Stuntman-turned-Actor Jackie Chan has been the lead of some of martial arts cinema’s most beloved films, including Meals on Wheels (1984), Police Story (1985), and Rumble in the Bronx (1995), which don’t even include the films made after his crossover into the United States market with the Rush Hour trilogy or the Shanghai Noon duology. In addition to starring in films either as lead or supporting, Chan also wrote 14 films and directed 16, including Project A (1983) and Project A Part II (1987). These two films feature the expected in-camera stunt work that Chan fans love, the usual cheekiness infusing the action with levity even when tensions run high, and storytelling that pushes the audience just a little too far in how much writer Chan wants to accomplish with frequent writing partner Edward Tang (Super Cop; Wheels on Meals). Now, thanks to 88 Films, both Project A films, dubbed “The Project A Collection,” are receiving a brand-new 4K UHD remaster, alongside new features and a host of previously available ones packaged inside a hardshell holding more than just the two films that fans of Chan should run to pick up.

In Project A, Chan plays Sergeant Ma Yue Lung of the water police division of Hong Kong’s police force, a division that the commander in charge of the land division would prefer see dismantled as Pirate Chief Lor Sam Pau (Dick Wei) continues to terrorize the seas without capture. Things grow tougher for Ma when he unknowingly gets into a bar fight involving the new inspector for the land division, Inspector Hong Tin-tzu (Yuen Biao), and ends up under Tin-tzu’s command. Complicating things further, Ma’s old friend-turned thief, Fei (Sammo Hung), keeps implicating Ma in his double-dealings with the pirates and their land confederates. In Project A Part II, Sergeant Ma, now referred to as “Dragon,” is tasked with infiltrating Sai Wan district as its believed that the inspector, Chun (David Lam) overseeing the area is corrupt. Before he can start making moves, Dragon finds himself under suspicion as well, requiring him to go around the law a tad to find the evidence to convict Chun. Meanwhile, Dragon must also contend with a group of freedom fighters hoping to secure Hong Kong’s freedom and the loyal pirates of Lor Sam Pau who are out for revenge.

If you’ve been following Elements of Madness since at least 2023, then you’ve likely seen a few of our prior remaster or restoration reviews from 88 Films. Whether it’s the limited edition Dragons Forever (1988) 4K UHD, the Magnificent Warriors (1986) restoration, or the In the Line of Duty four-film collection, each one is packaged and delivered with a unique-to-them style and care. Whether it’s a single-film release or a multi-film release, the plastic disc case is encased in a thicker O-ring than more typical slipcases and that’s just the starting point that differentiates their releases from other physical media boutiques. Thanks to MVD Entertainment Group, EoM got its hands on the 4K UHD edition of “The Project A Collection,” so let’s rundown this beautiful release so you know what to expect working our way outside in.

Once more, 88 Films used a thick board slidecase that’s only open on the front-facing right side. Adorned with stickers on each side, the front showcases the helm (a reference to Ma’s naval roots) and drawn versions of Chan in various states of movement either on or around the helm. The spine features the Golden Harvest logo, title of the collection, and the 4K UHD Blu-ray logo, while the top includes Chan’s name, a logline, and a sticker depicting Chan covered in soot and coming up from a hiding spot (a reference to Project A). The back of the case features the title of the films, a red-embolden description of the limited edition materials, five images (mix of poster art and stills), and the complete run-down of features new and archived. Especially with the contents inside the slidecase, one gets a nice weight suggestive of its ability to provide good resistance to damage when placed alongside other films on your shelf. Physical media fans often have trouble with storage, so knowing that these slidecases are sturdy helps assuage some concerns of bending or light crushing as films are squeezed on a shelf.

Fit inside the slidecase are two two-disc cases; a near-100 page booklet with cast/crew info, still photos, posters, charts, graphs, and all kinds of cinematic history via three essays written by Thorsten Boose (2) and Paul Bramhall (1); and two double-sided posters, one for each film. Each disc case includes a reversible liner that’s a smaller version of the aforementioned reversible posters; one 4K UHD and one Blu-ray disc (each with unique disc art specific to the film); and three (3) bound promotional art cards specific to the release.

PROJECT A Collection packshot. Photo courtesy of 88 Films/MVD Entertainment Group.

Much of these included materials are fairly standard for 88 Films, specifically the, thick case, poster(s), and reversible liners, but, when placed altogether, this is a collection of materials that Project A fans will enjoy exploring or using to adorn their screening space. The added physical materials and packaging are only part of the reason folks are interested in this collection; the remaster itself is what we’re here for so let’s get into the on-disc presentation and materials.

Let’s cut to the chase: the 4K UHD remasters are strong. Both 4K UHD discs are fairly bare-bones when it comes to on-disc materials, mostly relegated to viewing options (Hong Kong cut vs. applicable alternate cut), audio options (Cantonese, Mandarin, English options, with a remixed audio option for Part II), and audio commentary tracks (of which there are several on each disc). This means that 88 Films consciously decided to leave the majority of space on the 4K UHD discs for the video elements, enabling the video to have more room for the data necessary for a strong presentation. A lot of recent 4K UHDs (A Quiet Place: Day One; Bad Boys: Ride or Die; Bringing Out the Dead) maintain a bitrate of around 50-90, averaging between 60-70, which is far below the maximum bitrate of 128 Mbps. Project A doesn’t suffer the bounce that most of the aforementioned films do, hovering between the upper 80s/low 90s; while Part II does drop from time-to-time into the 50s and 60s when not in the 80s/90s. This means, from a technical standpoint, that 88 Films provides the remasters as much space as they can to give home viewing the best possible viewing experience. The press release states that these 4K UHD remasters were made using the original negatives and it shows on-screen. With the exception of some minimal moments of soft focus in wider shots that were part-and-parcel for the era these films were made, the details are tight, the colors sharp, and each frame as clean as they can possibly be. Admittedly, the favorite of the two is Project A, not just in its narrative organization, casting, stunt work, and comedy, but the remaster itself. This is because the visual experience dwindles slightly in the longer nighttime sequence in Part II, the lower light in the scenes made darker via the enhanced/truer color palette provided by the HDR. Regarding the audio, for the purposes of the home review, I checked only the remastered original Cantonese audio track for Project A and the remixed audio of the original Cantonese audio track for Part II (not listed on the press list). In both cases, the audio is clean with the obvious original dubbing still lining up nicely and no noticeable issues with the subtitles (misspellings, awkward phrasing, etc). Another nice bonus is a few times wherein the subtitles included contextual information when a character might use a colloquialism the average North American viewer might not recognize.

Regarding the on-disc features, the bulk of the new items are a mix of the audio/video remaster, three (3) commentary tracks across both films, too many archived featurettes to mention, and three (3) new featurettes. These new featurettes include a conversation with Mars Cheung, stunt double for Chan and who plays Big Mouth in both Project A films, and a conversation between Paul Dre and actor/stuntman Matt Routledge (The Medallion), both of which are included on the Project A Blu-ray. On the Part II Blu-ray is a brand-new featurette with actor Anthony Carpio (The Inspector Wears Skirts II; The Medallion). These three items might not make long-time fans jump out of their seat to snag the collection, but when added to the accumulated and archived materials, plus the commentary tracks and remasters, an argument can be made to snag this release — and be advised that 88 Films is already telling people that their inventory of it is dwindling.

Do note that there is a Blu-ray version that includes about the same materials for a roughly $20 price drop and Barnes & Noble is having a sale on 88 Films releases until November 6^th, 2024.

Look, we at EoM are not about trying to move units. It’s not our job and we quite literally get nothing from either recommending or not recommending a project. Jackie Chan fans already have their favorites and, at this point, exploring his work as a stuntman, actor, writer, and director (and/or singer, as they feature him in the credits for Part II) is part of the generational passing down. Though enjoyment varies with Part II as the story is strangely unnecessarily complex and windy to justify so many talents on-screen (Maggie Cheung! Bill Tung! Carina Lau!); the original Project A with its screwball antics and inclusion of the other Dragons Yuen Biao (The Champions; Dragons Forever) and Sammo Hung (Millionaires’ Express; Dragons Forever) is just the superior film. To that end, casual fans may not need the full remaster experience, the commentary tracks, featurettes, and various physical materials that come with this two-film collection. At $100 for two films before the sale price, The Project A Collection is asking a lot and is not something you should just jump into. But if you’re a collector of Chan’s work or just prefer solid remasters in your collection to replace standard or high-definition releases, you’re not going to walk away disappointed here.

The Project A Collection Special Features:

Limited Edition Features:

• Rigid Slipcase featuring new art by “Kung Fu” Bob O’Brien
• Six double-sided collectable art cards
• Double-sided foldout posters for both films
• 100-page illustrated collectors’ book featuring “Labor of Love: Jackie’s PLAN A Worked Out by Thorsten Boose Project A,” “No Plan B: A Look into How Project A I & II Defined the Jackie Chan 1980s Style” by Paul Bramhall, PLUS “Someone Will Know Me,” an interview with Assistant Director Roberta Chow
• Double-sided artwork for both sleeves featuring new art by “Kung Fu” Bob O’Brien & original Hong Kong posters

Project A

• Brand new 4K Remaster of the Hong Kong Cut [106 mins] from the Original Negatives presented in Ultra High Definition (2160p) in original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio with Dolby Vision encoding (HDR10 Compatible)
• Brand new 4K Remaster of the Extended Taiwanese Cut [115 mins] from the Original Negatives presented in Ultra High Definition (2160p) in original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio with Dolby Vision encoding (HDR10 Compatible)
• Cantonese & Mandarin-language options in Dolby Atmos and mono with newly translated subtitles and English Mono Dub [Mandarin Inserts during extended scenes in Taiwanese Cut]
• *New* Audio commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto [Hong Kong Cut]
• *New* Solo audio commentary by Frank Djeng [Hong Kong Cut]
• *New* Interview with Jackie Chan’s Best Stunt Double, Mars Cheung
• *New* Project Collector with Paul Dre and Matt Routledge
• Dancing With Danger — Interview with Stunt God Mars
• Master Killer — Interview with Grandmaster Lee Hoi-san
• The Elusive Dragon — Interview with Yuen Biao
• The Pirates Den — Interview with Dick Wei
• Can’t Stop the Music – Interview with Composer Michael Lai
• Plan B — Writer Edward Tang on Project A
• Out-takes
• Japanese Version Ending
• The Making of Project A
• Lunar New Year Introduction
• Hong Kong Trailer
• English Trailer
• Stills Gallery

Project A Part II

• Brand new 4K Remaster of the Hong Kong Cut [107 mins] from the Original Negatives presented in Ultra High Definition (2160p) in original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio with Dolby Vision encoding (HDR10 Compatible)
• Brand new 4K Remaster of the Export Cut [98 mins] from the Original Negatives presented in Ultra High Definition (2160p) in original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio with Dolby Vision encoding (HDR10 Compatible)
• Cantonese-language options in mono and Dolby Atmos and Mandarin mono with newly translated subtitles [Hong Kong Cut]
• English Mono Dub [Export Cut]
• *New* Audio commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto [Hong Kong Cut]
• *New* Interview with Anthony Carpio
• The Big Boss — Interview with Chan Wai-Man
• Someone Will Know Me — 1988 documentary focusing on three members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team
• Japanese Ending
• Full-Screen Jackie Chan Recording Session
• Hong Kong Trailer
• Export Trailer
• Tai Seng Trailer
• Stills Gallery

Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray October 15^th, 2024.

For more information, head to the official 88 Films The Project A Collection webpage.
For more information, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group The Project A Collection webpage.

Categories: Home Release, Recommendation

Tags: 4K UHD, 88 Films, action, adventure, A計劃, A計劃續集, Bill Tung, Cantonese, Carina Lau, David Lam, Dick Wei, Edward Tang, English, foreign film, Golden Harvest, Golden Way Films Ltd., Hak Suen Lau, Herman Kwan, home release, home video, Hong Kong, Isabella Wong, Jackie Chan, Lee Hoi-Sang, Maggie Cheung, Mars, martial arts, Paragon Films Ltd., Project A, Project A Part II, Ray Lui, Regina Kent, remaster, Rosamund Kwan, Sammo Hung, Tai Bo, Yuen Biao