The Blue Jean Monster is Hong Kong Action Cinema’s answer to Dead Heat. 88 Films has put together a great Blu-ray edition with a new 2K Remaster from the Original Camera Negative.
The Film
The first few minutes of The Blue Jean Monster are smile-inducing for anyone who’s never seen the film but is familiar with Hong Kong Action cinema of the 1980s. Why do you ask? As soon as you see lead Shing Fui-On show up as a good guy you can’t help but smile. The actor is famously known for playing villains and specifically in John Woo’s The Killer as the merciless code-less Mafia Boss – as the hero of the film is a rare treat and one of this reviewer’s favorite “meta-troupes”. That troupe when type-casted villains get their shot at playing the hero – which works fabulously in this gem of an Action-Horror-Tinged-Revenge-Comedy (yes, it’s a mouthful but 80’s HK Action Comedies didn’t see a mashup they didn’t like).
The plot is stolen from Mark Goldblatt’s equally insane and insanely good cult action-comedy Dead Heat. An overworked and overzealous cop (Shing Fui-On) gets a tip that the criminals he’s been tracking are about to pull a bank job. The cop ends up getting murdered while trying to stop the criminals. Only to be brought back to life to avenge himself and see the birth of his son. Hijinx and action ensue.
The Blue Jean Monster is tonally all over the place but that’s a benefit to this cinematic mixtape. There are moments of sincere emotion one minute to turn into a raunch sex comedy with exploded breasts (yes, that’s what I said) the next to blood-splattering extreme action the next. This whack-a-mole anything-goes approach creates just enough tension to throw the viewer off giving an unexpected moment of twists and turns in the narrative to delight anyone that’s tired of the standard issue cop-action film. Director Ivan Lai keeps everything moving along so briskly one has no choice but to go along with every wild left turn and tonal shift he throws at you.
There may be some truly unhinged moments that may offend some but as long as one can go accept that this wasn’t the most PC of times … you’ll find The Blue Jean Monster a truly delightfully wild new action cult classic to put on your shelf alongside Dead Heat.
The Transfer
The 2K Remaster from the Original Camera Negative is another stunner from 88 Films. The transfer is sharp, clean without any hints of scratches or blemishes on the negative. The color reproduction and contrast levels are as good as Blu-ray can possibly be in standard dynamic range (e.g., as good as you can get without being 4K). I honestly never tire of saying that 88 Films has got another winner on their hands with this excellent transfer.
The Extras
They include the following;
- Man Made Monster – An Interview with Assistant Director Sam Leong
- Original Hong Kong Trailer
- Stills Gallery
Man Made Monster – An Interview with Assistant Director Sam Leong (20:27) – in this all-new interview the AD discusses not just the film but his career as well. Some of the details include how he got his start in film; working under and being mentored by prolific HK Producer Chua Lam; working with director Ivan Lai – and specifically working on The Blue Jean Monster; Lai’s thoughts on being a CAT III director – mostly it’s his own thoughts on directing CATIII films and why they do it; the genesis of The Blue Jean Monster – including admission about ripping off the concept from watching Dead Heat (on laserdisc no less!); the casting of Shing Fui-On as the lead – why he was cast; the issues that came with a lower budget and changes that needed to be made to accommodate that budget – which leads to larger conversation about the HK Film industry at the time; the troubles with the ending and budget overruns; and much more. Cantonese with English subtitles.
Original Hong Kong Trailer (2:57) – in Cantonese with English subtitles.
Stills Gallery (4:25) – the gallery consists of approximately 53 various production stills, poster art, and behind-the-scenes photos. The stills can be paused but unfortunately, they cannot be navigated through your remote. The gallery runs automatically with the score by Alan Tsui.
The Final Thought
88 Films continues to curate truly wonderful HK Genre Cinema releases from the 1980s. High Recommendations!!