Overview: At the dawn of the 1990s, following a decade in which Hong Kong martial arts cinema was dominated by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, a new superstar emerged: Stephen Chow. Chow rose to fame as the star of both the Fight Back to School and Royal Tramp series and King of Beggars - a comedic take on the story of famed martial artist and folk hero So Chan, which helped pave the way for Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle.

So, Chan (Chow) is a naturally gifted martial artist - but lazy, unmotivated and spoiled by his wealthy parents. He is forced to make something of himself when he falls in love with Yu Shang (Sharla Cheung), a prostitute who agrees to marry him on one condition: that he enters and wins the upcoming imperial martial arts tournament. So Chan only hopes to win Yu Shang’s hand in marriage, but entering the competition soon leads him to become embroiled in a bitter feud between the famed Beggar Clan and a corrupt government official, Chiu Mo-kei (Norman Chiu).

A beloved character previously played by the likes of Yuen Siu-tien, Lau Kar-leung, Philip Kwok, Chow Yun-fat and Gordon Liu, So Chan - popularly known as Beggar So - was a legendary master of drunken boxing who lived during the late Qing dynasty, vividly brought to life in King of Beggars by a star on the rise in Stephen Chow. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia.

Blu-ray Verdict: King of Beggars is admittedly something of a departure for Stephen Chow, as he drops the zany over-the-top humor of his more well-known comedies to play a real legendary figure, So-Hat-Yi a.k.a the noted King of Beggars. Although you wouldn’t notice it’s not supposed to be a typical Chow comedy until well into the second half, because the convoluted, sometimes meandering story allows Chow to do all his usual comedy gimmicks before turning into a more serious historical action adventure.

There is plenty to admire here: a fun cameo from directing legend Yuen Woo Ping, the sleeping fist kung-fu style, some well mounted large-scale battle scenes, and the usual fantastical action sequences typical to the fantasy/swordplay genre. Unfortunately, it’s all a bit baffling, because the plot is uninvolving, and it’s all rather inconsistent in tone (one minute Chow is a bumbling idiot, the next he’s a stoic hero).

That all said, in most ways it does manage to end somewhat conclusively and it’s a great ride throughout. It should also be known that this was one of the biggest box office winners in Hong Kong when it came out in 1992. So yeah, it was a very enjoyable film overall, especially if you prefer martial arts to comedy (just not Stephen Chow’s best, in my humble opinion).

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Limited edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Sam Gilbey
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on King of Beggars and director Gordon Chan by Andy Willis
1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a new 2K restoration
Cantonese audio (original stereo presentation)
Optional English dub
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentary with East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Beggars and Tramps – new interview with director Gordon Chan
So Chan and Stephen Chow – new video essay by East Asian cinema scholar Gary Bettinson, co-editor of The Cinema of Stephen Chow
Original theatrical trailer

Official Purchase Link

www.eurekavideo.co.uk