King of Beggars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

King of Beggars Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 10, 2026

A supplement devoted to star Steven Chow on this disc mentions how Chow built a large swath of his acting career out of playing ne'er-do-wells who through a series of (mis?)adventures manage to right wobbly moral compasses, ending up at least in some cases as relatively honorable individuals. That's certainly the case with regard to King of Beggars, with Chow taking on an iconic character called Beggar So or So Chan, previously played in other films by a variety of legends including Yuen Siu-tien (in Drunken Master with Jackie Chan), Lau Kar-leung, Philip Kwok, Chow Yun-fat and Gordon Liu (and that's not even all of them).

Probably unsurprisingly, aspects of this story can't help but refract certain elements in any number of other films featuring Beggar So, and at least some of those previous efforts have also detailed the character's genesis as what pretty much amounts to a spoiled brat with significant financial means. When he falls for a prostitute named Yu Sheung (Sharla Cheung), he is then sent on a journey where his desire to win a martial arts contest (a requirement for Yu Sheung to consider marrying him) ends up thrusting him into both internecine conflicts and government corruption.

The film offers a rather jolting but still well handled tonal shift partway through, as it morphs from what might be called Jackie Chan adjacent physical comedy to a more incisive deconstruction of the history of the time. Chow's very distinctive persona helps propel the film's pretty consistent forward momentum.

King of Beggars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

King of Beggars is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. As usual with Eureka's releases, there's not much technical information offered on the transfer, with the insert booklet offering only the standard "viewing notes" and calibration advice, and with the back cover offering only a pretty generic "new 2K restoration" (perhaps saliently omitting the element(s) utilized). Despite the lack of information, this is a rather healthy looking transfer that offers some nice warmth in the palette and some nicely vivid hues in the outdoor material in particular. Detail levels are commendable throughout, and fine detail on the nicely designed sets and (especially) costumes is typically great. There are a few moments of relative fuzziness in some of the big action scenes in particular, notably a few short moments featuring hordes of soldiers. Grain resolves naturally.

King of Beggars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

King of Beggars features the original Cantonese audio as well as an English dub, both offered in LPCM 2.0. I'd advise sticking with the original track despite the need to read subtitles, as it at least offers more consistent "sync" in terms of lip movements and the sounds emanating from them. The track is rather vibrant in terms of both sound effects (which are of course occasionally on the goofy side) and scoring. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

King of Beggars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng


• Kung Fu Scholar (HD; 17:59) is an interview with director Gordon Chan. Subtitled in English.


• So Chan and Stephen Chow (HD; 30:39) is an enjoyable video essay by Gary Bettinson offering an overview of Chow's career and the legendary character he portrays in this particular film.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:45)

This Limited Edition offers a booklet featuring new writing by Andy Willis. The sleeve offers an inner print of Chow in action, and packaging also features a slipcover.

King of Beggars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beggar So is arguably one of the better known characters in Chinese lore and legend, in terms of "mass recognition" over here by us bone headed Westerners. Parts of this story have obviously been at least alluded to before in any of the many other films with the character, but this is still an enjoyable romp (which admittedly turns more serious in its latter half) with Chow in fine form. Technical merits are solid and the supplements, including another mile a minute "facts and figures" near assault by commentator Frank Djeng, are very enjoyable. Recommended.