Martial Arts legend Angela Mao must face off against all manner of demons and masters if she’s to save her father in the insanely brilliant The Angry River. New to Blu-ray from 88 Films.
The Film
The Angry River is a perfect example of a brilliant combination of story, action, and star power. Star Angela Mao is given a truly great debut star vehicle where she plays a daughter who’s lost all her martial arts skills in order to receive the antidote for the poison her father was given.
The film is essentially nothing more than the log line above. However, director Huang Feng imbues the film with such kinetic energy during its prolonged hero’s journey that the bare-bones plot isn’t a detriment but rather a key to its success. The film always finds clever ways to have Mao use her intelligence to outwit the villains (there are plenty of them).
Though the film never succumbs to a mere chase or a series of unrelenting action scenes. From turning the tables on a group of would-be assailants to scaring her main pursuer to fighting a snake/lizard demon, the film always seems to want to keep an audience on its toes with surprise after surprise. Fight choreographer Sammo Hung (who also appears in a cameo with bleached blonde hair) strikes the balance between the traditional wuxia action and modern bloodletting that became the staple of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
If one has never seen an Angela Mao film, The Angry River is the perfect place to start. The film isn’t exploitative and never suffers from her being a wilted lily. Mao’s Lan Feng struggles to earn her well-fought victory. Mao is both a credible, dramatic, and action lead that many of her male counterparts could never say.
The best part of the film, and any truly great martial arts film of the era, is the slam cut endings, getting out at the absolute second that the story is over. The Angry River has one of the all-time great slam cut endings. One that will at first have you upset, but seconds later appreciate the audacity of the ending.
The Transfer
This is the all-new 2K restoration from the original film elements, is another winner from 88 Films. The last transfer we spoke about (The Invincible Eight) was almost too good because of the widescreen photography’s soft focus. Not the case here with The Angry River. The flawless restoration work here highlights the amazing widescreen photography. There isn’t a scratch or blemish throughout the runtime. The color reproduction and contrast levels are wonderfully rendered here, giving us a pleasing image.
The Extras
They include the following;
- Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
- Image Gallery
- Reversible sleeve with original Hong Kong poster artwork
- Original Trailer
The Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth begins with the fact that this is the first Golden Harvest Film ever produced and the screen debut of Angela Mao, before diving into the film. This is a companion piece to their commentary on The Invincible Eight. Some of the details include the literal translation of the title; the box office results of the film; this was the first film produced, but not the first film released (which was The Invincible Eight); the various musical scores from other films they used (many cues from John Barry’s James Bond films); why Raymond Chow went to produce films with Golden Harvest in direct competition with the Shaw Brothers; an interesting discussion of the 1971 year in film and how this and The Invincible Eight were truly the only Wuxia/Sword Play film they would do before the Bruce Lee style films; the influence of King Hu’s A Touch of Zen and how Sammo (and many other crew members) worked on the film and maybe worked at the film at the same time; the troupe and subgenre in loosing their martial arts skills in both novels and films; a discussion of the professional and personal history of director Huang Feng; a discussion of the work of cinematographer Danny Lee (not the actor) and his various work with people like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and other luminaries of HK Cinema; a discussion of the interesting personal and professional history of star Angela Mao in her debut feature film; a larger discussion of the action choreography by Sammo Hung; a discussion of the studio and locations in Twain the production used; a larger discussion of the time in history this film takes place; a larger discussion throughout the voice actors; discussion throughout the commentary track about the various actors and their work here and throughout their career – keep your notes app open, you’ll want to write some of the films down; and much more.
Image Gallery (2:06) – the gallery, which consists of stills taken from the film, lobby cards, and poster art, runs automatically while the film’s score plays.
Original Trailer (3:52) – Mandarin with English Subtitles
The Final Thought
Another excellent Blu-ray release from 88 Films. Recommended!!