Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (力王) is a 1991 live-action theatrical Hong Kong film directed by Lam Nai-choi, produced by Chan Dung Chow, and written by Lam Nai-choi & Tetsuya Saruwatari. Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name written by Masahiko Takajo and illustrated by Tetsuya Saruwatari, the film stars Louis Fan Siu-wong, Fan Mei-sheng, Ho Ka-kui, and Yukari Oshima, with music composed by Fei Lit Chan. It was theatrically released in Japan first in October 1991 before its Hong Kong release in April 1992, and distributed by Fortune Star and Golden Harvest.
Note: As I’ve purchased the film a while back, this is more akin to a ‘delayed unboxing’ post but most of the photos were sorted at the time of its arrival.
Background:
“Director Lam Ngai Kai (Erotic Ghost Story/Saga of the Phoenix), brings us a tour de force story of incarceration and injustice laced with super charged action sequences and mounting prison-based tension. Set in the year 2001, where all correctional facilities have been privatised, martial artist Ricky finds himself victim to the corrupt system when he is found guilty of the manslaughter of an infamous crime boss. Once in jail he must fight for his own survival when he is thrown into a world of enemies vying for his blood.
Based on the Japanese Manga by Masahiko Takajo and Tetsuya Saruwatari, this cinematic adaptation also follows closely in the footsteps of a host brutal prison dramas like Brute Force (1947), Escape from Alcatraz (1979) and Scum (1979) but of course it’s all delivered with a distinctive Hong Kong style powerhouse punch.”
Plot Synopsis via 88 Films, November 2022.
When it comes to live-action adaptations of Japanese anime and manga most don’t tend to stick the landing, but it is interesting to see Asian distributors outside Japan try to make an attempt, like Park Chan-wook’s take on Oldboy and Wong Jing & Jackie Chan with City Hunter. In 1991 we saw a live-action adaptation of Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, a Japanese manga adapted by Lam Nai-choi, who is considered one of the pioneers of the Category III exploitation scene during that time period, with films like Erotic Ghost Story and Her Vengeance (and had the rating been introduced earlier, The Seventh Curse would have been included as well).
While his other Category III rated films were focused on the sexual themes, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is focused on the violence and it is spectacular. You have to give credit to the team who worked on the special effects because a lot of these were very graphic it’s no wonder it was given the highest rating from the Hong Kong board. Granted, some of the scenes are ridiculous like a simple knife slash ripping someone’s skin off instantly but you have other insane moments like a fist punching through people and objects.
I really enjoyed Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky as it’s a complete story from beginning to end, and while it does follow the usual anime and manga tropes, it works really well on-screen especially from the performances by both Louis Fan Siu-wong and Fan Mei-sheng who played Lik Wong (Ricky in the English dub) and Assistant Warden Dan respectively. This is also a pretty fast-paced film so I will admit that a lot happens pretty quickly with only a 90 minute runtime, but its story is simple and the motivation was clear and overly complicated. There’s apparently an unofficial sequel also starring Louis Fan Siu-wong released in 2004 called Dint King Inside King (Super Powerful Man) but that was never released outside Asia.
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky has been released a few times in the UK, with its DVD release by Hong Kong Legends before being released on Blu-ray by Mediumrare. It’s a similar situation to Armour of God II where it was already readily available beforehand before being picked up by 88 Films. 88 Films picking up the film was beneficial because it also provided additional work on the disc (especially on the audio tracks) and a special collector’s package for fans of Hong Kong cinema and those interested in this live-action adaptation.
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, Miracles), Sammo Hung (Dragons Forever, Heart of Dragon), Nam Nai Choi (Erotic Ghost Story, Robotrix), Lau Kar-leung (The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Martial Club), Chen Chi-Hwa (Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin), Wong Jing (Casino Tycoon, God of Gamblers) 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 the Fight Back to School trilogy, The Last Blood (Hard Boiled II), Magic Cop, Twin Dragons, The Untold Story, and a re-release of Battle Creek Brawl.
Deluxe Collector’s Edition Contents:
For the re-release of Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky to the UK audience, 88 Films provided a special deluxe collector’s edition box set.
The rigid box features artwork illustrated by R.P. “KUNG FU BOB” O’Brien with an Amaray case that houses the Blu-ray disc plus the option to switch the sleeve between the new artwork and the classic Hong Kong poster artwork. Also included is an 40-page perfect bound book, four collectible postcards and a double-sided poster. The book includes two essays “Riki-Oh, Prison on Fire” & “Island on Fire: A Short History on Hong Kong Prison films (1987-1997)” written by Matthew Edwards and an interview with legendary voice-over artist Simon Broad by Tim Murray.
The SRP is £34.99 and has an unspecified print run which for their previous Category III release was 2000 units. This release did sell out not long after launch and thus is no longer available. A standard edition Blu-ray with a first print slipcase was released not long after with the same artwork and disc, but without the other physical items.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with new artwork by R.P. “KUNG FU BOB” O’Brien and Amaray packaging
- 40-page Perfect-bound Book written by Matthew Edwards and Tim Murray
- Double-sided Fold-out Poster
- 4 Collectible Postcards
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: 88 Films
Released: 20th September 2021
88 Films’ Blu-ray release for Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky presents the film in its original uncut and uncensored glory in high definition. The audio options available feature the main Cantonese language with both its theatrical and home video mixes with remastered English subtitles, as well as the classic English dub in both 5.1 and mono. The Blu-ray disc is Region B locked and the subtitles are unlockable during playback.
Also included with the film are a couple commentaries, an interview and a few trailers.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Cantonese, English |
| Audio | Cantonese (Theatrical Mix) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono Cantonese (Home Video Mix) DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1.85:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng
- Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
- Audio Commentary with Kim Newman & Sean Hogan
- Audio Commentary with Audi Sorlie & Chris Ling
- Interview with Fan Siu-Wong
- Hong Kong Trailer
- English Trailer
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is available to own on Blu-ray from 88 Films for the United Kingdom & Ireland. The deluxe collector’s edition release has since discontinued, but the standard edition can be purchased through 88 Films’ official website, Amazon UK and Terracotta store.
(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.)
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