There are few names in action that command respect in the way that Yuen Woo-ping does. A stuntman turned actor, writer, and director, Yuen Woo-ping is responsible for films like Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master (1979) and Donnie Yen’s Tiger Cage (1988), for stunts in Jet Li’s Black Mask (1996) and Unleashed (2005), both Kill Bill films (2003 & 2004), and, of course, the four parts of the original Matrix trilogy (1999, 2003, 2003, 2021). In order to understand the present rendition of cinema stunt work, one needs to go backward to films like Yuen Woo-ping’s The Miracle Fighters (1982), a high-speed action extravaganza that barely takes its breath from start to finish. Eureka Entertainment now offers a brand-new way to watch this piece of Hong Kong cinema history in a 2K restoration with two audio tracks, two commentary tracks, and three interviews.
Eddy Ko as Kao Hsiung in THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
Martial Arts Instructor Kao Hsiung (Eddy Ko) is accused of having married a woman from the Han Chinese people. Kao is Manchu Chinese and the two peoples are not allowed to mix by Imperial decree. Kao is given a choice: kill her himself or both die. When he refuses, not only is the woman killed, but Kao is still sentenced to death. When fighting his way out solo doesn’t work, he uses Little Prince, the emperor’s son, as a shield, but doesn’t realize that he kills him in the process. Years later, still distraught over what he’s done and what he’s lost, Kao spends his days drunk on rice wine and cared for by a young man, Shu Gut (Simon Yuen Yat-Choh), who he’s adopted. When Kao’s past catches up with him, Shu Gut does his best to protect his master, only to find himself caught up in political intrigue, his only refuge being two aged misfit priests of a martial arts master who agree to take him under their tutelage just in time for Shu Gut to compete for the title of Supreme Command which may finally bring an end to everything that plagues him.
L-R: Yuen Cheung-yan as Tun-kap, Simon Yuen Yat-Choh as Shu Gut, and Bryan Leung as Kei-moon in THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The Miracle Fighters is an oddball of a film. It’s absolutely a martial arts fantasy comedy hybrid that incorporates a great deal of Taoist mysticism and action that’s a staple of Hong Kong cinema, but its wild tonal swings don’t always land. Written by The Peace Group (Drunken Tai Chi), the film jumps right into its inciting incident with intense seriousness, which is then followed by absolute ridiculousness as we’re introduced to Kao’s friend and fellow martial artist Sorcerer Bat (Yuen Shun-Yi) who, rather than fight directly, utilizes a charmed child in an urn (Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung) to do his dirty work. Rather than being a gripping battle to the death, it’s played for copious laughs, an issue that will continue throughout the film. Whether it’s the bickering Taoist priests Kei-moon (Bryan Leung) and Tun-kap (Yuen Cheung-yan) as they face Sorcerer Bat’s minions or the mystic himself, there’s nary a moment in the film in which the weight of all the murders in the narrative, which are intended to serve as the mechanism for propelling Shu Gut forward, are ever explored with the gravity they deserve. Instead, everything appears to be in service of the next punchline, typically executed through some superb feats of physical comedy.
R: Bryan Leung as Kei-moon in THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
It’s this aspect that makes The Miracle Fighters worth exploring as this cast is stacked from top to bottom: Simon Yuen Yat-Choh (The Postman Fights Back; In the Line of Duty IV), Bryan Leung (The Postman Fights Back; Tiger Cage), Yuen Cheung-Yan (Dragons Forever; Fist of Legend), Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung (Drunken Master; 5 Fingers of Death), Eddy Ko Hung (Rumble in the Bronx; The Martian), and Yuen Shun-Yi (Drunken Master; Iron Monkey; 5 Fingers of Death; Tiger Cage). With this talent on screen and Yuen Woo-ping behind the camera, each fight sequence is an absolute feast of ingenuity and speed. Just when you think that the sequences couldn’t get wider or inspired, they find a way to dazzle. What’s most impressive is the way some of the stunt work or Taoist concepts in one scene reappear in the Supreme Command competition with Shu Gut utilizing techniques we’ve seen Kei-moon and Tun-kap use individually, thereby showing off just how much training the disciple learned. Not only does this help signify just how much the stunt work informs the characters, it creates a narrative shorthand used to effectively demonstrate Shu Gut’s skills. So, if you can handle the terrible thinness of plot and worse attempts at pathos, you’re going to find yourself enamored by the skill on-screen.
Ordinarily a restoration review would include information on the packaging beyond the provided description, but the review copy provided by MVD Entertainment Group is only the retail disc. Therefore, no commentary is possible on the sturdiness of the O-Card slipcase, the disc case, artwork, or collector’s booklet.
Eddy Ko as Kao Hsiung in THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
What can be addressed is the on-disc presentation and the bonus features.
This is a 1080p disc with a 2K restoration containing two audio tracks (one original Cantonese mono and the original classic English dub), two commentary tracks (one from frequent collaborator Frank Djeng and one from action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema), three interviews, a stills gallery, and the original theatrical trailer. Now, a typical 1080p disc will have a bitrate of 20-30 Mbps as they need less space for decompressed audio and video, which allows for the abundance of additional materials. In screening the original Cantonese mono track, the bitrate hovered over 30, which puts the video quality well-above average for a standard Blu-ray and right where you want it for a 2K restoration, which is evident on screen with the vibrant colors, clarity of details, and crispness of sound. This is not a film that’s subtle in the slightest and the 2K restoration provides an improved experience over any prior DVD. Similarly, more than any other prior physical release, Eureka’s pulled together not just an archived interview with Yuen Woo-ping, they’ve added two new ones featuring (1) assistant director Fish Fong (“At the Service of the Great Magician: An Interview with Fish Fong”) and (2) author/filmmaker John Kreng (“The Shakespeare of Yuen Woo-ping: An Interview with John Kreng”). Where Fong provides his own thoughts on the project and working with Yuen Woo-ping, Kreng explores the film from an academic perspective, offering context on the film’s position in cinema. Between the three interviews, home viewers have a great opportunity to learn about the making of the film from three distinct perspectives. Of course, if watching and learning is your thing, you can always opt for one of two different commentary tracks. Plenty of choices here.
Simon Yuen Yat-Choh as Shu Gut in THE MIRACLE FIGHTERS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
Ultimately, snagging The Miracle Fighters feels like the kind of a film easily recommended to hardcore martial arts fans and action cinema enthusiasts, but hard to recommend to general audiences. The plot starts strong and then basically abandons itself with some handwaving in order keep the story going and the fists flying. That may work for those who are deep in action cinema, but likely won’t for audiences looking for cohesion all the way around. If you haven’t picked this up yet and are still mulling, maybe wait until Eureka has a sale to give this one a shot.
The Miracle Fighters Special Features:
- Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [2000 copies]
- 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray of the original Hong Kong theatrical cut from a brand new 2K restoration
- Original Cantonese mono audio and optional classic English dub
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- Brand new audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Brand new audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Action Master: An Interview with Yuen Woo-ping – archival interview by Frédéric Ambroisine
- At the Service of the Great Magician: An Interview with Fish Fong – interview with assistant director Fish Fong
- The Shakespeare of Yuen Woo-ping: An Interview with Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-verbal Dialogue author John Kreng
- Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
- Stills Gallery
- Trailer
- A limited-edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by James Oliver [2000 copies]
Available on Blu-Ray June 25th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Eureka Entertainment The Miracle Fighters webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group The Miracle Fighters webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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