear to be have been treated at all. For the purposes of this review, only the HK cut was viewed in full. Folks, it looks and sounds great. There’s a little bit of noticeable haze, such as around the title cards that cut into the action with a black background during the opening sequence, or in some of the wider shots, but the detail is wonderful in the close-up. A few shots of Lau and Li, in particular, give you incredible detail in their skin and clothes that you might otherwise not notice before. Though there’s a lot of black, there’re also frequent splashes of blue and red throughout, none of the vibrancy lost in the restoration while the ordinary colors in the non-combat sequences maintain their naturalness. In terms of audio, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA comes through crisp and clear with no audio pops, blowouts, or other unexpected/unnecessary noise. There’s solid balance, too, so that the back speakers really only come into play when the action demands it.
Karen Mok Man-Wai as Tracy in BLACK MASK. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment/MVD Entertainment Group.
For the on-disc materials, you can enjoy either feature-length audio commentary from frequent Arrow contributor Frank Djeng on the HK cut or feature-length audio commentary from action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema on the U.S. cut, titled “Export Version” on the disc. For each of the cuts, there are audio options with HK offering either the new audio track or original stereo and the Export providing access to the original English dub or U.S. release English dub and soundtrack. Even before the audio commentaries, this totals two ways to watch each of the restored cuts. In terms of special features, there’re a total of 76-minutes across three new featurettes and an archived Making Of documentary, as well as four different trailers. Each of these offer opportunities to dig deeper into Black Mask by virtue of the different perspectives offered (stuntperson Mike Lambert, film critic Andrew Heskins, martial arts cinema author Leon Hunt, and the people responsible for making the film), which means that fans will get the chance to consider aspects they may have wondered about for decades.
L-R: Jet Li as Tsui Chik and Lau Ching-wan as Inspector Shek Wai-Ho in BLACK MASK. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment/MVD Entertainment Group.
Having not had the chance to explore a Eureka Entertainment release properly and without the ability to examine the packaging first-hand, an opinion can’t be offered on that aspect of the release. However, when it comes to restorations, making a recommendation always comes down to the film itself. Of the Li films I’ve seen, this one doesn’t quite live up to the hype so many years later, but the restoration is impressive, meaning that fans will want to snag this. Adding to this, the fact that there are four different cuts to explore, along with several in-depth special features amounts, folks who are stoked to see Black Mask in a format that can really utilize modern home theaters are in for a treat. This version is not for the casual film fan, clearly, so with the cinephile in-mind, this restoration is an easy recommendation. If, however, you’ve not experienced Black Mask before, it’s harder to recommend this entirely given the cost. The quality is there to warrant it, but going in blind is not something this reviewer would encourage at the price point.
Black Mask Special Features:
Disc 1
- Fully uncut Hong Kong version presented in 1080p from a 2K restoration
- Original U.S. version presented in 1080p from a 2K restoration
- Original Cantonese Stereo and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 (Hong Kong Version)
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong version by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Brand new audio commentary on the US export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- MEGA SHOCK: A Chat with Mike Lambert (29:53)
- EasternKicks.com film critic Andrew Heskins on Black Mask (8:38)
- Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger author Leon Hunt on Black Mask (17:56)
- Archival Making Of documentary (19:32)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
- Hong Kong, U.S., and U.S. Home Video Trailers
Disc 2 – Limited Edition Bonus Disc:
- Alternate Taiwanese cut of the film
- Extended version of Black Mask featuring all the unique footage from the various releases of the film re-inserted
Available on Blu-ray April 23rd, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Eureka Entertainment Black Mask webpage.
For more information, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group Black Mask webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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