Righting Wrongs | Blu-ray (Vinegar Syndrome)
RELEASE DATE: July 26, 2022
On July 26, 2022, Vinegar Syndrome is releasing a Blu-ray (Region A) for Righting Wrongs (aka Above the Law), a 1986 Hong Kong film directed by Corey Yuen (No Retreat, No Surrender II) and starring Yuen Biao (Circus Kids) and Cynthia Rothrock (Shanghai Express).
Note: 88 Films is also releasing a Deluxe Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray (Region B) in September 26, 2022.
The film also stars Melvin Wong (Run and Kill), Wu Ma (Showdown at the Cotton Mill), Fan Siu Wong (Attrition), James Tien (The Tattooed Dragon), Karen Sheperd (The Shinobi Ninja), Roy Chiao (The Protector) and Peter Cunningham (No Retreat, No Surrender).
Yuen Biao is a prosecutor who doesn’t like it when criminals slip through the cracks in the justice system. Cynthia Rothrock is a cop who doesn’t like it when guys like our boy Yuen take the law into their own hands. So when he starts dishing out HIS law to a group of murderous drug lords and the uppity Cynthia gets assigned to the case, sparks fly, people die and plans go awry. There’s impressive fighting, a high body count, an eye-popping stunt finale, and a plot that’s a little more complex than you may have come to expect from mid ’80s HK action films.
Features:
- 3-disc Region A Blu-ray
- Set Three different unaltered original feature-length presentations of the film, including: the original Hong Kong cut (96min) with Cantonese, English & Mandarin language tracks along with newly translated Cantonese-to-English subtitles; the extended and vastly different Mandarin language export cut (100min) with newly translated Mandarin-to-English subtitles; and the English friendly ABOVE THE LAW cut (92min).
- “THE BEST OF MARTIAL ARTS FILMS (1990)” (91min) – feature-length documentary hosted by John Saxon and including footage and interviews with Cynthia Rothrock, Yuen Biao, Karen Sheperd, Jackie Chan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bruce Lee and many more!
- Brand new commentary track with actress Cynthia Rothrock*
- Archival commentary track with Cynthia Rothrock
- Critical commentary track with martial arts film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema*
- “Fighting Wrongs” (25min) – a brand new interview with Cynthia Rothrock*
- “Unscripted Justice” (35min) – a brand new interview with actress Karen Sheperd*
- “Kung Fu Was The Equalizer” (20min) – a brand new interview with actor Melvin Wong *
- “Fighting For Success” (20min) – a brand new interview with actor Peter Cunningham*
- “The Vigilante” (17min) – an archival interview with star Yuen Biao
- “Action Overload” (13min) – an archival interview with Cynthia Rothrock
- “From the Ring to the Silver Screen” (19min) – an archival interview with Peter Cunningham
- Video essay with film historians Samm Deighan and Charles Perks*
- Cantonese and English theatrical trailers for RIGHTING WRONGS
- Theatrical trailer for THE BEST OF MARTIAL ARTS FILMS
- 40-page perfect bound book with essays by film programmer Pearl Chan, author and martial arts historian Grady Hendrix and filmmaker/fan Simon Barrett*
- Photo gallery
- Reversible cover artwork
- Newly translated English subtitles
Hopefully Vinegar Syndrome is working with 88 Films to get some of the special features on the US release.
I finally bought this and it’s a very worthy purchase! I haven’t looked at the other extras yet, but I did listen to the new Cynthia Rothrock commentary, (Which is more like an interview since she’s joined by one of VS’ guys) and it’s great stuff. She speaks of Righting Wrongs fondly, goes into good detail about what it was like filming, and even has interesting anecdotes about how she was originally going to be in Armour of God and a Stallone movie that never got made.
The picture and sound are fantastic as well, and it’s amazing to see an old film look so crystal clear!
Did she mention what stopped her from being in Armour of God?
I recall her saying in some interview or other that Jackie’s injury (the fractured skull) had something to do with it; Cynthia was supposed to be in Armor Of God, she wanted to be in it, but when Jackie got hurt he had to take months off to recover, filming was likewise delayed, by the time Jackie was able to resume filming Cynthia was unavailable because she was starring in other films (if I remember correctly, she mentioned Righting Wrongs specifically, said she enjoyed working with Yuen Biao because their timing in the fight scenes came naturally, like well matched dance partners).
Very cool. Thank you for sharing that info 👍
Yes, she confirms all of that in the commentary.
It’s been reported that Corey Yuen Kwai has died. He was 73 years old. It’s a sad day indeed as he leaves behind a fantastic filmography including (but not limited to) this gem right here along with Blonde Fury, Fong Sai Yuk 1&2, Yes Madam, The Transporter, So Close, and a ton of others. When he was given creative freedom by other directors, he could really elevate a film too like with Wild Card.
I hope enough people out there are stepping up for the old guard!