Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Warriors Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 5, 2023

A number of helpful members more fluent in any number of Asian languages than I am (which, based on my admitted lack of knowledge, is frankly a low bar) have messaged me through the years when I've had questions about films in, for example, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and/or Japanese. I've always had a "thing" for etymologies and languages in general, and in that regard, some of the Asian languages can be positively confounding for bone headed westerners such as yours truly, perhaps due in part to the way these languages are transliterated into English. Take, for example, two relatively well known terms from Chinese whose transliterated versions and resultant pronunciations are at least similar if not identical, wing chun, the martial arts style popularized by Ip Man among others, and wang chung, a Chinese musical term popularized by an eighties band who took it as their name. Now, the sinograms for these terms are different, of course, but in a way there's a kind of peculiar tethering between wing chun, whose primary word evidently refers to singing, and wang chung, which is, as noted (sorry, pun unavoidable) above, musical in essence itself. Warriors Two is a rather freewheeling and unabashedly comic look at some elements of Wing Chun, and it offers a probably whimsical version of an actual historical figure, Leung Tsan (Leung Kar-Yan, AKA Bryan Leung), and in some probably subliminal ways, it kind of plays like an old fashioned musical comedy, albeit with hand to hand combat taking the place of song and dance routines.

Some of the supplements Arrow has aggregated for this release get into how Sammo Hung was trying to develop his own "style", not necessarily with regard to martial arts mayhem, but filmmaking, and that may be a salient point to understanding the kind of wacky ambience that informs a lot of Warriors Two. Hung is on hand as a character whose name is (get ready to sense a language trend) transliterated in all sorts of ways, but which Arrow lists in the insert booklet as Fat Chun (the subtitles often refer to the character as the even more disparaging "Fatty"). Chun is introduced as a kind of historical analog to a food cart proprietor, but he's also the butt of jokes by a couple of snarky harassers who end up defeating him in a quick test of martial arts skills and who make off with his supply of dumplings he was trying to hawk to the passing public. This vignette at least offers a mini exposition dump providing some background info on Chun, who is ostensibly a student of Master Tsan.

The kind of cartoonish Chun might have been a sidebar "comic relief" character in any number of films, but he assumes a somewhat more important place in the plot when he ends up hiding Cashier Hua (Casanova Wong), a guy who has had the misfortune to overhear a plot by the film's coterie of villainous types to assassinate the town's mayor. Hua of course wants to spring into action and keep the peace, but he's undercut by his own lack of martial arts training as well as some nefarious subterfuge that unsurprisingly puts his own life in danger. Also not unexpectedly, Chun attempts to talk Master Tsan into helping Hua get up to speed with all the pummeling business that seems to be an integral part of wing chun (I'm joking, kind of).

There are some pretty traditional elements at play here, including what amounts to a "buddy" action comedy relationship that develops between Hua and Chun, and while the two commentary tracks get into the "accuracy" of some of the wing chun techniques on display, one way or the other, there are some kind of peculiar fights here, especially in the film's climax, which features some really odd supporting characters jumping into the fray.

Warriors Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warriors Two is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet features the following information on the transfers:

Warriors Two is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio [sic] with its original Cantonese, Mandarin and English monoaural soundtracks. It was restored in 2K resolution from original film elements by Fortune Star, who supplied this master to Arrow Video for this Blu-ray release. Further materials were kindly supplied for this release by Eureka Entertainment, originally produced for their UK edition.

The film is presented in two versions, each with differing audio options. The original 95 minute Hong Kong theatrical version is presented with its original Cantonese and Mandarin soundtracks, and two English soundtracks: a more recent 5.1 dub produced for the 2005 DVD release, and the "classic" 1979 dub originally prepared for the 90 minute English Export Cut, but with subtitled Cantonese in the additional scenes. The shorter English Export Cut is also presented as an additional viewing option, with "classic" English audio only.

I always kind of wonder what "original film elements" means, and in this case I additionally wonder if more than one element was utilized, as there is a somewhat variable appearance at play in both versions of the film. A lot of the presentation features a nicely suffused palette and typically quite agreeable fine detail levels, but there are some interstitial and admittedly passing moments where things can suddenly look a good deal rougher, with a much chunkier (maybe even noisy looking) grain field and diminution of detail, along with a slightly degraded palette. This more roughhewn appearance is not necessarily the result purely of lighting conditions, as some relatively well lit material in forest scenes can show it. There are a few age related blemishes that have made it through the restoration gauntlet, and as is often the case with these productions, some anamorphic anomalies can (literally) squeeze into the corners of the frame on occasion.

Warriors Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As mentioned above in the quote I've reproduced from Arrow's insert booklet, there are a glut of audio choices on this disc, at least with regard to the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut, which features Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, English Mono (listed as a classic dub with Cantonese patches) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (listed as a DVD dub). There's not a gigantic difference between the mono options, but there are some noticeable variations between the Cantonese and Mandarin tracks in particular. The Cantonese track is maybe just a tad brighter than the Mandarin, but both can suffer from some slight crackling and distortion, as in the opening narration. The Mandarin track struck my ears as being a bit boxier overall, but that said, I'd rate the narration and dialogue as being a bit clearer. It's fun to toggle between the two English language tracks, not not because of the increased (if not exactly mind and/or ear blowing) surround engagement in the 5.1 track, but because the voice work is so completely different. Optional English subtitles are available.

Warriors Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Hong Kong Theatrical Cut (HD; 1:35:40) and International Export Cut (HD; 1:30:09) can be chosen from the Select Version option on the Main Menu.


• Commentary by Frank Djeng & Actor Bobby Samuels is accessible after choosing the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut.


• Commentary by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema is accessible after choosing the International Export Cut.


• The Way of the Warrior: The Making of Warriors Two (HD; 45:37) is a fun archival piece from 2005 featuring good interviews with Sammo Hung, Fung Hark-on, Leung Kar-yan and Casanova Wong, and also features an on screen appearance by Bey Logan, whom many may recall from some of his outstanding commentaries on older martial arts releases from Dragon Dynasty in particular.


• Interview with Leung Kar-yan (HD; 5:15) is subtitled in English.


• Trailer Gallery

  Theatrical Trailer (Cantonese) (HD; 4:02)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer (English) (HD; 3:31)

• Image Gallery (HD)

Additionally, this is a nicely appointed edition that comes with Arrow's typically well done insert booklet, a folded mini poster, reversible sleeve and a slipcover.

Warriors Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Warriors Two is a lot of fun, even if you can feel that Sammo Hung is still maybe feeling his way a bit as a director. As such, some of the comedy in particular can feel forced, but the overall film is appealing and genial, and the action elements are enjoyable. Technical merits are generally solid, and as usual Arrow provides some excellent supplements. Recommended.