88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: When a high-ranking Tibetan Lama is wounded by terrorists, only a transfusion of his ultra rare blood type can save him. Heroic Hong Kong cops Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, The Great Wall) and Alan Tam (Armour Of God) must protect the unlikely donor, Eric Tsang (Lucky Stars series) from the assassins out to kill him. Shot on stunning Singapore locations, The Last Blood also features former kung fu icon Leung Kar-yan (Warriors Two). From Hong Kong hitmaker Wong Jing (City Hunter, God Of Gamblers) comes a fast-paced action thriller showcasing three of the genre's brightest stars. (94 Mins)

 

German DVD Synopsis: During a flight together with the revolutionary religious leader Dakka Lama, the Hong Kong gangster Ben learns the incredible truth. His girlfriend Linda and the Dakka Lama are of the same blood and, although Linda was born 60 years later, had the same hour of birth and were to experience the same fate. Ben is sceptical. Only when the two are shot as they leave the airport and critically injured, do his doubts disappear. Only both of them can be saved with a blood transfusion. But their common blood type, “P”, is very rare, and Detective Stone and Ben only have eight hours to search for the three people in Singapore who have this blood type. (90 Mins)

 

Eastern Heroes UK VHS Synopsis: Small-time hood Andy Lau makes the ultimate mistake of travelling aboard the same plane as the Daka Lama, for in an assassination attempt by a Japanese suicide squad both the Daka Lama and Andy's girlfriend are badly wounded. Both victims need a transfusion of the same, extremely rare, blood group, but time is running out as the terrorists target all possible blood donors. Andy joins forces with a hard boiled cop, Alan Tam, and the bullet count rapidly rises to a ballistic crescendo as trigger happy cops and terrorists battle it out. This hi-octane flick has all the trademarks and high body count of a John Woo movie. Action packed from the opening credits to the incredible fight finale, THE LAST BLOOD is a must for all Hong Kong film fans. (90 Mins)

 

Views: Also known as Twelve Hours Of Terror in its home territory, Police Protectors in the Philippines, Hard Boiled 2 in the UK, and Hard Boiled 3 in Germany, Wong Jing's wild action-thriller The Last Blood has long been a firm favourite among fans of Hong Kong cinema, and for good reason! Filmed completely in Singapore, The Last Blood tells the tale of an assassination attempt on the Daka Lama's life that leaves both him and a young woman called May fatally injured when the Red Army open fire in the airport. Apart from sharing the same horoscope, the two victims also share a rare blood type – one so rare that finding the correct donor proves to be a challenge in itself. With the help of the police and anti-terrorist agent Lui Tai, they eventually find the man they need to save the Daka Lama, but in order to do so, they must get past the ruthless Red Army, and May's hot-headed boyfriend who will do whatever he can to keep his girlfriend alive!

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Written and directed by the highly prolific Wong Jing, a man who is one of my biggest inspirations as a film-maker and one of the biggest names in Hong Kong cinema still to this day. Starting off in the industry as a scriptwriter – a job he continues to do today with almost 200 writing credits to his name – Wong eventually made his directorial debut in 1981 with the fantastic Challenge Of The Gamesters; a Shaw Brothers production that kicked-off his love for gambling-action movies which would lead to his mega-hit God Of Gamblers and its many sequels, as well as others such as Casino Raiders, Casino Tycoon, The Conman, Kung Fu Mahjong, Mr. & Mrs. Gambler, and the From Vegas To Macau series which was, in some respects, a loose connection to the original God Of Gamblers movies. Of course, as the director of over 100 movies, Wong Jing has been responsible for many other amazing titles featuring stars such as Andy Lau, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, Sammo Hung, Anthony Wong, Jet Li, and Chow Sing Chi including Magic Crystal, Tricky Brains, Royal Tramp, Last Hero In China, Kung Fu Cult Master, Future Cops, City Hunter, High Risk, The Last Tycoon, Chasing The Dragon, and many, many more. Equally important is the fact that he has been behind almost twice as many titles as both producer and writer, and has often divided Western Hong Kong film fans who are unable to accept his cocktail of genres – a trait which I personally love – as well as the use of his cartoon-esque broad humour. I guess that's what helps make The Last Blood one of Wong Jing's more satisfying works as an action-comedy, as it refuses to veer into the 'mo lei tau' nonsensical style of humour he is well known for doing. Instead, Wong provides enough great laughs that naturally blend in with some strong drama and, of course, plenty of insane action that screams everything Hong Kong cinema is about.

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This is also backed-up by the amazing cast that Wong puts on offer, starting with the delightful Andy Lau stars as the energetic boyfriend of May; a triad-wannabe who goes to some extreme lengths to save his girlfriend. Already an established star on the film and music scene, Andy Lau was quite possibly the hardest working actor in Hong Kong cinema around this period, often starring in one feature film a month with an incredible 15 films made in 1989, 12 in 1990, and another 12 more alongside this one in 1991 including titles such as Tricky Brains, The Tigers, Zodiac Killers, Lee Rock 1 & 2, and the incredible Saviour Of The Soul. Of course, many of these were written, produced, and/or directed by Wong Jing of whom Andy had already had a strong working relationship with, and even still to this day, starring in many of his aforementioned gambling films as well as titles such as Magic Crystal, The Crazy Companies, Crocodile Hunter, Future Cops, A True Mob Story, Mission Milano, and others. With over 170 film credits to his name since he began in the industry over 4 decades ago, Andy Lau rarely fails to entertain and roles such as this in The Last Blood prove why the fans loved his energy so much. Lau Tak Wah is joined by the wonderful Alan Tam once again, with the pair having shared the screen a number of times before in films such as Lucky Stars Go Places, Rich & Famous, The Dragon Family, The Fortune Code, Casino Raiders and its sequel No Risk, No Gain. I've always enjoyed Alan in this role. He oozes a certain coolness with his character, and really impresses is the gunfights and action sequences, making it look like he was a regular actor of the heroic bloodshed genre. While he had been acting since 1975, and mostly in rom-coms or drama-based films, Tam had appeared in a small number of action flicks including Jackie Chan's Armour Of God, and the aforementioned Lucky Stars Go Places and Rich & Famous alongside Lau, but he would really get into the nitty-gritty in the years that followed with a collection of titles between 1988 and 1991 such as The Dragon Family, Casino Raiders, No Risk No Gain, The Fortune Code, Pantyhose Hero, and The Last Blood. But out of all of them, it would have to be this, Lau Kar Wing's Dragon Family, and Sammo Hung's hugely underrated Pantyhose Hero that would really allow him to become a true action-hero.

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They are joined by the incredible Leung Kar Yan – a legend of kung-fu cinema who began his time in the industry at the infamous Shaw Brothers studios. By the time he starred in The Last Blood, Leung had already appeared in almost 70 films including hits such as Five Shaolin Brothers, Eagle's Claw, Warriors Two, Thundering Mantis, The Victim, Legend Of A Fighter, Tiger Cage, and more, going on to make almost 100 more since then and is still going strong today. Interestingly enough, and considering just how vast both of their careers are, Leung and Andy Lau's first and only other film together up to this point would have been the fun Chang Cheh classic, The Shanghai Thirteen, with the brilliant action-thriller, The Tigers (also shot the same year as The Last Blood), being their final film as co-stars. That film was directed by the illustrious Eric Tsang, one of the producers of The Last Blood who is also cast as the comic relief of the film. Here, Tsang plays the whacky con-man who is the only surviving person in Singapore that carries the rare blood type needed to save the victims. Much like Leung Kar Yan, Tsang started his film career at Shaw Brothers, although as a stuntman and bit-player, and has went on to become one of Hong Kong's most recognisable faces with almost 300 film credits behind him as an actor, and 25 as director including The Challenger, Aces Go Places, Armour Of God, Fatal Vacation, The Tigers, and Ghost Punting – one of the most underrated sequels of the Lucky Stars Series of which he is probably more well known for in the west. Along with that, Eric has over 40 credits as producer, one of which would be The Last Blood which falls under the Movie Impact Limited banner. Launched in the late 80s by Wallace Cheung, Eric Tsang, and Alan Tam Movie Impact Limited – later known as Impact Films Investment Limited – were the production company behind many great Hong Kong classics with films such as Magic Crystal and Lam Ching Ying's Magic Cop, City Cops, Outlaw Brothers, Days Of Being Dumb, No Risk No Gain, The Fortune Code, A Moment Of Romance, and many more – eventually wrapping up less than a decade later.

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The lovely May Lo – wife of canto-pop singer and popular actor Jacky Cheung of whom she met while working on the Clifton Ko movie, Devoted To You – stars as Andy's girlfriend and had previously shared the screen alongside him in films such as City Kids 1989, Return Engagement, and No Risk No Gain before going on to star with him in Wong Jing's Dances With Dragon and the star-studded charity film, The Banquet, although these would have been more cameo roles if anything. Handsome Taiwanese actor, Jackson Lou, makes his feature film debut here as one of the main villains of the piece and does a fantastic job as the Japanese killer. Interestingly enough, Lou would go on to play another Japanese villain in Jet Li's epic Fist Of Legend, with films such as Red Shield, Guns Of Dragon, and Hunting List, coming up in between projects. Since then, the actor has went on to appear in Danny Lee's Asian Connection, Stanley Tong's China Strike Force, Jackie Chan's First Strike and Vanguard, and the Taiwanese horror flick, Zombie 108, among many others. Starring alongside him is the intimidating Chin Ho, a regular Hong Kong bad guy of the time who made his debut alongside the great Alexander Lo Rei in 1989's Kung Fu Student. He would later rejoin Lo Rei for Triad Assassinator and starred alongside a few of his co-stars from The Last Blood over the years in films such as Island Of Fire, Prince Of Temple Street, and The Sting with Andy Lau, Guns Of Dragon with Jackson Lou, Lady Supercop with May Lo, and Ghost Punting with Eric Tsang where he really gets to let loose against Sammo Hung and the gang. Here, as Japanese assassin Kamakura, Ho pulls off a menacing performance and leaves a lasting impression as the killer with a birthmark who gives Andy a hard time. Prolific actor Law Shu Kei stars as the Daka Lama (clearly Wong Jing steering clear of causing any bother with the real Dali Lama), and the fun Nat Chan pops up in an extended cameo as Dr. Ferrari – the man put in charge of saving the Daka Lama's life...

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The wild action sequences are handled by the late Blacky Ko Shou Liang, a popular film journeyman who also directed Andy Lau's action scenes in films such as Runaway Blues, City Kids 1989, Dragon In Jail, and Come Fly The Dragon – also another film directed by Eric Tsang. In The Last Blood, Ko delivers a host of crazed action scenes from bloody, high-frenzied gunfights to huge explosions, and plenty of painful looking stunts that show why Hong Kong cinema was a force to be reckoned with. He is backed by Li Hai Hsing, a popular kung-fu actor and choreographer who can be recognised for his roles in Alexander Lo Rei titles such as Shaolin Chastity Kung Fu, Shaolin Temple Against Lama, Ninja Vs Shaolin Guards, Ninja Kids, Ninja In The USA, Ninja The Final Duel, and many other fun action films including Demon Strike, Drunken Tai Chi, Legend Of Wisely, The Beheaded 1000, and more. While they produce many memorable moments that quite often risk the safety and lives of the stars and other actors, the film is quite often remembered for its explosive grand finale in a hospital that helped garner its re-titling of Hard Boiled 2 – a title originally coined by the UK based Eastern Heroes who would cash in on the success of the John Woo/Chow Yun Fat heroic bloodshed classic when they released The Last Blood as the first title of their video distribution venture back in the mid 1990s!

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Overall: Wild, funny, and action packed, The Last Blood never fails to entertain and is a perfect example of why Hong Kong cinema of this period caught the attention of fans in the west!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng & John Chow, Trailers, Stills Gallery

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German DVD Extras: Trailers

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Eastern Heroes VHS Trailers: Holy Virgin Vs Evil Dead, Spooky Encounters

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Get your copy HERE

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Watch my unboxing video of this 88 Films release HERE