The Prodigal Boxer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

The Prodigal Boxer 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).

The enjoyable commentary from Michael Worth and Matthew Whitaker included on this disc as a supplement jokes about how "haughty" the title The Prodigal Boxer may sound, especially when the film itself bears its perhaps more frequent title Kung Fu: Punch of Death, which the commentary suggests was thought to be more marketable in 1972, when the film first came out. The title might be misleading in a couple of other ways as well, including, as co-commentator Whitaker mentions, he personally never really thought of "boxing" as being the same as "kung fu", though he understands how an Asian audience might feel differently. But the real difference may be "prodigal", since, if I'm remembering the Biblical parable correctly, there were two brothers, one of whom was so labelled due to his profligate ways after having received an inheritance early, whereas the "boxer" of this film's title is alone, and it's the bad guys who are siblings.

Those potential stumbling blocks aside, The Prodigal Boxer purports to be at least part of the life story of the maybe, maybe not actual historical character Fang Shih Yu* (Fei Meng), who is tasked in the film with avenging the death of his father at the hands of brothers played by Yasuaki Kurata and Ching Wong. The fact that it was a misstep (so to speak) by Fang Shih Yu that started this series of events, there's some understandable hesitation by the character that is overcome both through counsel and actual butt kicking by his mother. As Worth gets into in some of the supplementary material, this "basher" film may not have the artful fight choreography that some have come to expect from a "typical" martial arts film, but it has its own kinetic energy, and the story, while undeniably rote, is also decently involving.

*The name is also transliterated as Fong Sai-Yuk.

The Prodigal Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Prodigal Boxer 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 negative. 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 use of an indefinite article with "35mm negative", 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 perhaps even more so with regard to The Awaken Punch is what looks to my eye like at times pretty severe anamorphic squeezing. I'm not quite sure why this is so prevalent, not to mention variable, 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 Awaken Punch. What's especially odd about this is it's at least somewhat intermittent, or at least varies in intensity, with some sections looking at least relatively "normal". There are several sudden and unmistakable differentiations in color temperature, clarity and detail level, as at 4:14, relatively early into the film. Parts of this transfer, especially some of the outdoor material, look nicely suffused and with generally decent detail levels, while other moments have washed out blacks, inconsistent contrast and a much fuzzier overall appearance. This is another VCI Blu-ray offering where my hunch is some are not going to think grain is particularly organic looking, and in fact I found it kind of hard to spot quite a bit of the time. I didn't notice any huge compression issues, as has been the case in some of VCI's other Blu-ray releases.

The Prodigal Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unfortunately both films in this set feature only Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono mixes of the English dub. There's a certain flatness on tap here, with a lack of dynamic range, so that everything is kind of at the same level, whether it's a big fight scene or a quieter dialogue moment. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly for the most part. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Prodigal Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:11)


• Creative Chaos: The Basher Genre (HD; 14:49) is a good overview with Michael Worth and John Kreng.


• Audio Commentary with Michael Worth and Matthew Whitaker can be accessed under the Setup Menu.

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

The Prodigal Boxer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Prodigal Boxer tells a well worn tale, but it does so with some style and earnest performances. It's also kind of fun to see a supposedly middle aged Mama type engage in some of the kung fu madness. There are issues with both the video and audio presentations that may concern some fans, but the commentary and featurette are both very enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.