Chinatown Kid: Technical Notes

Technical Notes Technical Notes:
Chinatown Kid
All Content Used With Permission.

TIP: Log In to enable enhanced Interact features.NEED HELP?

    by Jack Ingoldsby

I had been looking forward to seeing this. I first saw the movie in the 1980s on Warner VHS. But this version is quite different, being considerably shorter (the version I saw was about 25 minutes longer), and the film suffers for it. Rather than cutting out scenes, reaction shots are cut, including one I remember quite vividly. Also, though my memory of the first version is not perfect, it appears in this version.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the drama and acting better than the fighting, though they are both affected by the extensive cutting, which impedes the flow of both story and action.




    by RT3638

[HKFlix NOTE: This contains spoilers as to the ending of the film.] You may note that there are several DVD versions of this picture. some claiming to be "uncut" or "original." Be informed that there are at least two endings for this film-- one in which our hero is shot down by police, and another in which he walks away in very unconvincing handcuffs. The IVL/Celestial version is the happy ending.



    by Kung Fu Bob



Just want to share a bit of technical info for viewers of this very enjoyable Shaw classic. The release of this film by IVL / Celestial is not the ultimate edition you might expect from them, but it has some interesting surprises. Most old school fans have already seen this title in it's dubbed version many times. In fact, lucky fans may have discovered the version that Steeplechase released on VHS, many years back, in a dubbed widescreen version. The picture was a little dark, but with a running time of approx. 1:54, and with all the carnage intact, it was certainly a great representation of the film. Not only is the new Celestial DVD shorter by nearly a half hour, but it features some completely different footage and an alternate ending! The print they restored looks stunning, but some of the edits are down-right jarring. There are three main gangsters (Lo Meng, Kuo Choi, and Wang Lung Wei) in this version, completely ommiting an entire subplot following a fourth gangster. Several great fights are missing, and Fu Sheng's more violent and blatantly criminal acts are edited out, downplaying his immersion in the underworld. But most curious, are the scenes between Fu Sheng and Kuo Choi's characters at the gangster's hideout. The VHS version shows a super groovy, psychedelic place where Kuo acts like the violent scum he is. The DVD version features some of the same dialogue, but in completely different takes on a much less elaborate set. It also presents a more sympathetic version of Kuo's character. In fact, in the DVD version he seems like he could be a misunderstood hero for most of the film. The dubbed version ends much more dramatically than the digital one.

***SPOILER ALERT***
In the dubbed one, Fu Sheng kills Kuo Choi and dies from a knife in the gut. While the DVD shows both men being arrested, with Fu gladly accepting his just punishment. ***END SPOILER ALERT***

For those who care, there's also the crummy looking, full-frame, dubbed DVD out there. This version shares more scenes in common with the dubbed tape including the ending (minus a short coda), but only runs 1:29, and has all the violence edited out.

Since the Steeplechase VHS is long out of print, newer fans will probably only ever see this newest DVD representation, and that's a shame. The fight footage missing includes a great gang rumble with proplonged duels between Lo Meng and Kuo Choi, and Wang Lung Wei and Fu Sheng.

It would be great if Celestial rereleased it as a special uncut edition, with the alternate footage available as extras, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
CLOSE THIS WINDOW

This window is a "pop-up" from at HKFlix.com.
If you've arrived here from somewhere else,
please CLICK HERE for our home page!