One of Jackie Chan’s most beloved films and the one which nearly killed him doing a stunt, Armour of God has got a special 2 disc deluxe collectors’ edition release by 88 Films in the UK with a new 2K scan and a ton of great special features.
Former musician Asian Hawk (Chan) becomes embroiled in a dangerous quest to seek out the last three parts of lost treasure the Armour of God, in order to save his ex-band mate’s girlfriend from the clutches of a ruthless cult.
Inspired by the Indiana Jones movies, Armour of God is a fun and action-packed adventure which has Jackie at the top of his game, the opening is great and the only thing is that it lags a bit in the middle with a little too much comedy before the all-out finale. The last half hour certainly has some of his best stunts and crazy fight scenes.
The 2 disc set from 88 Films is a stunning release. The new 2K restoration looks fantastic with great colours but still has that filmic look. Audio has multiple choices including –
2.0 Cantonese Mono (Original Theatrical Mix) Lorelei with newly-translated English Subtitles
2.0 Cantonese Mono (Original Theatrical Mix) Flight of the Dragon with newly-translated English Subtitles
2.0 Cantonese Mono (Home Video Mix) Lorelei with newly-translated English Subtitles
2.0 Cantonese Mono (Home Video Mix) Flight of the Dragon with newly-translated English Subtitles
2.0 Classic English Dub (Lorelei)
2.0 Classic English Dub (Flight of the Dragon)
[new and exclusive audio option] 2.0 Hybrid Cantonese / English (Lorelei)
[new and exclusive audio option] 2.0 Hybrid Cantonese / English (Flight of the Dragon)
5.1 Modern English DTS-HD MA
The hybrid track is interesting because it has the Chinese cast speaking Cantonese and the Western cast speaking English which works well for the most part.
Extras are again plentiful and include –
Audio Commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng
Audio Commentary with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Audio Commentary by Eastern Film Fans Forever
The Art of Action with Scott Adkins & Matt Routledge – Great breakdown of the fight scenes in the film.
Jackie Chan on VHS – The VPF Years with Steve Lawson
Rise of the Phoenix – Radek Sienski on Armour of God
Celebrity Talk Show (1989) 今夜不設防 Season 2 Episode 02 – 成龍) (Subtitled) – Excellent chat show featuring Jackie Chan.
Short film High upon High – The Armour of Funk (2016). Produced as a 30th-anniversary music video and was shot at original location from Armour of God
High Upon High – behind the scenes with Andy Long Nguyen & Side-by-Side
Hong Kong Movie Tours – Then & Now
Japanese Closing Out-takes
Interview with in-house Golden Harvest editor Peter Cheung
[archive] Interview with Jackie Chan
[archive] Interview with Willie Chan
Hong Kong Cantonese Trailer (Subtitled)
Hong Kong Mandarin Trailer (Subtitled)
English Trailer
Blu-ray Trailer
And after all of that disc 2 has the Internation cut of the film (88 minutes) with the classic English dubbed soundtrack.
The 88-page booklet that comes with it is a great read with many rare pictures and features 3 new essays + selected archive materials
* Eastern Heroes – by Tim Murray
* Jackie Chan, a trademark designed to succeed by Thorsten Boose
* Pixelated Punch: The Early Video Game Years of Jackie Chan by Audi Sorlie plus an Interview with Thorsten Nickel
You also get in the package –
Rigid slipcase with brand-new artwork from R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien
Reversible sleeve with alternative Hong Kong poster artwork
Double-sided foldout Poster
6 Replica Lobby Cards
Like they did with the release of Young Master, 88 Films have gone all out with this release and with the help of the fans have produced the ultimate edition of the film.
FILM – 8 PICTURE – 8.5 AUDIO – 10 EXTRAS – 10