Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Long Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 13, 2023

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of 88 Films' Long Arm of the Law: Parts I & II release.

88 Films has been giving other labels with a penchant for releasing Hong Kong fare a run for their money with any number of interesting releases, and this "double feature" release will no doubt be of interest to those who may already be attuned to what has been called the "heroic bloodshed" genre (or subgenre, as the case may be). And in fact both of these films are often aggregated as part of that category, whereas at least somewhat ironically while there may be copious bloodshed, it may a bit harder to spot any actual heroes. Both Long Arm of the Law and Long Arm of the Law Part II (actually called Saga II in its title credits) revolve around perceived "criminals", though in what might be called sterling examples of moral shades of gray, it's not always easy to say that the perceived good guys have any more of a moral compass than those underworld types. Both films offer some visceral action sequences, but may actually ultimately be more concerned with characters in uncertain contexts forced to take desperate measures. Per some breathless verbiage included with this release, these films were purportedly based on real life events, though some may want to take the overall verisimilitude of these efforts with a grain of salt, despite some admittedly gritty and visceral elements. There are actually even more sequels than just the first one included in this set, so 88 Films may have a series planned.

Asian film expert Frank Djeng is back with another mile a minute commentary on this disc, and he actually gives some of the "ripped from the headlines" context of the film, which is in fact at least somewhat based on real life events, even if they've understandably been hyperbolized for this version. Westerners are probably not all that aware of the longstanding tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China other than the typical sorts of things that have crossed news feeds for decades, but rather interestingly (if frighteningly), Hong Kong was subject to former mainland Chinese military members shuttling over to the island to engage in violent robberies. And that is the underlying conceit of this film's story.

What's subtextually ironic about this plot machination is that the mainlanders openly refer to Hong Kong as a Utopia of sorts where, to paraphrase a term of Art popular in the United States, the "Chinese Dream" can be more easily realized than in the "home country". But ease is not in store for the group of operatives who come to Hong Kong, ostensibly to engage in a jewelry heist. It's notable that the caper itself doesn't occur until relatively late in the proceedings, which may indicate the amount of time spent on simply detailing the characters and especially some of the repeated obstacles they face.

Long Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Long Arm of the Law is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. 88 Films offers only a generic "stunning new 2K restoration" as its sole technical tidbit. As Frank Djeng mentions in his commentary, however, some scenes which may actually shock viewers due to their ragged quality were actually shot on 16mm during surreptitious trips to the mainland (see screenshot 9 for an example). And in fact, some of that 16mm footage shows up fairly early and is combined with what was evidently a fairly long overall sequence accounting for the optically printed titles, so the early going here is especially rough looking. Once all of that has subsided, though, clarity improves noticeably, the grain field becomes much more tightly resolved, and detail levels are generally much stronger. The overall color timing struck me as being a tad on the brown/yellow side at times, though that tendency definitely subsides in the more brightly lit outdoor moments. There's no appreciable damage to report.

Long Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Long Arm of the Law features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono audio in the original Cantonese (Hong Kong Cut) or English (Export Cut). Both tracks deliver dialogue and sound effects well enough. The English track sounds a bit flat and processed, it doesn't have any really inherent issues. The Cantonese track struck me generally as more fluid sounding, with better balance between effects, dialogue and score, and without any of the slight crackling that's apparent on the Cantonese track of the second film. Optional English subtitles are available.

Long Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Hong Kong Cut (HD; 1:46:03) and Export Cut (HD; 1:45:09) are accessible under the Play Film Menu.


• Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng is another whirlwind tour through facts and figures. Some fans may join me in urging Mr. Djeng to slow down a little, I frankly find him a bit hard to understand when he's rattling through data faster than the speed of sound.


• Family Business (HD; 16:32) is an interview with Michael Mak, son of Johnny Mak. Subtitled in English.


• From Hong Kong Police to Big Circle Gangs (HD; 28:51) is an interview with screenwriter Philip Chan.


• A Conversation with Action Director Billy Chan and Scripwriter Philip Chan (HD; 37:02) is subtitles in English.


• An Interview with Johnny Mak (HD*; 9:47) is an archival piece subtitled in English.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 4:56)

Long Arm of the Law Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The intervening years may admittedly have slightly dulled the visceral impact that Long Arm of the Law evidently engendered (in Hong Kong at least) when it was originally released, but this is still a kind of fascinating sociopolitical and economic "statement" disguised as a heist film. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements are very enjoyable. Recommended.