The Royal Tramp One & Two (Dragon Dynasty DVD)
Picture: C+ Sound: C Extras: C+ Films: C+
Long
before making Kung-Fu Hustle work so
well, Stephen Chow was making a name for himself in the two hit Royal Tramp films. Part of the cycle of costume epic martial
arts comedies set in the past, these were hits with fans, though Chow is more
of the reasons to watch these than the writing or directing. Still, they show their age and are genre
favorites at best, granted you like this second cycle of comic kung-fu
releases.
The gag
is that he accidentally saves the Ming Dynasty through being a good, naïve
guy. The sequel has a vengeful woman
(Brigitte Lin) wanting to destroy him for doing it, even if it was by accident. Like too many of these films, the storylines
are just too thin, no mater how much money may be up on the screen. I can see why these might be fan favorites,
but unless you really love these kinds of films, you’ll be bored.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on both come from what seems to be new
prints, yet these still seem a bit soft and have detail issues. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes try to upgrade
old sound and do not do it so well, whether in Cantonese or English. The combination is odd, though at least new
sounds were not added. Extras on both
films include the original trailer and more solid audio commentary by genre
expert Bey Logan. An interview with
Writer/Co-Director Wong Ling is added to the sequel.
- Nicholas Sheffo
