Originally published on Set The Tape
Whilst Hollywood wouldn’t see a big boom in comic book movies until the early 2000s, peaking with the current day explosion in the genre, other parts of the world have been quietly adapting their own comics to the big screen for decades, creating movies that have gone on to become cult classics in their own right.
One such movie is the Hong Kong sci-fi action film Black Mask, starring the world renowned Jet Li as the titular superhero fighting against his former comrades in order to protect his new life. And thanks to Eureka Entertainment, not only has it been brought to Blu-ray, but the new Limited Edition set includes multiple versions of the film, and is packed with extras that fans will adore.
The film stars Jet Li as Tsui Chik, a mild mannered librarian who enjoys a quiet life by day, but at night dons a mask and takes to the streets to fight crime in secret. It transpires that Chik was once part of a special group of soldiers, the 701 Squad, who went through specialised experiments to enhance their bodies. Unable to feel pain, possessing enhanced strength and reflexes, the members of the Squad became super-soldiers, capable of completing any mission they were given. However, thanks to being unable to feel pain, the members of the Squad would push themselves too hard, which could lead to their deaths.
The Squad was shelved, and many of the surviving members killed. Chik, however, escaped, and has made a new life for himself. However, his new life is threatened when Chik learns that the survivors of 701 Squad, led by his former commander, have gone rogue. Using their abilities to brutally kill crime lords and drug dealers, they’ve put the city, and Chik’s new friends, at risk. Now Chik must face his past in order to save his future.
Adapted from the comic series of the same name by Pang Chi-ming and Li Chi-tak, the central character takes inspiration from Kato from The Green Hornet, and Li’s look in the movie will instantly bring to mind Bruce Lee in the iconic role. Heavily adapted, the film is quite different from the source material, choosing to try to appeal to what was popular in Hong Kong cinema at the time rather than creating a faithful interpretation. Despite this, the film still manages to work well, and ends up being an entertaining superhero story in its own right. It helps that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and isn’t focused on staying in the realms of reality. There’s a rollerblade fight at one point; make of that what you will.
The film feels like a comic book in some of the best ways. The action is bombastic and over-the-top, with huge set pieces, ridiculous effects, and huge explosions all over the place. It embraces the silliness of comics, throwing in laser guns, scenes where huge rainstorms happen just to make for a cool fight environment, and sets that are huge and gothic that don’t make sense in the world it’s set in but it looks cool in the moment so we let it slide. Black Mask is perhaps best described as style over substance, where the look of the film and the action carry it through thanks to a plot that doesn’t quite hold together.
One of the reasons that people have struggled with the plot of Black Mask over the years is that there are multiple versions of the film, released in different countries, with bootleg and pirate versions being shared around that further muddy the waters as to which version is the right one. The multiple versions of Black Mask was one of the few things that I knew about this film going in.
So which version does this new Limited Edition set come with? All three. Included across this two disc set are the Hong Kong, Taiwanese, and US versions of the film, each one giving a slightly different experience, which definitely provides a reason to give all three a go. For the most complete version, however, the new set includes a fourth way to watch: the extended, complete version of the movie that mixed all of the unique pieces together into one ultimate version of Black Mask.
Alongside these four versions of the film the discs are packed with extra features, with an audio commentary for the Hong Kong version with Frank Djeng who goes into the history of superhero films and comic book adaptations in Hong Kong cinema that makes for fascinating listening, whilst the US edition features Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, who have featured on a number of Eureka commentaries before and stick to their established formula. There’s also an archival making of featurette; a new interview with stunt man Mike Lambert, who goes into what it’s like working on a Hong Kong movie as opposed to a US shoot; a new interview with film critic Andrew Heskins, who talks about the film; and a new interview with author Leon Hunt who goes into the career of Jet Li.
For those who are fans of the film and who want to see it in a more complete version, or who want to see the various other presentations, this is the release of the film that you’ve been waiting for. It’s also a great set for those who want to see a different take on the superhero genre, or for fans of Jet Li who might want to check out one of his more memorable projects. Whether you’re new to Black Mask or an old fan, Eureka have provided a great addition to your collection.
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