The Untold Story Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Untold Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 9, 2020

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.

As is mentioned in some of the commentaries, and even by some of the talking heads in Category III: The Untold Story of Hong Kong Exploitation Cinema, as violent as many Category III films can be, they can also be kind of bleakly humorous, in a very "black humor" kind of way, and that's probably in evidence in this film as well. Aside from the fact that there are cheeky elements like the fact that focal character cook Wong Chi-hang (Anthony Wong) bludgeons a guy repeatedly with a frying pan early in the film (before setting the guy on fire, in a decidedly non comedic moment), there's also the fact that Wong is just kind of a nerd, a bespectacled outcast who would not seem to be your "typical" serial murderer.

The Untold Story has been released under a perhaps preposterous assortment of titles, some of which perhaps hinted more overtly at some of the film's plot conceits, as well as its tether to an actual 1985 murder spree at the perhaps unfortunately named Eight Immortals Restaurant in Macau. The film takes the basic underlying story of the actual killings, which were due at least in part to some gambling debts, and then elaborates on it, perhaps significantly, giving Wong the chance to go Grand Guignol not just in the actual murder scenes, but also in a truly horrifying sexual assault sequence, as well as a perhaps over the top third act that sees Wong wreaking havoc on various locales like a hospital.

The Untold Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Untold Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Category III: The Untold Story of Hong Kong Exploitation Cinema (1080p; 1:23:10) is a really well done overview of Category III films, but also other exploitation efforts that some of the experts here state shouldn't be thought of exclusively as a "typical" Category III outing. There are a ton of clips offered, and some very interesting interviews.


• Cantonese Carnage (1080p; 13:38) is an interview with Rick Baker (not the makeup guy), who discusses Category III films.


• Q & A with Herman Yau (1080p; 7:04)


• Commentary with Anthony Wong is available under the Audio Menu.


• Commentary with Herman Yau is available under the Audio Menu.


• Audio Commentary by Art Ettinger and Bruce Holecheck is available under the Audio Menu.


• Isolated Film Score is presented in LPCM 2.0 and is available under the Audio Menu.


• Trailers includes The Untold Story Trailer 1 (1080p; 3:23) and The Untold Story Trailer 2 (1080p; 1:41), along with trailers for other releases from Unearthed Films and MVD Visual.

This release also has a four page insert (including the front and back covers) where the inside two pages have an essay by Art Ettinger.

The Untold Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.