Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Protector Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 4, 2019

James Glickenhaus's "The Protector" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; new audio commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; new video interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin; and a lot more. The release also arrives with a 44-page illustrated booklet featuring a wide variety of rare stills and lobby cards from the film's promotional campaign. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Note: The text below was initially used for our review of the North American release of The Protector, which Shout Factory produced in 2013.

New York City cops Billy Wong (Jackie Chan) and Danny Garoni (Danny Aiello, Jacob's Ladder, Léon: The Professional) are sent to Hong Kong to investigate the kidnapping of Laura Shapiro (Saun Ellis), the daughter of a well known businessman. Before they leave, the two cops are warned that Mr. Ko (Roy Chiao, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), a notorious drug lord, might be behind it.

In Hong Kong, Billy and Danny begin asking questions. Soon after, the Police Commissioner (Richard Clarke, The Elephant Man) warns them not to create any drama in his city and stay away from Mr. Ko. But Billy and Danny do precisely the opposite – they confront Mr. Ko and he sends his goons after them. Things quickly get out of control.

The Protector isn’t amongst Chan’s best films but it is still quite entertaining. The majority of the action sequences in it are well choreographed, though admittedly not as elaborate as those seen in many of Chan’s previous films. The pacing and editing are also good, but Chan apparently wasn’t impressed with the film’s final American version and later on cut a number of scenes (most of the nudity) for his preferred version, which was also dubbed in Cantonese.

Aiello’s character is the obvious weak link in the film. His attitude and smart jokes feel incredibly awkward because the film simply does not have the type of edge they demand. Chan does his best to maintain some balance, but his interactions with Aiello are quite problematic as his arsenal of English words is very limited.

The Protector Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Protector arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

In 2013, we reviewed this release from Shout Factory which had Jackie Chan's The Protector and Crime Story. Standard definition masters were used for both films.

This release is sourced from a new 2K master and, quite predictably, the technical presentation is vastly superior. Indeed, all of the key qualities that we examine in our reviews are solid -- density, delineation, clarity, and depth. Also, fluidity is drastically better, and as a result a lot of action footage where the camera does quick cuts and zooms actually boasts much better overall image stability. On the previous releases the action footage basically looks fussy and smeary because because the poor fluidity further collapses the already problematic delineation. The color grading is convincing. However, this is the one area where I see a bit of room for improvement. Why? Because some of the blacks are slightly lusher than they should be and occasionally tend to produce thicker images (see screencapture #22). But I still like the gamma a lot, so it is really only a matter of having some very minor adjustments to bring up more existing nuances and finer details. Overall image stability is excellent. All in all, this is a very solid organic presentation of The Protector that offers a wide range of excellent improvements over existing presentations of the film. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Protector Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (Stereo) and Englishj DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the 2.0 track, which has been remastered, and was quite pleased with the overall quality. In fact, I would have mentioned, as I usually do, that an audio track with such solid basics must have been remastered. So, clarity, depth, and stability are excellent. Balance is very good as well. The 5.1 track was apparently remixed, but I did not view the film with it and do not know precisely what type of improvements are on it.

The Protector Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alternate Cut - presented here is Jackie Chan's personal cut of the film, also known as Fierce Dragon Detective. Sourced from a standard definition master. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (Dolby Digital 2.0/92 min).

• Hard Edge - in this video interview, James Glickenhaus remembers how The Protector was put together and what it was like to direct Jackie Chan. Also, there are some very good comments about the decision to pair Jackie Chan with Danny Aiello as well as the fact that initially the former really struggled with English, which presented an a range of unexpected production issues. The interview was conducted exclusively for 88 Films. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Commentary One - this audio commentary for the Alternate Cut of the film was recorded by by Mike Leeder and George Clarke. The two gentlemen spend plenty of time discussing the tone and style of the film as well as its production history and the main reasons why Jackie Chan produced a 'personal cut' of it. (*You will have to turn up the volume quite a bit because it very much sounds like Clarke is coming in from afar). The commentary was recorded exclusively for 88 Films.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. These guys are not only big admirers of Jackie Chan's work, but big fans of genre cinema as well, so they have plenty of interesting things to say about the stylistic appearance of The Protector and its genre vibe. Also, there is plenty of good information about the film's reception and its importance for the evolution of Jackie Chan's career. The commentary was recorded exclusively for 88 Films.

• Follow the Puck - in this video interview, cinematographer Mark Irwin discusses his involvement with The Protector and what it was like to work with Jackie Chan on various action sequences. There are also some quite interesting comments about the star's athleticism. The interview was conducted exclusively for 88 Films. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• A Tale of 2 Movies: - this program highlights some of the main differences between the U.S. Version and Jackie Chan's Alternate Cut of The Protector. Narrated by filmmaker and scholar of Jackie Chan films Steve Wilson. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Behind the Scenes Featurette - a short archival featurette with raw footage from the shooting of The Protector produced by Golden Harvest. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• Trailers - vintage trailers for The Protector.
  
  1. International trailer. (4 min).
  2. Hong Kong trailer. (4 min).
  3. Japanese trailer. (2 min).
  4. Japanese teaser trailer. (1 min).

• Japanese End Credits - these alternate credits were used for the Japanese release of the film. With music only. (4 min).

• Booklet - 44-page illustrated booklet with notes by Scott Harrison and a wide variety of rare stills and lobby cards from the film's promotional campaign.

• Cover - double-sided artwork with original Hong Kong poster art and international poster art by Chris Achilléos.

The Protector Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This new release of The Protector from 88 Films is exceptionally easy to recommend. It is sourced from a solid new 2K master and offers a very nice mix of exclusive new and vintage supplemental features. Also included with it is a wonderful booklet that gathers a wide range of rare stills and lobby cards from the film's promotional campaign. I really like what the guys at 88 Films are doing with these elaborate editions of classic and popular Jackie Chan films, so I hope that they would consider doing similar editions for some of Chow-Yun Fat and Leslie Cheung's more elusive films, like the God of Gamblers films, Moonlight Express, and Viva Erotica. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.