Before we get too far, Magic Cop is not about a guy in a tuxedo pulling clues out of his top hat and performing handcuff tricks on the culprit. The magic done here is not the type performed by Doug Henning, David Copperfield or Penn & Teller. The magic in this film is better described as religious rituals done to battle supernatural forces. Lam Ching-ying had become a star in Hong Kong with the Mr. Vampire series that started in 1985. He played a Taoist Priest who used his spiritual ways to battle undead creatures in the early 20th Century. The mix of spells and kung fu proved very entertaining for audiences. Magic Cop allowed Lam Ching-ying to not merely bring his mystical martial arts skills to the modern world, but gave him a badge.
Uncle Feng (Lam Ching-ying) is a cop in Tung Ping Chau who knows more than police procedure. During the night when people give offerings to departed relatives, the ritual goes wrong. He acts fast to make sure bad spirits don’t escape into the graveyard and surrounding community. After that night, he is asked a favor by an old woman in his area. He goes to Hong Kong to retrieve the body of a relative who died in Hong Kong. She was killed when the police busted her for being a drug mule. Except there was something unemotional about her. When Uncle Feng gets into the morgue, he discovers that she was already dead when she died. Someone had turned her into a zombie before she showed up with the suitcase of drugs in Hong Kong. He gets involved with the local Hong Kong cops covering the case since they aren’t quite able to handle a drug ring that’s using supernatural means to infiltrate the market.
Magic Cop is a thrill ride with the mixture of Hong Kong action and supernatural spell casting. This is guns, fists and incantations. The fight between Uncle Feng and the person behind the drug smuggling operation is next level as they exchange physical and spiritual blows at each other. There are a lot of things on fire as the battle rages between them. Director Stephen Tung Wei and his crew keep the screen jumping with action even if a fighter is a re-animated corpse. Lam Ching-ying dominates the screen with a character who won’t be stopped in the real world or the spiritual realm. There’s a great moment when he goes beyond GPS to track a suspect on the run. This isn’t the usual fighting cop tale. Magic Cop does the trick in opening up the genre.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out the wild effects during the battles. Audio feature Original Cantonese Mono Mix 2.0 DTS-HD MA. There’s also the Cantonese Home Video Mix 2.0 DTS-HD MA, English Surround Dub 5.1 DTS-HD MA and English Dub 2.0 DTS-HD MA. No matter whether you watch in Cantonese or English, you’ll hear fine sound. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary with Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng and Marc Walkow. Djeng is really great at giving context to certain religious elements. You’re best off watching the film going back and watching with Djeng’s commentary and then watching it again so you can fully appreciate it.
Taiwanese Cut With Alternative Score (93:57) is 1.33:1 and appears remastered from a video source.
Interview with Stephen Tung Wei (36:21) talks about how after he worked for Sammo Hung, he set up a production company with Lam Ching-yang. The Mr. Vampire films starring Lam were successful. So they turned his Taoist Priest character into a modern cop. He gets into the physical effects that would have been so much easier when CGI became affordable.
Image Gallery (1:57) includes posters and press photos.
Trailer (2:51) shows this film is on fire.
Mini Poster with two different designs.
88 Films presents Magic Cop. Directed by Stephen Tung Wei. Screenplay by Sam Chi-leung & Tsang Kan-cheung. Starring Lam Ching-ying, Wilson Lam, Michael Miu, Wong Mei-way, Michiko Nishiwaki, Wu Ma, Billy Chow and Frankie Chin. Running Time: 88 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: July 25, 2023.
