The Magnificent Chang Cheh

Hong Kong wuxia and kung fu films were immensely successful at home and abroad, but that doesn’t mean they were above a little creative pilfering now and then—especially given the breakneck pace at which they were produced. Director Chang Cheh was one of the Shaw Brothers' most reliable and prolific filmmakers, responsible for somewhere between 90 and 100 films, including the popular Venom Mob series of the 1970s.

Eureka’s latest Blu-ray double feature, The Magnificent Chang Cheh, presents two titles that—while not quite bookending his career—offer sharp case studies in his varied oeuvre.

The Magnificent Trio (1966) leans heavily on the structure of Japanese samurai films. In fact, as critic James Oliver notes in his liner notes, it’s an unofficial remake of 1956’s The Three Outlaws. Here, a swordsman (Jimmy Wang Yu) agrees to protect the residents of an overtaxed village from a corrupt official. Recruiting a pair of honorable warriors along the way, the trio take matters into their own hands (or swords, as the case may be) when government support is too slow to arrive.

Set comfortably in the feudal past, The Magnificent Trio strays from typical wuxia formula, adding significant love interests and a recognizably Japanese sense of romanticism that was often lacking from Shaw Brothers titles of the day. Cheh still front-loads the film with all the wuxia essentials—dynamic swordplay and gravity-defying martial arts—but his intention to craft something more tragic and lyrical, along the lines of Come Drink With Me, is palpable in nearly every frame.

The Magnificent Wanderers (1977) is something else entirely. Opening with a title sequence that suggests a riff on spaghetti westerns, the film is actually another entry in the martial arts comedy genre, well-established by the likes of Sammo Hung. A trio of scruffy scam artists team up with a wealthy warrior to outwit a greedy royal bent on stealing everyone’s fortune. Outnumbered but never overmatched, these superfriends fight with their fists—and a custom slingshot that fires golden pellets!

Cheh’s contributions here are questionable, as co-director Wu Ma (Encounters of the Spooky Kind) is reputed to have shepherded the production. Still, it’s a lighthearted bit of buffoonery, leaning on broad humor and acrobatic fight scenes to keep the pace brisk. The wealthy elite make for easy targets—villainous but inept—while star David Chiang’s confident smirk promises revenge will be swift... but never too violent. The Magnificent Wanderers is just in it for a good time.

This limited-edition set (only 2,000 copies available) looks wonderful and comes with an O-card slipcase featuring new artwork, two commentary tracks, a video essay, and a collector’s booklet.