The Basher Box Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

The Basher Box Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 14, 2021

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).

For reviews of the two films in this collection, please click on the following links:

The Prodigal Boxer Blu-ray review

The Awaken Punch Blu-ray review

The Basher Box Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

The Basher Box Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

The Basher Box Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplementary material accompanying each film is detailed in the above linked reviews.

The Basher Box Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You have to give VCI credit for trying to appeal to a certain niche demographic with these Pearl River releases, and the contributions of Michael Worth continue to be, well, worthwhile (sorry, couldn't resist). This is another release from VCI whose technical deficiencies may bother some fans, so my advice is to carefully peruse the screenshots here and in both of the individual reviews for the two films. The commentary and featurette, as well as the insert foldout, are enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.