Hong Kong Gamblers & Gangsters 6-Film Set (Shout Factory Store Exclusive)

[MifuneFan]

Shout Factory will be releasing 6-film set of Hong Kong movies themed around Gamblers and Gamers. It includes a mixture of Shaw Brothers and Celestial Pictures films. This is a Store exclusive, limited to 2,500 copies, and releasing on September 30th.

Hong Kong Gamblers & Gangsters

https://shoutfactory.com/collections...clusive-poster

Bonus Features for Blu-ray

DISC ONE: CASINO TYCOON (1992)

• Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With Critic And Author David West
• NEW “Money Makes Macau” – An Interview With Academic And Author Dr. Victor Fan
• NEW “Lisbon On The South China Seas” – An Interview With Macanese Historian Dr. Helena Lopes
• Celestial Trailer

DISC TWO: CASINO TYCOON II (1992)

• Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With Critic And Author David West
• NEW “Fame and Fortune” – Hong Kong Film Critic James Mudge On Actress Chingmy Yau
• NEW “Gambling With Success” – An Interview With Film Historian Frank Djeng
• Celestial Trailer

DISC THREE: CHALLENGE OF THE GAMESTERS (1981)

• Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• Gangsters & Gamblers Poster Gallery
• Celestial Trailer

DISC FOUR: DESTINY’S CHAMPION (1984)

• Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW “Champion of the Silver Screen” – An Interview With Academic And Author Dr. Wayne Wong On Actor Ti Lung
• Celestial Trailer

DISC FIVE: GODFATHER FROM CANTON (1982)

• Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• Celestial Trailer

DISC SIX: LOVING YOU (1995)

• Audio: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW – “Romantic Reflections” – An Interview With Screenwriter Nai-Hoi Yau
• NEW – “For the Love of To” – An Interview With Author And Critic David West On The Films Of Johnnie To
• Celestial Trailer

ENTER THE HIGH-STAKES WORLD OF HONG KONG'S MOST NOTORIOUS PLAYERS WITH THIS SPECIAL COLLECTION!

Celebrating the popular gambling and crime drama subgenres of Asian cinema, Hong Kong Gamblers & Gangsters presents six films that deal out intrigue and thrills in equal measure. Taking viewers from the glitz and glamor of the casino floors to the seedy underbelly of the city streets, this collection is one you won't want to bet against.

CASINO TYCOON (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 130 min.)
Benny Ho San, a refugee (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs) with luck, charm, and skills to spare rises to the top of the thrilling world of gambling.

CASINO TYCOON II (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 112 min.)
Andy Lau doubles down in this sequel, reprising his role as Benny Ho San. Now a casino boss, his power is tested by forces from without and within.

CHALLENGE OF THE GAMESTERS (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 104 min.)
The money and the mahjong tiles fly in this precursor to the New Wave of Hong Kong gambling films, from acclaimed director Wong Jing.

DESTINY'S CHAMPION (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 101 min.)
When an aging fighter crosses paths with a streetwise kid, the boxer finds himself reliving his own violent past and the mistakes he made along the way.

GODFATHER FROM CANTON (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 85 min.)
After saving a government official, a man is offered a job as a policeman. Through treachery and corruption, he rises through the ranks of the police, then becomes a brutal gangster.

LOVING YOU (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 83 min.)
Struggling in a loveless marriage, a hard-drinking workaholic cop finds a chance at redemption after a fateful accident leaves him wounded.

[CrimsonLegionVMCXIX]

Ugh, store exclusive. Why are they doing store exclusives on films they have perpetual rights to? They own these now, don't they? At least for the NA market.

[fattyjoe37]

I think store exclusives make sense for the more obscure titles that won't move as many units as a Woo or a horror film. Some of these have less than 100 views on Letterboxd/ratings on IMDb. I'll be grabbing this to support the line and check out the films. If I don't end up digging them, I'll sell it. Don't need to own something if I'm not a fan of at least one of the films.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by CrimsonLegionVMCXIX

Ugh, store exclusive. Why are they doing store exclusives on films they have perpetual rights to? They own these now, don't they? At least for the NA market.

They actually don't have the rights to these for long. These are Shaw/Celestial films, and not Golden Princess films.

[CrimsonLegionVMCXIX]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

They actually don't have the rights to these for long. These are Shaw/Celestial films, and not Golden Princess films.

Thanks for the information, now I understand. I looked them up and yeah, they're Shaw/Celestial.

So... the Shaw Brothers did make it into the line after all! They're not left out.

I will probably buy it on a boxset sale.

[Member-922335]

Looks like a fun set and I'll definitely pick it up but I really wish Shout wasn't doing these posters with sets, I'd much prefer a booklet.

[bongozoid]

Originally Posted by CrimsonLegionVMCXIX

Thanks for the information, now I understand. I looked them up and yeah, they're Shaw/Celestial.

So... the Shaw Brothers did make it into the line after all! They're not left out.

I will probably buy it on a boxset sale.

I think any Hong Kong films Shout releases from now on will be part of this line.

[Stringer-Bell]

Originally Posted by fattyjoe37

I think store exclusives make sense for the more obscure titles that won't move as many units as a Woo or a horror film. Some of these have less than 100 views on Letterboxd/ratings on IMDb. I'll be grabbing this to support the line and check out the films. If I don't end up digging them, I'll sell it. Don't need to own something if I'm not a fan of at least one of the films.

On the flip side though a label like 88 Films would absolutely give each one of these films an individual release.

[RillIris]

Originally Posted by bongozoid

I think any Hong Kong films Shout releases from now on will be part of this line.

I have a feeling we’ll get one final Shaw Bros Classics set, 5-7 followed largely in 1-4’s footsteps, and there is definitely room for a volume 8 along those lines, even though I know the second batch were not quite as sequential.

Largely I think you’ll be right though, some of the occasional newer Hong Kong titles I don’t think will be part of the line, but anything older. Will be interesting to see if they may even double dip eventually, give a title a nicer collectors edition upgrade, or potentially split some of the Jackie Chan titles out separately from those 2 box sets with 4K upgrades perhaps.

[Danespina]

Originally Posted by Stringer-Bell

On the flip side though a label like 88 Films would absolutely give each one of these films an individual release.

On the other flip side, probably not for $13 each (Shout's price divided by 6).

[MifuneFan]

Don't think it was mentioned, but one of the films, Loving You (1995) is from Johnnie To.

[AnimalCMan]

Originally Posted by Stringer-Bell

On the flip side though a label like 88 Films would absolutely give each one of these films an individual release.

Except in this case, I doubt there would be much of a difference other than the consumer getting gouged for a lot more money. 88 used to give every release a slipcover, booklet, and poster, now we're lucky to get just a slipcover on some. Special features have also been pretty sparse on many of their recent releases too. Not trying to knock 88 Films, who I've been a huge supporter of the past five years, but I'm definitely starting to scale back on what I pick up from them because it's adding up. Most of their new releases are blind buys for me too, meaning I come to regret the purchases a lot more when there's zero interest on the secondary market if I decide to offload them.

I can appreciate Shout going this route if it saves me money ($80 for 6 movies is about $13 per film) while also giving each of these their own disc and case inside the box. I plan to distribute these among the collection outside of the box like I did with their recent blaxploitation set.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Don't think it was mentioned, but one of the films, Loving You (1995) is from Johnnie To.

I've been looking forward to watching this after it was discussed in the supplements for Lifeline. I haven't seen any films in this set but I'm very interested in Loving You. Will all of the titles in this set be getting a 4k restoration?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

I've been looking forward to watching this after it was discussed in the supplements for Lifeline. I haven't seen any films in this set but I'm very interested in Loving You. Will all of the titles in this set be getting a 4k restoration?

No clue about the restoration status of these films. I would guess they'll be similar quality to stuff from their Shaw Brothers Classics sets.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

No clue about the restoration status of these films. I would guess they'll be similar quality to stuff from their Shaw Brothers Classics sets.

Gotcha, I have all the SB classics sets and understand that those are older Celestial masters. I ask because this set is in the new Hong Kong Cinema Classics set and the blurb on SF's site says that the line features 4k restorations.

[darkness2918]

Never seen any of these but I’m always up for more HK movies so might blind buy this.

[mr-fezz]

$50 CAD.shipping.. ouch.

[Danespina]

Originally Posted by mr-fezz

$50 CAD.shipping.. ouch.

Yikes.

For your information, Shout breaks that down as following:

Passport Priority Duties and Taxes Paid
Shipping 36.07 CAD, Tax 14.55 CAD, Duty 0.00 CAD

But still, I'd just wait till it shows up on eBay.

[mr-fezz]

Originally Posted by Danespina

Yikes.

For your information, Shout breaks that down as following:

Passport Priority Duties and Taxes Paid
Shipping 36.07 CAD, Tax 14.55 CAD, Duty 0.00 CAD

But still, I'd just wait till it shows up on eBay.

Ending up ordering!

[DooK]

Getting this boxset just for Loving You, which is an underrated Johnnie To movie.