Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Winners & Sinners Blu-ray Movie Review

Winners and Sinners is an exciting action-comedy. The feature-film is also known under the alternate title of 5 Lucky Stars. Considered the first film in the Lucky Stars film series, the film would later be followed by additional entries in the Lucky Stars film series, including My Lucky Stars and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars. The three original films in the series feature largely the same casts but the roles differ.

Jackie Chan is not the lead in the film and is instead a co-star as a police officer who keeps finding himself getting in to trouble. Featuring a story by Barry Wong, Winners and Sinners was released in Hong Kong cinemas on July 7^th 1983. Produced by Raymond Chow (Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury) and Leonard Ho (Police Story, Rumble in the Bronx), Winners and Sinners was released by Golden Harvest.

Five prisoners find themselves forming an unexpected friendship when they bond together during their prison time: Teapot (Sammo Kam-Bo Hung), Curly (John Sham), Exhaust Pipe (Richard Ng), Vaseline (Charlie Chin), and Rookie (Stanley Sui-Fan Fung). After the five prisoners get released from prison, friendships continue while the group attempts to stay crime free.

All the guys wanted to do is stay out of crime and they even formed a Five Stars Cleaning Co. to do housework for others – while all of the bumbling guys attempt to earn the affections of the beautiful Shirley (Cherie Chung). Yet a briefcase containing gobs of counterfeit money gets in the way. Police officer CID 07 (Jackie Chan) attempts to get back the briefcase. Yet trouble ensues when the briefcase finds itself in the van of the Five Stars Cleaning Co. and the guys get involved in an unexpected Triad war.

The ensemble cast does a great job in their respective roles. The actors in the Lucky Stars film series do outstanding comedic work. The sense of comedic charm on display with these performers is terrific. A highlight of action-comedy filmmaking. Jackie Chan might not be the lead actor here but he does have some fun moments throughout the film and the film simply would not be the same without him and his presence. The main cast includes actors Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, John Sham, Richard Ng, Charlie Chin, and Stanley Sui-Fan Fung delivering comedy gold in spades. All of the performances are quite special and the troupe has a lot of fun here.

The score composed by Chris Babida (Life After Life, Fleeing by Night) and Frankie Chan (Chungking Express, Fallen Angels) is entertaining and engaging. The music adds a lot to the experience. The soundtrack is certainly a nice highlight of the film and it works well for both comedy and action.

The cinematography by Ricky Lau (Mr. Vampire, The Romance of the Vampires) is a visual wonder and a true special component of the film. The visual style is remarkably compelling and it adds so much to the experience. The cinematography provides an engaging aesthetic for the comedic backbone of the film in so many ways (without forgetting to highlight the action scenes well).

Jackie Chan’s stunt work here is incredible. The stunt work is essential to the viewing experience. Even with a smaller supporting role, Chan is dynamite. The role has some great moments to highlight his action-packed comedy. A great showcase for Chan.

Written and directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (Project A, Mr. Nice Guy), Winners and Sinners is an enormously entertaining film and one that fans of Hong Kong action-comedies must-see. Fans of ridiculously over-the-top comedy will find it a laugh- out-loud gem with plenty of good comedy. Outstanding.

Winners & Sinners Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray from Shout Factory, Winners and Sinners is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The video quality is impressive on the Blu-ray release. The high-definition encode looks crisp on the release with good HD presentation quality. The transfer has a nice filmic quality that enhances the presentation. The encoding looks great on the release overall.

Winners & Sinners Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is provided in Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1, Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. English subtitles are provided. The lossless audio sounds excellent on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced. The soundtrack sounds great on the release as well. The release has a quality encode and it is nice to see so many audio options for fans to choose from.

Winners & Sinners Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with David West, Critic and Author of Chasing Dragons: An introduction to the martial arts film  

A Winning Formula – An interview with author Dr. Luke White (HD, 13:55)

Archival interview with director/actor Sammo Hung (HD, 6:05)

Teapot Tango – An interview with director/actor Sammo Hung (HD, 13:29)

The Man Behind the Legend: Sammo Hung (HD, 19:59)

Outtakes (HD, 4:59)

Alternate Japanese End Credits (HD, 2:11)

Original Hong Kong Teaser and Theatrical Trailer (HD, 4:55)

English Trailer (HD, 2:41)

Japanese Trailer and TV Spot (HD, 2:49)

Still Gallery (HD, 1:52)

Winners & Sinners Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Winners and Sinners is an entertaining gem. The action-comedy classic is the first film in the classic Lucky Stars film series. Fans of Hong Kong action-comedy should consider it a must-see. Even though Jackie Chan has a smaller supporting role in the film, Chan delivers the goods in spades. Fans of the actor absolutely should consider checking out this classic gem. The Blu-ray release delivers a quality presentation alongside a nice assortment of supplemental features. Highly recommended.