The LA Beat

“Millionaire’s Express” (1986, Arrow Video) Sammo Hung, a small-time criminal with oversized ambitions, hatches a scheme to revive his small town by derailing the titular train and forcing its wealthy passengers to spend money at his new hotel/brothel. This admittedly ridiculous plan is further complicated by do-gooder fireman turned police chief Yuen Biao and rogue cop Eric Tsang, who plans to rob the train, as does a multinational gang of bandits with designs on a map carried by three samurai (including legendary kicker Hwang Jang-lee and the impressive Yukari Oshima). Based on that plot breakdown, writer/director Hung’s epic-scaled Western tribute/comedy might seem overstuffed with side plots, but Hung keeps all the threads no only coherent but also entertaining; it helps that the fight choreography is absolutely stunning (with Biao landing on his feet after a two-story leap among the highlights) and the comedy bits very funny, as does his massive cast of Hong Kong superstars, including pop singer Kenny Bee, Australian Richard Norton and American Cynthia Rothrock, veteran bad guy Dick Wei, and even the venerable Jimmy Wang Yu. A prime example of Hong Kong martial arts cinema at its most vibrant period in the 1980s; Arrow’s two-disc Blu-ray bundles four different versions of the film, including the Hong Kong theatrical versions, two different international edits, and a “hybrid” cut which integrates footage from the three other versions (and yes, all four are different and worth watching). Multiple commentaries by, among others, Rothrock and various experts, are also included, as are interviews with Hung, Biao, and Oshina, and alternate English credits.

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