It’s East meets WestERN when Sammo Hung comes to town!
With dynamic fight sequences throughout and a genuine goofiness in its DNA, Millionaires’ Express, written and directed by Sammy Hung, continues to deliver the comedic good from station to station.
It looks absolutely beautiful, too! Thanks to a gloriously bright 2K restoration from Fortune Star, Millionaires’ Express is classic Kung Fu comedy as Sammo himself portrays a former outlaw who wants to do right by his struggling hometown. The plan is to rig a bunch of explosives on the railroad, damage the tracks, and force a train, loaded with the super-rich, to stay overnight in his town . . . of which he has loaded with prostitutes. Cha-ching!
His idea might be a bit shortsighted when it comes to breaking all sorts of laws but, honestly, it’s with good intentions. Unfortunately, the law - represented here by Kenny Bee as Fook Loi and Yuen Biao as Fire Chief Tsao Cheuk-kin - really, really has a problem with most of what Ching Fong-tin is trying to do for his hometown. The poor bastard.
Oh, and also on board that train are three Japanese warriors with a map to hidden treasure that a bunch of criminals want to get their hands on. Now, with the tracks blown up, Sammo’s town becomes a gangster’s paradise!
Released by Arrow Video with four different versions of the film (but, really, all you need to see is the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut), a double-sided poster with newly commissioned artwork from Sam Gilbey, and an illustrated booklet celebrating this kung-fu western, Millionaires’ Express arrives on blu-ray with the warmest of welcomes!
The film is a high water mark for Sammo as the choreography is on point and the comedy is never lagging. All of it STILL works, driving home that point that this is timeless material at work here. And Sammo, once again working with the high-kicking Biao, knows exactly what the audience wants to see from him and in the fight sequences, of which his and Biao’s is a standout of both acrobatics and humor.
Co-starring Richard Norton, Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Ng, Eric Tsang, and Dick Wei, Millionaires’ Express is an ambitious movie which delivers EXACTLY what it needs to be a celebrated cult classic. From Russia WithOUT Love, the shuttered town of Hon Sui is just not going to welcome home its wayward son peacefully.
All aboard!
Limited Edition
Home Video Distributor: Arrow Films
Available on Blu-ray - February 28, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English
Video: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio: Cantonese: LPCM Mono; English: LPCM Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; two-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Working at the height of his powers alongside regular collaborator Yuen Biao, Sammo makes room for a dizzying line-up of guest appearances from many of the top talents in Hong Kong action cinema, from Shaw Brothers trailblazers like Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Boxer) to fresh-faced newcomers like Cynthia Rothrock.
Video
Millionaires’ Express arrives on Blu-ray from Arrow Video sporting an HD 2K remaster sourced from the original 35mm camera negatives and looks wonderful. Interiors are strong. Colors pop throughout, but it is the blood effects - burning bright in the transfer - which seal the deal on this one. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080- upgrade. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments of this epic adventure. The tracking shots are glorious to behold in 1080p. Blacks are solid and shadows maintain their lines. Even the costumes are noted stitch by stitch.
Audio
Fans get a Cantonese Stereo track with English subtitles.
Supplements:
Loaded with plenty of satisfying supplemental items, this two-disc limited release slaps with a lot of martial arts madness! You get 2K restorations by Fortune Star, four different versions of the film including a recently-assembled “hybrid” cut, a double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Gilbey, a reversible sleeve, and an illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jonathan Clements and David West!
Commentary:
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See below for the breakdown of this release.
Special Features:
Along with the films, fans get two discs of supplemental items (including a total of six commentaries!!!), an Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the films by critic James Oliver, and a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady!
Disc One:
- High Definition (1080p) presentations of the original Hong Kong Theatrical Cut and the Extended "International" Cut
- Original lossless Cantonese mono audio on both cuts, plus English mono audio for the Extended Cut
- Optional English subtitles for both versions
- Commentary on the Theatrical Cut by Frank Djeng
- Commentary on the Extended Cut by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
- Select scene commentary by star Cynthia Rothrock, moderated by Frank Djeng
- Three video interviews with Cynthia Rothrock
- A New Frontier and Express Delivery, two archive interviews with Sammo Hung
- Way Out West, an archive interview with Yuen Biao
- On the Cutting Edge, an archive interview with star Yukari Oshima
- Alternate English opening and closing credits
- Trailer gallery
DISC TWO (LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE)
- High Definition (1080p) presentations of the English Export Cut and the recent Hybrid Cut (combining footage from the Theatrical and Extended Cuts for the longest possible version)
- Original lossless English audio for the Export Cut, and lossless Cantonese mono for the Hybrid Cut
- Optional English subtitles for the Hybrid Cut
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 98 mins
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Writer: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung; David Tadman; Keith Wong
Cast: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung; Biao Yuen; Olivia Cheng
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Official Site:
Release Date: January 30, 1986 (Hong Kong)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 28. 2023
Synopsis: In early twentieth century China, various criminals with different goals are connected to a Shanghai train, with many rich people on-board.
