We are at the start of a Chow Yun-fat renaissance. The films that made him the hottest actor working in Hong Kong in the ’80s and early ’90s are getting restored and re-issued on Blu-ray and 4K UHD in the coming months. Chow became a massive name in what became the Art House Action scene when his movies were imported. After a decade plus of Sly, Bruce and Arnold flicks, Chow arrived in America with an effortless cool. Whether he was playing a hot hand in God of Gamblers or firing off two guns at once in Hard Boiled, Chow was the man. While Jackie Chan was a massive superstar, a normal filmgoer couldn’t pull off what made Jackie cool. Chow was different in that he wasn’t an acrobatic martial arts fighting off the bad guys. People would try to dress like Chow after they saw his films. While Chow had been acting in movies since the mid-70s, Hong Kong 1941 was a break through in the perception of his dramatic acting and ability to dominate the screen. His performance won him a Golden Horse Award for Best Actor in 1984. If you’re ready to embrace the Chow Yun-fat revival, Hong Kong 1941 is the perfect place witness his cinematic magic.
Things are getting risky in Hong Kong as the Japanese army is approaching the British colony on the coast of China. Han Yuk-nam (Nomad‘s Cecilia Yip) is from a well off family, but their money doesn’t mean too much when she’s stuck inside the colony. She counts on her longtime friend Wong Hak-keung (Bastard Swordsman‘s Alex Man) to help her in the chaos. His family was once wealthy and now he’s a street hustler with his pal Yip Kim-fei (The Killer‘s Chow Yun-fat). They dream of either coming to America or Australia (Hong Kong passports didn’t let locals move to Great Britain). Their travel plans go wrong when the Japanese army arrives faster than expected. While Yip hops onto the last boat out of the harbor, he swims back to the dock when he sees Wong and Han didn’t make it in time. He can’t leave them alone. Very quickly things get nasty in the colony. The Japanese occupational force tries to play nice with the non-British citizens by creating the feeling that Asians need to stick together. But very quickly it seems the Japanese are not their to liberate. Wong gets captured and placed in rather nasty detention facility. Yip joins the Asian police force where he quickly becomes a favorite. Has he really sold his soul in order to feel safe during these troubled times? Or does he have a scheme that might eventually them to freedom?
Hong Kong 1941 is a riveting account of the trio trying their hardest to survive when the Japanese take control. Chow Yun-fat’s performance is remarkable. He’s both casual and intense. There’s a rather intense scene where he must torture someone in his role as part of those cooperating with the Japanese. It’s easy to see how critics praised his performance. If you’re a fan of his work in John Woo films, so much of what he does there appears to have a basis in his work here. Not wanting to give away too much, but Chow handles the violent action scenes and the love triangle moments so deftly. He has such great chemistry with both Alex Man and Cecilia Yip. This bond makes the ending so believable. Hong Kong 1941 is the proper place to start the retrospective of Chow Yun-fat as more of his films gets upgraded on home video.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K Restoration bring out the details in the decaying Hong Kong that the characters must inhabit. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 Mono. There’s also an English dub that’s LPCM 2.0 Mono. You’re better off listening to the Cantonese version to appreciate Chow’s performance. The actor doing the English dub doesn’t quite capture the charm. The movie is subtitled in English.
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow. There’s only 2,000 copies of the Blu-ray.
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring essays on Hong Kong 1941 and Po-Chih Leong by Gary Bettinson, editor of Asian Cinema journal
New audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng gets into the cast and crew. He gives a sense of context to the movie both the period and the year it was produced. The film was a success for an indie movie in the Hong Kong theaters.
Crossing Cultures (21:46) is a recent interview with director Po-Chih Leong with Fred Ambroisne. Turns the director had a key cameo in Hong Kong 1941. He was born in London and moved to Hong Kong. He discusses working with Chow Yun-fat. They first met in the late ’70s.
Po-Chih Leong on Hong Kong 1941 and Cultural Identity (21:37) has him talking during a film festival in 2023. Fred Ambriosine
Hong Kong 1984 (30:28) is a video essay by Tony Rayns on Hong Kong 1941 and it’s affect on Hong Kong Cinema. The reason for the movie is that this was the time when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher thought she would be able to keep Hong Kong a British colony in perpetuity. However she got out hustled and have to give up the city. This was the first film released by Sammo Hung’s D&B Films.
Archival Interviews include Celilia Yip (29:08, 4:22 & 11:33), Chow Yun-fat (13:13 & 5:32) and Paul Chun (8:29). The actors reflect on playing characters dealing with a captured city.
Original theatrical trailer (4:02) and the International Release (3:48) has Chow looking like a star of war epic.
Eureka! Entertainment presents Hong Kong 1941 (Limited Edition). Directed by Directed by Po-Chih Leong. Screenplay by John Chan. Starring Chow Yun-fat, Cecilia Yip, Alex Man, Shih Kien, Wu Ma, Paul Chun & Ku Feng. Running Time: 101 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: June 17, 2025.
