Eureka Entertainment are bringing two early Woo actioners to blu-ray in June.
A new 2-disc set from Eureka Entertainment brings two of action maestro John Woo's early films - Last Hurrah for Chivalry and Hand of Death - to UK blu-ray for the first time in brand new 2K restorations.
A decade before he would change action filmmaking forever with A Better Tomorrow and The Killer, Woo was directing martial-arts films for the two biggest studios in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest. Under the mentorship of the great Chang Cheh (Five Deadly Venoms), Woo began to develop his signature style, films that featured slick, stylish and often violent choreography, with dramatic plots that revolved around brotherhood, honour and redemption.
In Last Hurrah for Chivalry, two killers (Pai Wei and Damian Lau) agree to help a man exact vengeance upon a kung fu master. Woo’s first cinematic masterpiece, Last Hurrah for Chivalry is a dark and violent revenge film, featuring lightning fast swordplay and stylish cinematography.
In Hand of Death, a young Shaolin monk must train to defeat a dangerous Manchu warlord (James Tien) who is intent on wiping out the Shaolin once and for all. Featuring early performances from Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung (both also handled the film’s stunts, along with third “brother” Yuen Biao), Hand of Death is an exquisitely stylish example of old school kung fu filmmaking.
Bonus features include new audio commentaries on both movies by martial-arts cinema authority Mike Leeder; archival interviews with Woo; trailers; reversible artwork; and a collector's booklet featuring new writing by film writer Matthew Thrift (first 2000 copies only).
Last Hurrah for Chivalry & Hand of Death: Two Films by John Woo is released on blu-ray June 24th by Eureka Entertainment.
Check out Eureka's trailer and artwork below.
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