880-01 Dong fang san xia = The heroic trio ; Executioners = xian dai hao xia chuan / Media Asia Film ; China Entertainment Films Production Ltd. ; Paka Hill Film Production Co. presents.
Edition:
Two-Blu-ray special edition.
Publisher:
The Criterion Collection,
Copyright Date:
2024
Description:
2 videodiscs (185 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 folded insert
Container of (expression ): Heroic trio (Motion picture). English Container of (expression): Executioners (Motion picture). English
Notes:
The heroic trio: Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung, Damian Lau, Anthony Wong, James Pak. Executioners: Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung, Damian Lau, Anthony Wong, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Lau Ching Wen. Originally released as two motion pictures in 1993. Wide screen (1.78:1). Special features: 4K digital restorations of The Heroic Trio and Executioners, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks ; Alternate English-dubbed and 5.1 surround Cantonese soundtracks ; New interview with actor Anthony Wong ; New interview with film critic Samm Deighan (cohost of the podcast Twitch of the Death Nerve) ; Trailers ; New English subtitle translations. Accompanied by folded insert containing an essay by critic Beatrice Loayza
Contents:
(97 minutes). Executioners / story by Sandy Shaw ; screenplay by Susanne Chan ; produced and directed by Johnny To, Ching Siu Tung (88 min.) -- Disc 2. Executioners / story by Sandy Shaw ; screenplay by Susanne Chan ; produced and directed by Johnny To, Ching Siu Tung (97 minutes).
Summary:
The star power of cinema icons Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh fuels these gloriously unrestrained action joyrides from auteur Johnnie To and action choreographer Ching Siu-tung. The Heroic Trio and its sequel, Executioners, follow a new kind of justice league: a team of blade-throwing, shotgun-toting, kung fu-fighting heroines who join forces to battle evildoers in a dystopian, noirish city. Blending dazzling martial-arts mayhem with exhilarating blasts of comic-book lunacy, these beloved superhero movies reimagine the genre through the giddy genius of the Hong Kong film industry at its height. -- container The Heroic Trio (1993): "With this outrageously entertaining cult favorite, director Johnnie To and his lineup of legendary stars gave Hong Kong cinema something new: its own homegrown superhero cinematic universe. Thief Catcher (Maggie Cheung), Wonder Woman (Anita Mui), and Invisible Girl (Michelle Yeoh) are kick-ass crusaders who must overcome their dark pasts in order to defeat an evil, baby-snatching eunuch terrorizing the city. Eye-popping motorcycle stunts, bloodthirsty undead, cannibal infants, and kinetically choreographed wirework are all part of the wall-to-wall delirium in this irresistible showcase for three of the coolest women warriors ever to hit the screen." -- publisher's website Executioners (1993): "Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh return in this gritty, postapocalyptic sequel to The Heroic Trio. Following a devastating nuclear attack, Hong Kong's supply of clean water has fallen into the hands of a masked maniac (Anthony Wong) intent on seizing political power--forcing the three fearless fighters to settle their differences and unite to stop him. Darker in tone than the original, Executioners finds Johnnie To and codirector/martial-arts choreographer Ching Siu-tung continuing to push their whirlwind action set pieces to new levels of cartoon craziness, while adding an abundance of grungy, dystopian atmosphere and a fresh dose of antiauthoritarian attitude." -- publisher's website.
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