88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: After seeing off hopping corpses in Mr. Vampire, the great Lam Ching Ying (Enter The Dragon; Eastern Condors) faces a new supernatural challenge: someone is using the living dead to smuggle drugs into modern day Hong Kong and only Lam's Officer Feng – policeman and Taoist master – can stop them, proving the power of the traditional Chinese magic in the process! Mixing comedy, action and esoteric lore,Magic Cop sees the incomparable Lam at his brilliant best. 88 Films are proud to present this gorgeously restored treat from the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. (88 Mins)

 

Imperial Pictures German DVD Synopsis: A former Hong Kong cop skilled in witchcraft returns to the rough city to claim the body of a girl linked to a drug ring who was killed in a police chase. After finding out that the girl died seven days before the chase, he joins the two detectives working on the case. Soon the arts of black magic were mastered... Stephen Tung Wai (of Contract Killer & Mortal Fighters fame) directed the unofficial final installment in the Mr. Vampire franchise. In this voodoo meets martial arts HK action game, you'll see Lam Ching Ying (Eastern Condors / Roboforce), Wilson Lam (Angel Force / Lethal Contact), and Billy Chong (Red Force 5 / Total Risk), who has previously played the Fighting "Kung-Fu Zombies" at its best! (84 Mins)

 

Eastern Heroes UK VHS Synopsis: Magic Cop sees the original Mr. Vampire himself, Lam Ching Ying, as a modern day police officer who favours more traditional methods to fight crime. His two assistants are very much of the modern school and are skeptical about his ways, but when a deadly vampire arrives from the other world seeking a mystical shield of power, the Magic Cop has the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his skills to the full in order to save the world from this deadly adversary. A perfect mix of traditional spooky shenanigans and modern day action makes MAGIC COP one of the more interesting additions to the prolific MR VAMPIRE series, popularised by the recent Channel 4 screening. (90 Mins)

 

Views: The first time I ever saw Magic Cop was via the Eastern Heroes VHS that was released here in the UK back in 1995. I had no idea what it was about and had only just caught Lam Ching Ying as the famed-vampire buster in the fantastic Mr. Vampire, which had screened on Channel 4 the previous Christmas along with (I think) Mr. Vampire 2, Spiritual Love, Esprit D'amour, Zu: Warriors Of Magic Mountain – and possibly one or two others. Although I had been watching and collecting Hong Kong movies for a few years by then, my mind was blown and I knew that I had to have more! Unlike the majority of Lam's adventures in this genre, Magic Cop was set in modern-day Hong Kong which helped give it a bit of originality at the time. This was a pretty clever move that mixed traditional Taoist exercises with modern police work, and saw Lam Ching Ying play an island cop that must go to Hong Kong to investigate some strange goings-on. Once there, he is paired with two young cops who take a fancy to his accompanying niece, although disregard his Taoist ways as nonsense. But it doesn't take long for their attitudes to change when they learn that a Japanese sorceress is using zombies to deliver drugs, and are soon reliant on their vampire-busting cop saving their lives, as well as their jobs!

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Having recently had a glorious restoration and Blu-ray release courtesy of 88 Films, I don't think I've ever enjoyed Magic Cop as much as I did on my latest watch and it was great to finally see the slightly longer Taiwanese cut which was also released on the same disc. With the success of recent Blu-ray restorations of the original Mr. Vampire and its sequels, released by Eureka Video, it's great to see another boutique label giving as much care to an equally entertaining companion piece. Sometimes known as Mr. Vampire 5, the film kicks off with an exciting opening that sees Lam take on a restless spirit after its fire is put out by accident. Here we get see some inventive attacks and captures, that sees the man himself encased with bricks before the film shifts to the city where we are introduced to the first zombie drug dealer. This takes place in a restaurant full of undercover cops who are patiently waiting for a deal to go down. When they finally approach the mysterious lady with a briefcase, they find she is practically unstoppable and – with one of the cops handcuffed to her ankle – proceeds to walk straight through the window and into the oncoming traffic! It certainly sets the ball rolling for what's to come, and really doesn't slow down for the most part – albeit for a few comedy sequences that were compulsory for Hong Kong films of this era. In fact, when you strip it all back, Magic Cop carries much of the same format and ingredients as its horror-comedy predecessors with Lam's Taoist priest (cop) taking on a couple of unruly students, one of which is a bit more clumsy than the other but, ultimately, want to learn the ways of the master in order to survive more crazy vampire attacks.

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While produced by Lam Ching Ying himself, the film was written by Tsang Kan Cheong and Sam Chi Leung – with the latter having written Lam's directorial debut, Vampire Vs Vampire, just a year previous (one of the sequels released by Eureka Video on their Hopping Mad Collection). Aside from that, Sam also penned greats like Oh, My Cops!, Three Against The World, The Blonde Fury/Lady Reporter, and Yuen Biao's underrated directorial debut, A Kid From Tibet. Tsang, on the other hand, had a bit more behind him with films such as It's A Drink! It's A Bomb!, Royal Warriors, Magnificent Warriors, and My Heart Is That Eternal Rose before penning Magic Cop, and would go on to write many of Stephen Chow Sing Chi's biggest hits including God Of Cookery, King Of Comedy, Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, and CJ7 among many others. I'm actually surprised that, after the success of the aforementioned Vampire Vs Vampire, Lam Ching Ying didn't opt to direct Magic Cop himself. Sure, the role of star and choreographer were already a lot to handle, but it was nothing he hadn't already been used to for many years. But maybe his time in the directors chair proved to deliver a little more pressure than he first thought – this time, making his debut as a producer instead to make things a little easier. Lam would give that role to the always popular Stephen Tung Wai, in what would also be his own directorial debut. Having made his entry into the Hong Kong film industry as a child actor in the early 70s, Tung Wai was always known for his small role as Bruce Lee's student in Enter The Dragon, yet made much more of an impression in kung-fu classics such as Along Comes A Tiger, Executioners From Shaolin, 18 Fatal Strikes, Mar's Villa, Ten Brothers Of Shaolin, and Sammo Hung's Incredible Kung Fu Master among many others. In the late 1970s, he would take double-up as the action-choreographer for many of his kung-fu titles, going on to secure his place as a highly sought-after fight director after delivering some top work in films such as The Peacock King, Crocodile Hunter, The Blade, A Better Tomorrow, Magnificent Warriors, The Accidental Spy, and so many more including modern hits like Hero, Bodyguards & Assassins, Saving General Yang, Reign Of Assassins, Seven Swords, and Kung Fu Jungle. As well as choreographing the fun action in Lam's previously mentioned Vampire Vs Vampire, Tung Wai also worked alongside the Hong Kong legend in early works like the Bruce Lee smash hit, The Thunderbolt Fist, The Shaolin Plot, Incredible Kung Fu Master, Hocus Pocus, Mr. Vampire 3, and the brilliantly fun Pom Pom & Hot Hot. Whether it was behind the camera or in front of it, it's clear that Lam Ching Ying trusted Tung Wai enough to handle what he wanted with Magic Cop...

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By the time he had appeared in his most infamous role as Mr. Vampire, the hugely talented and very missed Lam Ching Ying had already starred in over 90 films; some as an extra, some as a bit-player and stunt fighter, and plenty as a memorable character in action. Although he had worked with Sammo on many kung-fu titles throughout the 70s, Lam would soon become a firm fixture of Hung's team and would be given stronger roles in films such as Warriors Two, The Magnificent Butcher, Winners & Sinners, Heroes Shed No Tears, and the epic Prodigal Son alongside Yuen Biao and Sammo himself. Before donning the robes as the titular vampire buster, Lam had already delved into the horror-comedy genre with the big man in films such as Encounters Of The Spooky Kind, Hocus Pocus (with Stephen Tung Wai), The Dead & The Deadly, and even Those Merry Souls, respectively. While there was only 5 years between Mr. Vampire and Magic Cop, Lam played the same role in a number of sequels (and a television spin-off) before pretty much being stereotyped as the character for the rest of his career – through to his untimely passing in 1994. Lam is joined by two popular male stars of that time in the shape of Michael Miu and Wilson Lam; and not forgetting Eric Tsang's ex-wife, Wong Mei Wa, who plays his niece. I must admit, I've never been a huge fan of Wilson Lam's. There's no real reason why, but I've just never really gotten overly excited when seeing his name on any film. From Family Honor to Angel Force, or Casino Tycoon to Kickboxer's Tears, I've just never seen what all the fuss was about – but I did enjoy him here. Lam's partner is played by the wonderful Michael Miu, a more likeable actor who made his film debut in the cult classic, Centipede Horror. Like many western fans of Hong Kong cinema, the first film I ever saw Miu in would have been Sammo Hung's Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars – in what would've only had been his fourth role after Mad Mad ' 83, Men From The Gutter, and the aforementioned fan-fave horror. From there, Michael entertained in films such as Lucky Stars Go Places, Scared Stiff, The Dragon Family, Return Of The Lucky Stars, Proud & Confident, Burning Ambition, City Cops, Fatal Termination, The Outlaw Brothers, and many more through to Herman Yau's White Storm 2 in 2019. I enjoyed what both of them had to offer here, and felt that they complimented Lam Ching Ying's traditions well – often causing havoc and laughs along the way, and I wouldn't have said no to a sequel featuring them all. It was also great to see Wu Ma pop up as an old 'friend' of Master Lam's; proving to be a little more successful in his policing career and offering some help (indirectly) in solving the case. Of course, Wu and Lam had shared the screen many times before in the aforementioned Sammo Hung projects, and then some, with Wu Ma taking on the role of the vampire buster himself in Mr. Vampire Saga 4 – one of the few sequels and spin-off's to be missing Lam.

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The wonderful Michiko Nishiwaki stars as the mysterious Japanese sorceress who is using dead bodies to deliver drugs. For its time, I felt this was a pretty original idea – although I'm still trying to figure out why she needed to when she had the power to make any man work for her. Regardless, I really enjoyed her in the role and have always loved catching her on-screen. Since her memorable debut in My Lucky Stars (which would also have been her first time starring with Lam Ching Ying), Michiko has went on to entertain and impress in films such as In The Line of Duty 3, City Cops, Princess Madam, Dragon Fighter, Widow Warriors, and Outlaw Brothers, as well as many others and not forgetting her brief role in the brilliant God Of Gamblers. While she takes to art of black-magic very well, the Japanese body builder-turned-actor still gets to bust some moves when she comes face-to-face with Master Lam later in the movie. She is protected by super-kicker and all-round hard-man, Billy Chow, who had already shared the screen with Lam in the awesome Eastern Condors and Pedicab Driver, as well as having been choreographed by the star in the super fun Paper Marriage. With those films behind him and others such as Dragons Forever, Blonde Fury, Miracles, and License To Steal, Billy Chow's role in Magic Cop was a welcome one and one that will keep fans happy for sure. From here, Chow would go on to star in many fun Hong Kong titles such as Gambling Ghost, Robotrix, Escape From The Brothel, Kickboxer's Tears, Once Upon A Time In China 4, Future Cops, High Risk, Tai Chi 2, and recently made a return to the screen in Chin Kar Lok's fun action flick, The Golden Job. One of the victims that falls foul to the magic of the evil pair, is the great Frankie Chin (sometimes Chan), a Malaysian bodybuilder who made a career out of his muscle-bound look from his debut in Mr. Fortune to films such as Crocodile Hunter, Into The Fire, Underground Express, Story Of Ricky, Full Contact, Operation Scorpio, Bio Zombie, and more. I really enjoyed his appearance here, and even more-so when he was in zombie mode.

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The exciting and fast-paced action is choreographed by Lam Ching Ying himself, along with a team of highly skilled veterans from Sammo Hung's posse including Chow Gam Kong, Chan Man Ching, Shaw Brothers star Hsiao Ho, and Lee Chi Kit – Sammo's little brother who (looks just like him) also appears throughout as one of the cops. As a team that have worked together on many projects, and no doubt including director Tung Wai, I'm sure crafting such inventive and quick-fire action scenes came as a second nature to them all, and I've always found Lam's style to be a little different than most. Offering short bursts of action, compiling intricate moves and slick choreography, Lam and the team display a number of fun moments throughout from the magical introduction of his character to the puppeteering of Frankie Chin and Michael Miu; and not forgetting the full attack of Chin on the cops in a scene that reminded me of his later role in the aforementioned Bio Zombie, along with Lam's quick fight in the gym and the all-out, insanely designed, and crazy finale that sees the star take on Billy Chow and Michiko in demon-form. There's definitely a lot to love here for fans of Hong Kong action cinema with many other inventive scenes to love including, how to follow a car with an incense stick, a heat-loving demon that swells in the body, and so much more. While it still has its flaws, it's fair to say that Magic Cop still has a strong following today and still managed to do a lot of things then, that Hollywood could only have achieved with CGI. This is what makes Hong Kong films from this era so special, and just one of the reasons as to why I love returning to this movie over 30 years later!

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Overall: Wacky, wild, and inventive, Magic Cop is a great mix of horror, comedy, and slick action which Lam handles with ease and entertains as always!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: Taiwanese Cut with Alternate Score (93 Mins), Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng & Marc Walkow, Interview with Tung Wei, Image Gallery, Trailer

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Imperial Pictures DVD Extras: Trailers

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Watch my unboxing video for this 88 Films release HERE​