Eureka Entertainment continues its welcome release slate of classic martial arts movies from days gone by with A Queen’s Ransom from 1976, which, although it can hardly be called a classic by any means, does feature a stellar cast of action icons from the era. The film reunites George Lazenby and Jimmy Wang Yu, who co-starred in the far superior The Man From Hong Kong the previous year, plus the legendary kung fu queen Angela Mao along with Bolo Yeung, both of whom featured in Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon in 1973.
The story involves a group of international mercenary killers led by an Irish republican played by ex-007 Lazenby, who arrive in Hong Kong ostensibly to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, who is visiting the colony with her husband, Prince Philip. This visit actually took place in 1975, and much news footage filmed at the time is utilised to bolster the movie’s running time and this works to an extent to enhance the story. The police are aware of the gang’s intentions and race against time to thwart their plans, and needless to say, much martial mayhem and gunfire are on display before the movie reaches its fiery conclusion. Those expecting a barrage of beat-’em-up brawls in the movie will be disappointed, given the talents of the cast, but when the fists do start to fly, it’s great to see action stalwarts Wang Yu and Angela Mao doing what they do best. Lazenby is no slouch, too, as a particularly ruthless bad guy.
A Queen’s Ransom has never looked better than it does on this Blu-ray and it’s available both in the original Mandarin language with subtitles and also an acceptable English dub. There are two audio commentaries available from experts in Asian cinema, and there is also a particularly interesting featurette about George Lazenby’s ’70s forays in martial arts cinema. Although widely available back in the 1980s on a particularly dark and dingy VHS copy, this is a far more satisfying viewing experience. Eureka is to be congratulated for bringing this forgotten/unknown gem to a potentially larger audience. Expect to be flabbergasted, too, by the mid-’70s fashions on display here. Viva blue denim flares!!!
A QUEEN’S RANSOM is available on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment on May 27th.
