When Jackie Chan exploded onto the scene, he changed the game forever. This was long before the rise of CGI and green-screen superhero antics. Jackie, a stuntman from Hong Kong, did it all (in-camera) and made most dangerous stunts look like a walk in the park. His million-dollar smile and lightning-fast moves captivated audiences and led to a string of notable films that would showcase with impressive skillset. It would take almost a decade (and the mainstream success of the classic ‘Rumble In the Bronx’) before American audiences would discover and embrace his masterful balance of action, comedy, and heart. However, once word was on the street about this larger-than-life action superstar, he became one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities and became a household name almost overnight!
As demand for Jackie Chan reached a fever pitch, die-hard cinephiles began digging into his back catalog to satisfy their cravings. This was no easy feat in the early days of the Internet! At the same time, many of the actor’s earlier films slowly began creeping their way into video rental stores and circulating as bootlegs both in high school hallways and the big city streets around the country. While it was always an incredible feeling to uncover an early Jackie film in the wild, many of these releases were low-quality transfers at best and had often been altered or heavily edited. While these releases offered the viewer a deeper glimpse into the world of Hong Kong cinema but ultimately left us thirsting for more. Truth be told, it would be years before many of us would see decent copies of these films, let alone ones that were fully intact and represented what the filmmakers had envisioned.
What we needed was a hero! In early 2022, Shout! Factory swooped in to save the day with the release of their first collection of Jackie Chan films — THE JACKIE CHAN COLLECTION VOLUME 1 (1976-1982). This robust 7 disc set included ‘The Killer Meteors,’ ‘Shaolin Wooden Men,’ ‘To Kill with Intrigue,’ ‘Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin,’ ‘Dragon Fist,’ ‘Battle Creek Brawl,’ and ‘Dragon Lord.’ These were all notable upgrades in quality and coupled with unique special features that made action cinema purists take note. Most importantly, for American audiences. it delivered a treasure trove of films that had previously only been released in modern formats in overseas markets.
In early 2023, when Shout! Factory revealed their plans for a second installment; our ears perked up. THE JACKIE CHAN COLLECTION VOLUME 2 (1983-1993) is a fitting follow-up to the company’s previous release. ‘Volume 2’ packs even more of a punch than its predecessor. In my eyes, this is one of the most ambitious eras of Jackie Chan’s career, which delivered some of his most inspiring performances. The films showcased on this gorgeous 8-disc Blu-ray set include ‘Winners And Sinners,’ ‘Wheels On Meals,’ ‘The Protector,’ ‘Twinkle,’ ‘Twinkle Lucky Stars,’ ‘Armour Of God,’ ‘Armour Of God II: Operation Condor,’ ‘Crime Story,’ and ‘City Hunter.’
If the 4K and 2K transfers of these classics weren’t enough to sell you, keep in mind that the set is jammed packed with a boatload of extras. The new audio commentaries and interviews are a welcome addition, allowing viewers to dig deeper into Jackie’s cinematic legacy. One of the most significant selling points is the inclusion of an 88-minute feature-length documentary titled ‘Break-Neck Brilliance: A New Era Of Jackie Chan And Skeleton-Shattering Stunts.’ The doc takes the deep dive we’ve always wanted, focusing on the actor’s legendary career and features interviews with some of the people who were there to witness the greatest firsthand.
Whether you are a long-time Jackie Chan enthusiast or just dipping your toes into the magnificent waters of Hong Kong cinema for the first time, you can’t go wrong with THE JACKIE CHAN COLLECTION VOLUME 1 (1976-1982). The collection truly captures the energy of the time period and the creative trajectory of the legendary Jackie Chan. In short, this is a terrific way to celebrate the legacy of one of Hollywood’s most revered action heroes.
THE JACKIE CHAN COLLECTION VOLUME 2 (1983-1993) SPECIAL FEATURES:
Customers ordering from ShoutFactory.com will receive an exclusive 18” x 24” rolled poster featuring the set’s new artwork, while supplies last.
WINNERS AND SINNERS
• 4K transfer from the original film elements
• NEW audio commentary by David West, critic and author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film
• NEW A Winning Formula – academic Dr. Luke White, author of Fighting without Fighting: Kung Fu Cinema’s Journey to the West, discusses the Hong Kong martial arts comedy
• Archival interview with director/actor Sammo Hung
• Teapot Tango – an interview with director/actor Sammo Hung
• The Man Behind the Legend: Sammo Hung
• Outtakes
• Alternate Japanese end credits
• Original Hong Kong Teaser and Theatrical Trailer
• English Trailer
• Japanese Trailer and TV Spot
• Still Gallery
AUDIO:
Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Mandarin 5.1 Dolby Digital
English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Alternate Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
TWINKLE, TWINKLE LUCKY STARS
• 4K transfer from the original film elements
• Alternate extended Taiwanese version – 4K transfer from the original film elements
• NEW audio commentary by David West, critic and author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film
• A Life of Laughter – an interview with actor Richard Ng
• Gentleman Warrior – an interview with actor Richard Norton
• Outtakes
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• English Trailer
• Japanese Trailer and TV Spot
• Still Gallery
AUDIO:
Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Mandarin Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Alternate Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
WHEELS ON MEALS
• 2K restoration from the original film elements
• NEW Audio Commentary with David West, critic and author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film.
• NEW Break-Neck Brilliance: A New Era of Jackie Chan and Skeleton-Shattering Stunts – a new 88-minute feature-length documentary on how Chan broke the mold (and his bones) with his daring choreography and set pieces upon his return to Hong Kong in the 1980s, featuring interviews with Wang Yao, one of the original members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, Emma Lee, former Manager of Talent for Golden Harvest, Chi-Hwa Chen, executive director of Police Story, Vincent Lyn, actor in Operation Condor, academic Dr Lin Feng, Frank Djeng of the NY Asian Film Festival and more…
• Outtake footage
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery
AUDIO:
Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Cantonese 5.1 Dolby Digital
Cantonese 2.0 with alternate soundtrack DTS-HD Master Audio
Original English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
English 5.1 (Classic Dub) Dolby Digital
English 5.1 (2006 Dub) Dolby Digital
ARMOUR OF GOD
• 2K restoration from the original film elements for the Hong Kong cut
• International Cut
• NEW Audio commentary from James Mudge, veteran Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks
• Rise of the Phoenix – Radek Sienski on Armour of God
• Interview with Jackie Chan
• Interview with Willie Chan
• Interview with editor Peter Cheung
• Japanese release outtakes
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Japanese Theatrical Trailer
• English Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery
AUDIO:
Mandarin Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio (Original Theatrical Mix)
Cantonese Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
English Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
English 5.1 Dolby Digital
Japanese Theatrical Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
ARMOUR OF GOD II
• 2K Scan of the original film elements
• Extended Cut
• NEW Audio commentary from James Mudge, veteran Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks (Extended Cut)
• NEW Notes for a New Direction – composer Stephen Endelman discusses crafting a new soundtrack for the American debut of Jackie Chan’s sequel
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery
AUDIO:
Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Cantonese Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio
THE PROTECTOR
• 2K Scan of the original film elements for the original US cut of the film
• Alternate “Hong Kong Cut” of the film by Jackie Chan in standard definition
· NEW Audio commentary from author and critic Kim Newman, moderated by filmmaker Sean Hogan
• From New York to Hong Kong – an interview with director James Glickenhaus (2013)
• Locations – Then and Now
• Behind the Scenes Trailer
• Original Trailer
• Hong Kong Trailer
• Japanese Teaser and Trailer
• Still Gallery
AUDIO:
English Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
English 5.1 Dolby Digital
Cantonese Mono (Alternate Cut)
Cantonese Home Video Stereo (Alternate Cut)
English/Cantonese Hybrid Mix (Alternate Cut)
CRIME STORY
• 2K Scan of the original film elements
• NEW Audio Commentary with James Mudge, veteran Hong Kong veteran Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks
• NEW Criminally Creative: The Story of a stylistic U-Turn – Andrew Heskins, film critic for easternKicks speaks about Jackie Chan’s change of pace with Crime Story
• Archival interview with Bruce Law
• Archival interview with writer Teddy Chan
• Archival interview with director Kirk Wong
• Deleted Scenes
• Original Theatrical Trailer
AUDIO:
Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Cantonese 5.1 Dolby Digital
English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
English 5.1 Dolby Digitial
CITY HUNTER
• 2K Scan of the original film elements
• NEW Audio Commentary with David West, critic and author of Chasing Dragons: The Introduction to the Martial Arts Film
• NEW Slapstick in the City: Jackie Chan enters the Nineties – Andrew Heskins, film critic for easternKicks, reflects on the surreal cult thrills of City Hunter
• Archival interview with Jackie Chan
• Archival interview with director Wong Jing
• Archival interview with stuntman Rocky Lai
• Archival interview with Richard Norton
• Archival interview with Gary Daniels
• Outtakes Music Video
• Outtake Montage
• Japanese Ending Credits
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Still Gallery
AUDIO:
Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Cantonese Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
Cantonese 5.1 Dolby Digital
English 5.1 Dolby Digital
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
