Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray Synopsis: After a Polish diplomat and his family are murdered by a radical terrorist organization, CIA agent Gary Redner tracks the violent extremist group to Hong Kong on a personal mission of revenge. Once in Hong Kong, the 'rough-and-ready' Gary is reluctantly partnered with 'by the book' Special Branch Inspector Bong,in order to track down the terrorists before their next horrific attack. While the two men do not see eye to eye professionally nor culturally, they must put aside their personal differences and work together in order to take down the terrorist organization as well as the group's mysterious and ruthless leader, known only as Hannibal. Featuring the signature bloody violence that director Ringo Lam (City on Fire, Burning Paradise) has become known for, UNDECLARED WAR is a dark and uncompromising neo-noir that doesn't pull its punches. One of the rare Hong Kong productions featuring a mix of international actors speaking multiple languages, UNDECLARED WAR stars American actor Peter Liapis (Ghoulies),Hong Kong actor Danny Lee (John Woo's The Killer), renowned Australian character actor Vernon Wells (The Road Warrior), and acclaimed British actress Olivia Hussey (Black Christmas), Vinegar Syndrome Archive is proud to present this stylishly directed slice of Hong Kong action on Blu-ray for the first time in the United States,newly restored from studio supplied masters. (107 Mins)

 

Mei Ah HK DVD Synopsis: The movie is designed to deliver an action-packed suspense-thriller with ingenious plots that tells the story of a worldwide intrigue devised by an international terrorist organization. (107 Mins)

 

Views: When you watch Ringo Lam's fantastic Undeclared War, you realise what a mistake Raymond Chow made when he put James Glickenhaus in the directors seat for Jackie Chan's U.S. cop-thriller, The Protector. Had he acquired the services of Mr. Lam Ling Tung, we may have seen a better film overall – which also may have saved Jackie some reshoots down the line. Of course, I'm only speculating with what could have been (and we may never have gotten the incredible Police Story had it been done right), because after watching this incredible 2K restoration of Undeclared War on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, it's quite obvious that Lam puts the aforementioned Hollywood director to shame with what he can do with an international thriller. After his family are killed in Poland by an international terrorist organisation, CIA agent Gary Redner tracks down the killers in Hong Kong and finds himself placed under the watchful eye of Hong Kong super-cop, Inspector Bong. Together, and at times reluctantly, the law enforcers chase down the terrorists to bring them in, no matter what it takes, in a bid to find their leader – the global terrorist known as Hannibal!

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I just love this movie! It gives me nostalgic vibes of the amazing 80s Hollywood action-thrillers and offers some wonderfully brutal action that just screams the directors trademark. If there was ever a Hong Kong title that was criminally underrated and ignored by fans, I'd have to say it was this one – yet I can't understand why! Ringo Lam serves up a slick action thriller using an international cast with intense and realistic shoot-outs, brutal action scenes, and plenty of painful looking stunts. For me, Undeclared War is the original Rush Hour – minus the Hollywood cheese and loud comedy. In fact, it would be only fair of me to say how well Lam sprinkles moments of humour throughout this dark thriller without ever tainting the more-serious tone of it all. In a nutshell, Ringo does an amazing job in delivering the excitement of films such as Lethal Weapon, Tango & Cash, and 48 Hours, only with his typical Hong Kong flair and brilliance in brutal action – and I don't think I've ever seen a Cantonese movie from this period with so many decent Western actors involved. If Hollywood had caught wind of Ringo Lam and his directing skills when Undeclared War first came out, we may have seen him making waves in the West long before Maximum Risk came about. Of course, in the seven years prior to this, Lam had served up many incredible titles from his fun 1983 debut Esprit D'amour, Aces Go Places 4, Wild Search, and his super-popular 'On-Fire' series such as City On Fire, Prison On Fire, and the intense School On Fire (which really needs the same Blu-ray treatment as this film). I've long been a huge fan of his with Lam going on to deliver more great titles including Sammo Hung's Touch & Go, the amazing Full Contact, epic Burning Paradise, Prison On Fire 2, Andy Lau's original and underrated The Adventurers, Full Alert, and more – including a co-directing credit on Jackie Chan's Twin Dragons. Unlike many of Hong Kong's other filmmakers, Lam made a surprisingly small amount of films during his time in the industry – directing just 24 films in 37 years – and I can only imagine what we could have got had he been around a bit longer...

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Presented by the wonderful Karl Maka, director/producer Ringo Lam secured the services of Jackie Chan Stunt Team members Chris Lee, Nicky Li, and Rocky Lai to choreograph the action; as well as the infamous Mars who also plays a great role as one of the bad guys in Hong Kong. Widely known as one of the stunt guys who survived the famous 'bus stunt that went wrong' in Police Story, Chris Lee started his acting career in the early 80s with a small appearance in Once Upon A Mirage, followed by roles in Ching Siu Tung's amazing Duel To The Death, Chow Yun Fat's Blood Money (ironically about Hong Kong stuntmen risking their lives in the industry), and Chang Cheh's Attack Of The Joyful Goddess which helped to gain him the attention of Jackie Chan who brought him on-board with Project A – going on to appear in films such as Police Story 1 & 2, Project A 2, and Miracles, as well as starring in other classics like Eastern Condors, Killer's Nocturne, In The Line Of Duty 3 and 5, Ringo Lam's Full Contact and Full Alert, and more including Cynthia Khan's rarely seen Queen's High; which was also his directorial debut. Going on to direct 5 titles over the next 12 years, including the brilliant Crystal Fortune Run of which he also produced and co-starred in, Chris Lee kept himself busy as a producer and choreographer on films like Drunken Master 3, My Flying Wife, Wicked City, Burning Paradise, China White, Twin Dragons, Heroic Duo, and Max Zhang's brilliant thriller, The Brink. Nicky Li Lung Chi would follow a similar path, albeit joining the film industry and Jackie's team a good 5 years after Chris. Starring in many of the same titles and working with Lee many times over the years, Nicky Li also appeared in films such as Gangs '92, Project S, Thunderbolt, Mr. Nice Guy, Shanghai Knights, Around The World In 80 Days, and Rob-B-Hood, among many more. As well as co-directing Legendary Assassin with Wu Jing, the highly sought after stuntman would gain much attention for his work as an action-choreographer, having lent his talents to titles like the Young & Dangerous Series, Gen-X Cops, The Medallion, Fatal Contact, Invisible Target, Fatal Move, Shaolin, Bad Blood, Ip Man: The Final Fight, SPL 2, Rumble In The Bronx, and many of Jackie Chan's Hollywood outings. Similar again in story and timeline, Rocky Lai joined the team with his brother and has went onto star in almost 3 times as many movies as his team-brothers. Working on most Jackie Chan vehicles – either with Chan as the star or as the producer – Lai has also appeared in films such as China White, Into The Fire, God Of Gamblers, Angel Terminators, Project S, Queens High, Storm Riders, Body Weapon, Anna In Kung Fu-Land, and others. And then, of course, there's the ever-popular Mars; stuntman and double to Jackie Chan as well as one of his closest friends and an action star in his own right. Starting as a child actor in the late 60s for the Shaw Brothers studio, Mars first crossed paths with Jackie Chan on the fun Cub Tiger From Kwantung. While they would meet again a number of times over the years as stuntmen and bit-players, it would be Sammo Hung that Mars would work with most until Jackie became a superstar; with Mars joining him for the fantastic Dragon Lord before Project A and Police Story. By the time he joined forces with Chan, Mars had already appeared/starred in around 80 films – over double that of Jackie himself – and fast became known as one of the bravest stuntmen on the JC team, making an impression in the industry and with film fans worldwide. In Undeclared War, Mars stars as one of the Hong Kong bad boys that gets more than a bit-part and a few brilliant action scenes to play around in. But I have to say that all of them together, provide an amazing number of incredible set-pieces that are stylishly done and definitely add to the thrill of it all. From the opening brutal shoot-out in the church to the fight at the funeral home, and the explosive showdown in the apartment block that sends most of our heroes flying out a window and onto some bamboo scaffolding, Lee, Li, Lai and Mars do an incredible job in delivering some memorable action sequences that make the main cast members work hard for their money.

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Another huge bonus of Undeclared War is the fantastic cast that Ringo Lam had pulled together. The amazing Danny Lee shares the lead with American actor Peter Liapis – star of cult classics such as Ghoulies, Ghost Warrior/Swordkill, and Fast Getaway 2 with Cynthia Rothrock. Here, Liapis plays CIA agent Gary Redner; the man out for vengeance to take down his family's killers. After following them to Hong Kong, Redner finds himself clashing with Hong Kong's finest and is put under the care of Inspector Bong (Lee). This, as I previously mentioned, is where I see the comparison of Undeclared War to Brett Ratner's Rush Hour; with Peter Liapis in the role of Jackie Chan and Danny Lee to that of Chris Tucker. Of course, this is a much more serious affair than its Hollywood counterpart, with Peter delivering a great performance and holding his own against Lee in, what would have been, a pretty big foreign production for him. There were times that I felt Peter's look and acting came across like a late-80s Kurt Russell – as seen in Big Trouble In Little China or Tango & Cash for example – and it just makes me think of what could have been had the budget been bigger, and Hollywood were more aware of Ringo Lam's work! Regardless, Liapas does a great job and doesn't disappoint. Of course, next to him, Danny Lee was a superstar by comparison (and especially in his home turf) and had already starred in almost 100 films by this stage. From many Shaw Brothers classics including The Blood Brothers, Super Inframan, Killer Clans, Battle Wizard, The Mighty Peking Man, The Brave Archer Series, and many more, to modern hits like Law With Two Phases, City On Fire, Final Justice, The Killer, Road Warriors, Tiger On The Beat 2 and Unmatchable Match, Danny Lee Sau Yin was a force to be reckoned with. Not only was he in high demand as an actor, but Lee had already directed 7 features by 1990, including Oh, My Cops, Cop Busters, and the aforementioned Law With Two Phases and Road Warriors, as well as producing a number of his own starring vehicles. I really loved Lee in this role which allowed him to flex his acting chops, as well as get in on plenty of action. I also enjoyed how he delivered over 50% of his lines in English, and with the same amount of enthusiasm as he would in his native tongue. But it would be Australian actor Vernon Wells who, theoretically, would be the more internationally known star of the show. Recognised for his role as Wez in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and the blood-thirsty Bennett in Arnold Schwarzenegger's action hit, Commando, Wells also appeared in Hollywood movies like Weird Science, Innerspace, Fortress, and Space Truckers – as well as securing a long term role on the Power Rangers Time Force show as Ransik. In Undeclared War, Vernon plays Hannibal; the brutal terrorist leader and stone-cold killer who is intent on causing as much damage as possible. I quite enjoyed him in this role, and found that he brought the same type of menace to the character like that of many James Bond villains – which oddly worked. Award winning British actress, Olivia Hussey, adds to the strength of the cast and co-stars as one of Hannibal's radicals. Gaining critical acclaim for her role in 1968's Romeo & Juliet, Hussey went on to star in films such as Black Christmas, Summertime Killer, Death On The Nile, The Cat & The Canary, and Psycho 4, as well as voicing characters on many DC and Star Wars animated shows. The great Tommy Wong Kwong Leung stars as Danny Lee's partner and does a brilliant job once again, and it was great to see Louis Roth appear in a much stronger role than usual – although being one of the screenwriters for the movie may have helped that. Having started in the Hong Kong film industry in the mid-80s with roles in Godfrey Ho movies such as Ninja Operation 3: Licensed To Terminate, Ninja Commandments, and Ninja In The Killing Field – as well as a brief role in Brandon Lee's Legacy Of Rage – Roth went on to become a recognisable face in over 30 Cantonese productions including A Better Tomorrow 2, Police Story 2, Burning Ambition, Miracles, Casino Raiders, Black Cat, City Hunter, and more. Unfortunately, Louis would pass in 1994, with notable roles in Jackie Chan's Drunken Master 2 and Moon Lee's Little Heroes Lost In China marking his final appearances. The beautiful Rosamund Kwan also appears, this time as a reporter pulled into the mix and harrassed by Hannibal, and the great Victor Hon Kwan who appeared in films such as Final Justice, Dragon In Jail, Lee Rock, Operation Scorpio, My Flying Wife, Peace Hotel, and Ringo Lam's 'On Fire' series, stars as the bad-ass partner of Mars and, like most of the Hong Kong cast, does a great job in delivering a lot of his lines in English. And finally, I was pleasantly surprised to see the infamous IFD ninja, Stuart Smith, pop-up as another one of Hannibal's lackeys. While many of us have laughed at his roles in Godfrey Ho's ninja epics, including The Ultimate Ninja, Ninja Hunt, Golden Ninja Invasion, and others, it was great to see him get the chance to deliver a decent performance here that, unfortunately, would also prove to be his last.

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Lau Hung Cheun, director of the wild horror film Devil Fetus, as well as The Ghost Informer, A Chinese Legend, and Those Were The Days, serves as the cinematographer for Undeclared War and delivers some stunning shots – made even better thanks to this restored Blu-ray release. Starting behind the camera in the early 70s, Lau has shot many great titles over the years including Tsui Hark's We're Going To Eat You, Return Of The Deadly Blade, Duel To The Death, Iron Angels, Ringo Lam's Full Contact, Jackie Chan's Thunderbolt, and many more. It's also worth noting the great score and original music in the film which is thanks to Noel Quinlan, a composer who worked on Hong Kong titles like Aces Go Places 3: Our Man From Bond Street, The Man From Hong Kong, Inspector Wears Skirts 2, Carry On Yakuza, and Ringo Lam's Touch & Go. Having grown up in Belfast during a time when terrorism was rife, I can see many similarities to that of the story in Undeclared War and understand the fight from both sides of the story. In fact, it's very similar in tone to Jackie Chan's amazing film, The Foreigner, which I also very highly recommend. Regardless, I feel that Ringo Lam has been robbed of praise for his work here. Undeclared War is wonderfully made, slickly directed, brilliantly violent, and packed with exciting action and is a forgotten gem of Hong Kong cinema!

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Overall: An underrated classic from the late Ringo Lam, Undeclared War is a brutal action-thriller that's well worth seeing!

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Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary with Samm Deighan, Interview with Vernon Wells, Interview with composer Noel Quinlan

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Watch my unboxing video of the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray release HERE