Tiger Cage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Tiger Cage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 11, 2023

1988’s “Tiger Cage” looks to provide some voltage to viewers in the mood for supercop antics, this time focusing on the drug trade in Hong Kong, with a team of law enforcement types out to take down a defined enemy, encountering a far more insidious evil in the department itself. The picture is directed by genre legend Woo-Ping Yuen, best known to Western audiences as the action choreographer on “The Matrix” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” The helmer brings righteous intensity to the endeavor, making sure to keep the story running along with incident and set pieces, while the screenplay is attentive to a certain element of surprise without getting too deep in mystery, submitting a corrupt cop tale with some punch, literally and dramatically.

In the heart of Hong Kong, drug trafficking has become a major problem, with the local police force doing what they can to disrupt major dealings and bring bad guys to justice. Inspector Michael (Simon Yam) is head of the drug squad, with Fan (Jacky Cheung), Hisu (Ka-Yan Leung), Tai (Man- Tat Ng), Shirley (Carol Cheng), and Terry (Donnie Yen) the supercops trying to make a difference. When a bust goes haywire, putting the law enforcement team in the line of fire, Hisu looks to retire due to medical issues and to celebrate his upcoming wedding to Shirley. However, a prank organized by Fan goes wrong, allowing an armed enforcer an opportunity to murder the cop, putting the team on the hunt for the perpetrator, which leads them to a larger understanding of the drug trade in town. Fan is exposed to police corruption while on duty, looking to collect evidence of such heinous crimes, but he’s soon targeted by others, with Shirley trying to make sense of the mess as paranoia and danger overwhelms the situation.

“Tiger Cage” begins with a bang, following the police squad as they attempt to shut down a drug operation in the city. It’s not a traditional shootout in a small area, but a city-wide chase, with the cops, including Hsiu, sprinting after baddies, jumping over obstacles, and hanging off freeway overpasses, with the hunt investing in heated encounters and big stunts. It’s electrifying and noisy, and “Tiger Cage” returns to this liveliness intermittently, also concentrating on the development of the plot, which begins with the murder of Hsiu right before his marriage to Shirley, inspiring the traumatized woman to pursue an understanding of what happened, motivating the team to push the boundaries of the law as they threaten suspects.

Intimidation tactics are cartoonish (including roughing up a punk at a car wash), but “Tiger Cage” plays on an escalated level of dramatic engagement, staying broad but enjoyable as a chess game of sorts breaks out with certain characters who are up to no good. Exposure comes with Fan’s effort to record such malfeasance, and he becomes the main character, soon trying to evade enemies while straining to clear his good name. A change in focus is welcome in “Tiger Cage,” adding layers to danger and complications to relationships, giving the feature a little more to work with than a basic assortment of fight and chase sequences, although those are pulled off with style and ferocity.

Two versions of “Tiger Cage” are included on this release: a Cantonese Cut (92:46) and an English Cut (93:34).

Tiger Cage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as "2K restoration by Fortune Star," who appear to be sprucing up an older master of the feature. Fine detail is softer, with filtering present, losing some texture on skin particulars. Colors are capable, with costumes offering decent primaries and cooler professional outfits. Decorative additions and signage are also bright and balanced. Greenery has presence, and skin tones are natural. Blacks are satisfactory, preserving evening chases. Grain looks processed at times. Source is in good condition.

Tiger Cage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2.0 DTS-HD MA tracks are available in Cantonese and English, depending on the cut of "Tiger Cage." Both have mild sibilance issues, but dialogue exchanges are clear, with good intelligibility on dubbed performances. Scoring delivers active support with decent instrumentation, securing suspense needs. Sound effects are blunt but effective.

Tiger Cage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian David West.

• "An Apex Predator" (17:52, HD) is an interview with actor Vincent Lyn, who reminisces about "Tiger Cage," which represented his screen debut. Encouraged to visit with producers making Hong Kong entertainment, Lyn connected to the "Tiger Cage" team, who hired him while the feature was in production, reworking the movie as it was being shot. An audition story is shared, impressing the director, and the interviewee describes his work on set, dealing with language barriers and tight body language. Co-stars are recalled, highlighting Donnie Yen's impressive ego and Simon Yam's good career advice. Premiere memories are shared, with Lyn fully distracted by the size of his nose on the big screen, and marketing efforts are celebrated, impressing the actor. Lyn also provides some thoughts on his time in Hong Kong, reflecting on his place in the "golden age" of the film industry.

• "A Tiger's Tale" (19:56, HD) is an interview with film historian Frank Djeng.

• Additional Shots (:36, SD) are collected from the Taiwanese Cut of "Tiger Cage."

• And an Original Trailer (3:23, HD) and English Trailer (4:46, SD) are included.

Tiger Cage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Tiger Cage" gets caught up in police department problems as wicked intent emerges from unlikely sources, and the production is wise to maintain a degree of ruthlessness to make sure viewers are paying attention. There's certainly a standard dose of highly choreographed activity in the feature to keep action fans satisfied, and "Tiger Cage" gets rough at times, but it's also an absorbing crime story that just happens to have top martial arts talent involved in its creation, giving it that extra shot of fury.