Dragons Forever (飛龍猛將, Fēi Lóng Měng Jiāng) is a 1988 live-action theatrical Hong Kong film directed by Sammo Hung and Corey Yuen, produced by Leonard Ho, and written by both Gordon Chan and Leung Yiu-ming. The film stars Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao, with music composed by James Wong Jim. It was theatrically released in February 1988 for Hong Kong and distributed by Raymond Chow’s Golden Harvest Group and Fortune Star.
Background:
“Jackie Lung (Jackie Chan) is hired by the seedy proprietor of a chemical works to defend against an injunction filed by the owner of a fishery. The hotshot lawyer subsequently avails the talents of acquaintances Wong Fei-Hung (Sammo Hung) and Tung Tak-Biao (Yuen Biao) to assist in the case but finds himself romantically involved with a relative of the opposition as he struggles to maintain both professional and personal interests whilst upholding justice.“
Plot Synopsis via 88 Films, December 2022
Sammo Hung (洪金寶), born in British Hong Kong in 1952, is a well-known director and actor for a lot of films released in China and Hong Kong. His catalogue includes a vast amount of martial arts, action and comedy ranging from 1973’s Knockabout (雜家小子), 1980’s Encounters of the Spooky Kind (鬼打鬼), 1986’s The Millionaires’ Express (富貴列車), 1990’s Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon (瘦虎肥龍) and many more. He’s also collaborated with Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao with a few films like 1985’s My Lucky Stars (福星高照), and 1984’s Wheels on Meals (快餐車).
Dragons Forever has seen a number of releases over the years, and I’ve covered a few examples before when I picked up the most recent release before this one from UK distributor 88 Films back in 2020. But here we have a new release from the same distributor. Since the first print edition, 88 Films had been stepping up on the amount of work done to their releases, with the addition of deluxe collector’s edition releases which started with Jackie Chan’s The Young Master (師弟出馬). This was then followed by a number of others including Armour of God (龍兄虎弟), Erotic Ghost Story (聊齋艷譚) and Tiger Cage Trilogy (特警屠龍).
Dragons Forever is one of two Jackie Chan featured films that was getting the new treatment (the other was Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin). The difference here is that Dragons Forever is one of 88 Films’ first titles to be released on the 4K Ultra HD format, and this was made possible because the film received a 4K restoration prior to 88’s first release. To ensure this was the most definitive release, all the work done to the previous Blu-ray, such as the multiple versions of the film, are all included on the 4K Ultra HD disc.
On a personal note, I really enjoyed Dragons Forever when I first watched 88’s Blu-ray a few years back, and was my introduction to Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Since then I have picked up more films featuring these actors.
About 88 Films:
88 Films, is an independent UK distributor for Asian Cinema, Italian Cinema, Horror, Cult Classics and Action. Their line-up of films in the Asian Cinema scene includes the works of Jackie Chan (Armour of God, Dragon Lord, Miracles), Sammo Hung (Dragons Forever, Heart of Dragon), Nam Nai Choi (Erotic Ghost Story, Riki-Oh, Robotrix), Lau Kar-leung (The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Martial Club, Shaolin Mantis), Chen Chi-Hwa (Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, Shaolin Wooden Men, Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin), and also many individual films from John Woo, Tsui Hark, Vincent Kok, Yuen Woo-ping and more. The distributor recently expanded to the US with ten Shaw Bros films such as The Chinese Boxer and Human Lanterns but also other works including US exclusive releases of In the Line of Duty I-IV series and Police Story 3: Supercop. Their 2023+ line-up for Asian Cinema will include God of Gamblers, Gorgeous and a re-release of Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin.
Deluxe Collector’s Edition Contents:
88 Films always knocks it out of the park when it comes to their deluxe collector’s edition box sets. Dragons Forever was originally going to be a 4K Ultra HD only release, but due to fan confusion in both regions they decided to make the release a combo pack.
The rigid box set includes a 4K Ultra HD Amaray case that houses both the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs. Also included is an 80-page book, six art cards and a double-sided poster. The book includes archival materials, imagery, and essays by CJ Lines & Matthew Edwards.
The SRP is £34.99 and has an unspecified print run which for their previous sets is normally around 3000 units. Once the print run is out of stock, this edition won’t be available. A standard edition 4K Ultra HD will eventually follow suit, since their Blu-ray discs are already in print.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with clean new artwork by Sean Longmore and UHD Amaray packaging
- 80-page booklet featuring new writing on the film by CJ Lines & Matthew Edwards, as well as archival materials, imagery, and more
- Large fold-out double-sided travel poster
- 6 replica Hong Kong lobby cards
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: 88 Films
Released: 5th December 2022
The deluxe collector’s edition release for Dragons Forever has the film presented on a single 4K Ultra HD disc and a single Blu-ray disc, using the same 4K restoration from their previous UK Blu-ray release that was based on the original Hong Kong version. In contrast to the previous release, authoring company Fidelity in Motion stepped in to redo the discs so all of the versions and audio etc are now on a single disc rather than split.
The 94 minute original Hong Kong version, the 98 minute CYCLONE Z version (produced exclusively for the Japanese market), and the 94 minute International version (commissioned by Golden Harvest for audiences outside Asia) are all presented in 4K and with Dolby Vision HDR support if you’re playing on the 4K Ultra HD disc.
Plus, both the Hong Kong and CYCLONE Z versions each feature Cantonese audio in Dolby Atmos format with optional English subtitles, as well as an English mono hybrid dub and optional SDH subtitles. The International version has an English dub with optional SDH subtitles. Atmos is also included on the Blu-ray disc.
A majority of the bonus features from the previous Blu-ray release have returned, plus the subtitles have been newly translated and there’s a few more extra features on the disc. The 4K disc is all region, and the Blu-ray disc is region accessible to players set to A & B.
4K Ultra HD Specs:
| Languages | Cantonese, English |
| Audio | Hong Kong Theatrical Cut: Cantonese Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) Cantonese (Remastered Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English (Hybrid Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English (2002 Remixed) DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese CYCLONE Z Cut: Cantonese Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) Cantonese (Remastered Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English (Hybrid Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 International Cut: English (Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | 2160p Ultra High Definition format 1.85:1 aspect ratio Dolby Vision HDR |
| Region | All Region |
| Subtitles | Hong Kong Theatrical & Japanese CYCLONE Z Cut: English, English SDH International Cut: English SDH |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-100 |
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Cantonese, English |
| Audio | Hong Kong Theatrical Cut: Cantonese Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) Cantonese (Remastered Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English (Hybrid Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English (2002 Remixed) DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese CYCLONE Z Cut: Cantonese Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) Cantonese (Remastered Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English (Hybrid Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 International Cut: English (Mono) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1.85:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | Hong Kong Theatrical & Japanese CYCLONE Z Cut: English, English SDH International Cut: English SDH |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
4K Ultra HD On-Disc Extra Features:
- CYCLONE Z Cut: Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto
- Hong Kong Cut: Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Elite Stuntman: Interview with Chin Kar-Lok
- Writing for the Dragons: Interview with Szeto Cheuk-Hon
- Benny Forever: Interview with Benny “The Jet” Urquidez
- Discussing Dragons Forever: Interview with David Desser
- Hong Kong Cinema Forever: Interview with Mike Leeder
- Working with the Dragons: Interview with Jude Poyer
- Double Jeopardy: An Interview with Brad Allen
- Beyond Gravity: An Interview with Joe Eigo
- Kick Fighter: An Interview with Andy Cheng
- Thai Breaker: An Interview with Billy Chow
- The Legacy of Dragons Forever
- Out-takes and Behind the Scenes
- Music Video (English)
- Music Video (Cantonese)
- Additional Cantonese Dialogue
- English Trailer
- Hong Kong Trailer
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- CYCLONE Z Cut: Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto
- Hong Kong Cut: Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Elite Stuntman: Interview with Chin Kar-Lok
- Writing for the Dragons: Interview with Szeto Cheuk-Hon
- Benny Forever: Interview with Benny “The Jet” Urquidez
- Discussing Dragons Forever: Interview with David Desser
- Hong Kong Cinema Forever: Interview with Mike Leeder
- Working with the Dragons: Interview with Jude Poyer
- Double Jeopardy: An Interview with Brad Allen
- Beyond Gravity: An Interview with Joe Eigo
- Kick Fighter: An Interview with Andy Cheng
- Thai Breaker: An Interview with Billy Chow
- The Legacy of Dragons Forever
- Out-takes and Behind the Scenes
- Music Video (English)
- Music Video (Cantonese)
- Additional Cantonese Dialogue
- English Trailer
- Hong Kong Trailer
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Dragons Forever is available to order across multiple retailers in the United Kingdom. The deluxe collector’s edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray set is available on 88 Film’s store, Amazon UK and Terracotta Distribution.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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