Royal Warriors Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Royal Warriors Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 27, 2023

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of 88 Films' In the Line of Duty: I - IV set.

In some of his typically information packed mile a minute commentaries included as supplements in 88 Films' set of In the Line of Duty films, Frank Djeng kind of hilariously gets into how this supposed "series" really isn't by any objective standard, and that in fact due to the vagaries of production and release dates and almost comically variable titles, the "order" of the films in the franchise is even up for debate. That somewhat chaotic situation leads to an almost farcical state of affairs where the ostensible first film in the series may in fact not be, and where any number of alternate titles can either link or uncouple various entries in the "series" in a virtually random fashion (it's perhaps salient to note that In the Line of Duty didn't even crop up in any original title until the third film). Whether or not Royal Warriors or Yes Madam is defined as the "first" film, and whether or not all four are indeed a traditional "series", the first two outings star Michelle Yeoh in what was arguably her first big leap toward international superstardom, while the subsequent two films feature Cynthia Khan. If there's a "through line" tethering the films together, it may be nothing other than the fact that these are so-called "girls with guns" outings, where the focal character is kinda sorta a Hong Kong equivalent of Police Woman, albeit with a facility for martial arts that Pepper Anderson never had.

It's maybe just a little hilarious that it took the venerable Airport franchise until Airport '77 to offer a real hijacking scenario (the seeming hijacker in the first film was "merely" a suicidal bomber), and then only as a way to get the film to a preposterous quasi- Poseidon Adventure aspect. Royal Warriors doesn't waste much time getting inspector Michelle Yip (Michelle Yeoh) on a plane that is under attack, but rather interestingly while that setup provides a viscerally exciting smackdown at 30,000 or so feet, it's only the first act in what turns out to be a predictable but generally brisk and exciting cat and mouse game between Yip, her allies, and the remnants of the criminal gang which was supposedly dispatched with on the jetliner.

It's almost gobsmacking how different in tone Yes, Madam and The Royal Warriors are, with this film offering a much more sober and at times really shockingly brutal depiction of both bad behaviors and various bodily immolations suffered due to either those bad behaviors or comeuppance for those bad behaviors. Yes, Madam was almost a "reverse buddy" film with "oil and water" partners Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock needing to overcome any (poorly defined) personal animus to work together, while this film offers another cohort without any real seeming conflicts as it attempts to survive being targeted.

Note: Like the other films in this set, Royal Warriors has had a Region B release courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment, though as of the writing of this review, that release hasn't been reviewed yet.

Royal Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Royal Warriors is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There's no real technical information imparted in the insert booklet included with this set, and only a passing generic "new 2K restoration" on the back cover. This presentation was a bit lackluster to my eyes, with a somewhat odd looking color timing which frequently skews things toward either dowdy browns or a slightly blue- green side of things, either of which can make flesh tones look weirdly oily and alien. The entire element seems to be either faded or perhaps inartfully curated, though mostly in terms of palette and not so much in terms of any major age related wear and tear. Detail levels are still generally very good to excellent, especially in more brightly lit moments, and grain resolves naturally. My score is 3.25.

Royal Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The specs listed above may be just a bit misleading, in that this disc actually offers two DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono tracks in Cantonese, one listed as Cantonese Mono Theatrical Mix and one listed as Cantonese Mono Alternate Mix. I frankly didn't notice a ton of difference between the two Cantonese tracks in toggling between them. The English mono track can sound just a bit thinner in the midrange than either of the Cantonese tracks, especially with regard to some of the more synth laden music. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in English does open things up with regard to sound effects and score, though at times with an overly reverberant, kind of phasey, sound. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Royal Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng


• Missing Aeroplane Inserts (HD; 00:29) offers some kind of hilarious snippets from the plane sequence, including some not very convincing miniatures.


• Cantonese Trailer (HD; 4:38)


• English Trailer (HD; 3:49)


• English In the Line of Duty Title Sequence (HD; 2:57)

Royal Warriors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Royal Warriors has a completely different tone from Yes, Madam, something that may distance it from its perceived sibling as much as anything else. This is a film with some blistering action sequences and some villains who have some arguable shades of gray in their characters. The video color timing in particular looked a little off to me, but otherwise this has generally solid technical merits and some appealing supplements. Recommended.