7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In 1978 in Hong Kong, a grisly murder takes place. Eight years later, on a Macao beach, kids discover the severed hands of a fresh victim. A squadron of coarse, happy-go-lucky cops investigate, and suspicion falls on Wong Chi Hang, the new owner of Eight Immortals Restaurant, which serves delicious pork bao. The hands belong to the missing mother of the restaurant's former owner; he and his family have disappeared; staff at the restaurant continue to go missing; and, Wong can't produce a signed bill of sale: but there's no evidence. The police arrest Wong and try to torture him into a confession. Can they make him talk? And what was in those pork bao?
Starring: Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Danny Lee, Siu-Ming Lau, Emily Kwan, Fui-On ShingForeign | 100% |
Horror | 60% |
Dark humor | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: LPCM 2.0 Mono
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It was long considered a kind of death knell at the United States box office to get an X rating for a movie, and in the United Kingdom, being deemed a “video nasty” meant seeing a film so designated could actually be quite difficult, at least through “official” (i.e., non bootleg) channels. Hong Kong had its own nomenclature for films so provocative that those younger than 18 were not (again, officially) allowed to see them: Category III. Even those who aren’t particularly interested in The Untold Story itself may want to check out the rather fascinating documentary included as a supplement, Category III: The Untold Story of Hong Kong Exploitation Cinema, since it’s an often bracing trip through the annals of some of Hong Kong’s more notorious cinematic output. In that regard, some may actually find The Untold Story at least relatively “tame”, at least when compared to more consistently gore drenched gonzo outings. Now, there is violence galore in The Untold Story, a “story” which, by the way, is ostensibly “ripped from the headlines”, but director Herman Yau also seemed to be aware that audiences could only handle so much graphic blood, guts and dismembered body parts, and so the film can be at least somewhat circumspect in times as it documents a guy who might be thought of as the male counterpart of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
The Untold Story is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Unearthed Classics, an imprint of Unearthed Films, and MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a somewhat variable looking presentation that can occasionally look fairly rough but which at other times offers rather substantial detail levels and a well resolved grain field. Clarity can ebb and flow, especially when masked by at times rather splotchy looking grain (in the rougher moments), and there are also some fluctuations in color temperature, though quite often the palette looks nicely vivid. There are some kind of curious moments of boosted brightness which can add an almost milky haze overlaying the imagery (see screenshot 13). In its best moments, this transfer offers generally nice detail levels and a solid, organic appearance.
The Untold Story features either Cantonese or Mandarin tracks in LPCM 2.0 Mono. Other than the spoken languages, I didn't hear huge variances in the tracks, and as with many other Hong Kong productions, it appears that no matter which language you choose, you'll get dubbing for at least some of the actors, leading to "loose sync". Fidelity is fine throughout, supporting dialogue, effects and score. Optional English subtitles are available.
Some of the PR accompanying this release kind of breathlessly announces the film as "the most notorious Category III film of all time". That may set the expectation bar pretty high for those who have never seen this film, but I have to say I have certainly seen decidedly more graphic films, though some of what's depicted here is undeniably disturbing. Wong (the actor) gives a great performance, but the film may be slightly too cartoonish for those who want their horror straight, with no comedic chaser. Video has some rough moments, but audio is fine, and the supplementary package, especially the documentary, very well done. Fans of the film should be generally well pleased with this release.
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