The Awaken Punch Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

The Awaken Punch Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 14, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of The Basher Box.

There’s no shame to being a so-called journeyman, and in that regard while probably not that many film and/or television fans have been overly aware of him, Michael Worth has amassed close to sixty acting credits, as well as handfuls of additional listings on the IMDb for directing, writing, producing, and stunt work. That last category may hint at one of Worth’s talents, namely facility in various martial arts, and it’s that longstanding interest that has probably made Worth a regular presence on some of VCI’s Pearl River imprint releases of cult Asian martial arts fare. So far VCI has released The Leg Fighters (as of yet unreviewed) and Dynamo, both of which feature Worth’s involvement in various ways. VCI’s website has a page devoted to the Pearl River Collection which includes an announcement for Duel of the Seven Tigers as the supposed third release by the imprint, but if our usually reliable database is any indication, that hasn’t seen the light of day, and instead The Basher Box completes the final panel of the Pearl River Collection’s initial “triptych”, though it should be noted that The Basher Box actually offers two films, both of which have a number of alternate titles, but which are here listed as The Prodigal Boxer from 1972 and The Awaken Punch from 1973. Worth is on hand again in both a commentary and featurette on the disc containing The Prodigal Boxer, and the featurette in particular is a rather interesting (if relatively brief) analysis of the “evolution” of the martial arts film from its supposed genesis in the 1920s through what Worth terms its “basher” phase, which Worth in turn avers paved the way for such icons as Bruce Lee (and it’s worth noting that Dynamo is a kind of fascinating example of so-called “Brucesploitation” as is gotten into in our Dynamo Blu-ray review).

As is briefly discussed (and shown) in the featurette included on the disc in this set which offers The Prodigal Boxer, none other than a very young Jackie Chan has a brief (and basically incognito) cameo in The Awaken Punch, which may be its lasting claim to fame. This is a pretty rote piece that traffics in the well worn tropes of a good guy loner named Chiang Tai-kang (Henry Yu Yang), who takes on a the kind of gang that is shown early in the film making the rounds extorting local business owners with the kind of "it would be a shame if something happened to your business" attitude that was frequently seen in old Warner Brothers crime films from the 1930s.

Of course the hero isn't able to get into butt kicking mode without a few obstacles getting in the way, including a promise to his dying father not to engage in any more of the dreaded kung fu. This is another film whose "fight choreography" is almost random looking, which gives the film a less polished, but at times still pretty visceral, ambience.

The Awaken Punch Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Awaken Punch is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of VCI Entertainment and MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.37:1. The presentation begins with the following text card (also seen in screenshot 14):

This new 4K transfer of "The Prodigal Boxer" was scanned from a 35mm IP print. The color correction and clean up was minimized to present the most accurate depiction of the original's grain and attributes. Sharpness, grain and clarity can fluctuate based on the surviving elements used. Color hues and tones have been best determined through stock characteristics and original production images to give the Pearl River audience the most accurate experience of the film's original presentation.

Putting aside any qualms about the term "IP print", a bit of what might be termed PR hyperbole, and an equal amount of "doth protest too much" verbiage, one of the things that many will notice in both this presentation and The Prodigal Boxer is what looks to my eye like at times pretty severe anamorphic squeezing. It's probably even more noticeable with regard to this film than The Prodigal Boxer, and it seems to be more "consistent", in that fewer scenes here look properly "wide". I'm not quite sure why this is so prevalent, since the transfer's aspect ratio of 2.37:1 is not that far off from either 2.39:1 or 2.35:1, but I recommend those interested to simply peruse the screenshots of both this review and the review for The Prodigal Boxer. Color is probably better on this transfer than the other film, though there are clear downgrades at times in both suffusion and general clarity (contrast screenshot 3 with screenshot 12 to get an idea of some of the variabilities). Detail levels are understandably best in the more brightly lit moments. The element has quite a bit of damage and has moments of pretty ragged quality, but at other times can look reasonably organic and detailed. Grain is "VCI-like", in that I personally didn't find it very organic looking, and it's pretty hard to spot quite a bit of the time in any case. I'm scoring this a bit higher than I did The Prodigal Boxer, because the color is often more convincing. The last half hour or so of this presentation actually looks rather good, at least within context.

The Awaken Punch Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Awaken Punch features only a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono mix of the English dub, and this track, like the one accompanying The Prodigal Boxer, lacks any real dynamic range. Additionally, things like the score and effects can sound tinny and shallow quite a bit of the time. Dialogue is rendered cleanly. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Awaken Punch Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 6:03)

Additionally VCI includes an accordion style foldout in lieu of an insert booklet, which contains interesting essays by John Kreng and Michael Worth.

The Awaken Punch Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Awaken Punch is probably even more cliché ridden than The Prodigal Boxer, but it has some colorful outdoor scenes and the final showdown is relatively well done, within the "loosey goosey" style of these so-called "bashers". Color is generally better suffused in this presentation than in The Prodigal Boxer, but there seems to be some anamorphic squeezing from the looks of things, and audio is only lossy. The trailer for this film included as the lone supplement runs for over six minutes (!), for those who are considering a purchase.