Hong Kong, Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 8, 2025

A film coming from the venerable Shaw Brothers with the words Hong Kong offered not once but twice in the title might almost automatically suggest some kind of martial arts spectacular, but this is something of an outlier in the canon of the famed studio, although there is an actual boxing element involved. While it has some provocative content (including sexual) that may have destined it for the big screen rather than television, it's perhaps salient to note that this film came out in 1983, pretty much just as Shaw Brothers was (were?) shutting down feature film production in favor of small screen outings. Hong Kong, Hong Kong has a kind of made for television ambience, which is not at all a slight, simply a recognition that it looks like something that was shot quickly and on location, with a probably miniscule budget compared to bigger Shaw Brothers historical epics, and certainly without those epics' grand production design. There's also a certain cinéma vérité style, at least initially, in the film's story of focal star-crossed lovers, Man Si Sun (Cherie Chung) and Kong Yuen Sang (Alex Man).

While set in the titular metropolis, the fact that Man is in essence an "illegal immigrant" to Hong Kong from mainland China gives the story a perhaps visceral edge for contemporary viewers potentially even more than it did in the early eighties. What's kind of curious about Hong Kong, Hong Kong is how it starts out as a veritable "slice of life" story weaving what might be called the almost desperate dreams of both Man and Kong, who is an ambitious kickboxer, for better lives into the context of a roiling urban landscape that frankly couldn't care less about either of them. There's a sense of dread overhanging proceedings, and so while the film's almost gonzo third act may not therefore come as a complete surprise, its almost Grand Guignol tendencies may seem to work against some of the realism co-writer and director Clifford Choi works so hard to establish earlier on.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hong Kong, Hong Kong is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release states this is an "HD transfer from the original negative". This is kind of a tale of two presentations, one largely stellar, the other arguably a bit less so. While there are some opticals playing into things, there are quite a few moments that see downgraded clarity and a noticeable spike in grain coarseness, something that is also not necessarily related to lighting conditions. That inconsistency aside, when things are brightly lit, and especially in some outdoor moments, the palette pops splendidly, detail levels are secure, and grain resolves much more tightly. There's an undeniably grittiness to a lot of the cinematography that may strike ardent Shaw Brothers fans as absolutely unusual for the studio, but it's quite evocative on its own terms.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hong Kong, Hong Kong features LPCM 2.0 Mono in the "original" Cantonese, though it certainly seems like at least some of the actors have been post looped, leading to the often mentioned "loose sync". There's a slight boxiness to some sound effects, like the crowd roars during boxing matches, but one the whole the track has a vibrant midrange. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alex Mann on Hong Kong, Hong Kong (HD; 18:20) is another interesting interview culled from the Fred Amroisine archive.


• Audio Commentary by Journalist David West


• Trailer (HD; 1:14)


• Stills Gallery (HD; 2:32)

Additionally, the keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a folded double weight and double sided poster. Packaging features a slipcover.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

At least insofar as it depicts a rocky romance between two would be lovers in a precarious urban setting offered with a certain amount of "double talk" in a film title, Hong Kong, Hong Kong might draw fleeting comparisons to New York, New York. This is a decidedly less glossy affair than the Scorsese film, and it may frankly strike those unacquainted with some of the odder outliers in the Shaw Brothers' canon as being positively unusual for the studio. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements appealing. Recommended.