Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Fearless Hyena Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 3, 2023

Jackie Chan's "The Fearless Hyena" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic Frank Djeng and vintage trailers for the film. In Cantonese or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

If you blink, you could miss an interesting detail. In his directorial debut, The Fearless Hyena, Jackie Chan credits himself as Jacky Chan. If you have not seen enough of Chan’s earliest films, you may think that this is an error that somehow snuck in, or was intentionally left because it was too expensive to fix, but it is not. This is the name that Chan used in a lot of films he appeared in early in his career. In several of these films, Chan is also credited as Chan Yuen Lung, which is much closer to his birth name -- Chan Kong-sang.

Chan made The Fearless Hyena in 1979 after he had successfully established himself as an action star in Hong Kong. However, even though The Fearless Hyena quickly heads down a familiar path and Chan goes to work to impress with wonderfully choreographed action material, it is not a straightforward martial arts film. The Fearless Hyena is the first film in which Chan attempts to balance action with comedy, and almost succeeds. Why almost? Before I explain, here is a summation of its story:

Somewhere in provincial China, Shing Lung (Chan) frequently clashes with various unfriendly characters and always emerges victorious because he has been taught a very special kind of kung-fu by his elderly grandfather (James Tien). To show his gratitude, Lung begins selling coffins for the shadiest businessman (Dean Shek) in the area, but after failing to meet expectations and nearly killing his new boss, runs away. At the local market, Lung then encounters three former opponents and impresses Master Ti Cha (Lee Kwan), another shady businessman, who desperately wants to eliminate his competition so that he can run the only kung fu school around. Master Ti Cha hires Lung to accomplish his goal, but when the newcomer’s popularity rises, a powerful foe (Yen Shi Kwan) of his grandfather emerges and proceeds to settle an old score.

The Fearless Hyena does not look or behave like a directorial debut. In fact, it is notably better choreographed, polished, and directed by various big martial arts films that nowadays are considered classics. (The majority of the Shaolin films Shaw Brothers produced, for instance, are unquestionably inferior). But why exactly? The most obvious answer is the correct answer, but several crucial details must be highlighted with it.

Chan and his artistry are unquestionably responsible for the impressive visuals, while his energy is the glue that holds everything together. However, The Fearless Hyena takes its comedy just as seriously as it does its action, and while Chan’s versatility helps both, what he does very well is routinely matched by the supporting actors. Chan was undoubtedly aware of this too, which is why The Fearless Hyena is not one big solo act. Additionally, with a few small exceptions, the comedy, which is primarily slapstick material, is not overdone. (Some old reviews claim that it is, but it is not true. If it was true, various sequences would stutter and The Fearless Hyena would look uneven. As is, The Fearless Hyena has a consistent rhythm that is tied to Chan’s energy, which again is the glue that holds everything together). It has a purpose. The exceptions are in a couple of sequences that could have been scripted better. (For what it’s worth, they emphasize ethnic comedy that does not translate particularly well in English).

What effectively prevents The Fearless Hyena from becoming a legit genre classic is the final act. The revenge element resets it into a conventional martial arts film, which is not what it should have been. This is the only area where Chan’s inexperience as a director and writer shows. He wraps up The Fearless Hyena in the safest way possible, but the final act should have introduced an out-of-left resolution with wild fireworks to go along with it.

The Fearless Hyena Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Fearless Hyena arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release is sourced from a recent 2K master that was struck from the original camera negative. The overall quality of the visuals is better than those seen on the My Lucky Stars release. Indeed, during close-ups and wider panoramic shots delineation and depth are more convincing. However, there are areas with noticeable fluctuations that are not introduced by the original cinematography. During the most obvious fluctuations, grain becomes powdery and begins to pulsate. The dynamic range of the visuals is not optimal either. (You can see an example here). Color balance is stable. However, ideally, saturation levels should be better. Several ranges of supporting nuances should be expanded as well. Image stability is very good. There are no distracting age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Fearless Hyena Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese LPCM 1.0, Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English Dolby Digital 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I must mention right away that the English track is very poor. However, this is how it was created. It features horrendously exaggerated dubbing, often mixed with awful mumbling, and amateurish sound effects that can be quite annoying. So, you will have to choose one of the Cantonese tracks. The original Mono track is not bad, but it has some of the overdone dynamic contrasts/effects that were very popular on older Hong Kong martial arts and action films. The 5.1 track has better clarity in some segments, but its dynamic balance is very, very uneven. While testing these tracks, I did not encounter any distortions or dropouts to report in our review.

The Fearless Hyena Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critic Frank Djeng in 2023.

• Trailer One - presented here is restored a theatrical trailer for The Fearless Hyena. In Cantonese, with English subtitled. (5 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is restored a vintage home video trailer for The Fearless Hyena. In Cantonese, with English subtitled. (3 min).

• Booklet - 30-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Alex Pappademas' essay "Bugs Bunny in the Shaolin Temple" and technical credits.

The Fearless Hyena Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Tsui Hark, or someone with similarly wild imagination, had been allowed to script the final act -- starting with the emergence of the three dressed in blue fighters -- right now The Fearless Hyena would be considered a cult genre film. I understand why Jackie Chan switches to safe mode there, but there is so much that he does earlier to prepare for something different that ultimately it feels like an opportunity was missed to genuinely surprise with an out-of-left-field resolution. Still, The Fearless Hyena is a very solid directorial debut, and a much better film than some of the big classic martial arts films. This release is sourced from a recent 2K master and is included in Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar, a four-disc box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.