“A Hero Never Dies” Japanese DVD Cover
The good news: Titles from Johnnie To’s long-awaited Milkway Image film catalogue will finally be arriving on Blu-ray, thanks to French-based company Spectrum films.
Spectrum will begin the launch with three of Milkway’s most popular films: 1998’s The Longest Nite, A Hero Never Dies and Expect the Unexpected – exact date to be determined, but expected this year.
And now, the bad news: As with the A Hero Never Dies Japanese Blu-ray, the Spectrum Blu-rays will not have English subtitles (only French subtitles) due to licensing issues.
But hopefully Spectrum’s release will open doors for other companies (Criterion, Arrow, Well Go USA, Shout, etc.) to see this as an opportunity to distribute these titles to meet consumer demands.
If you haven’t seen a late 90s-era Milkway film, you’re missing out on a great, unappreciated chapter in Hong Kong cinema, as evident in the Trailer below:
Spectrum Films stated on their facebook page that these discs will not have English subtitles. They are not allowed to include them due to licensing restrictions. FYI, A HERO NEVER DIES is already out on blu-ray in Japan, from a gorgeous remaster, but with no English subtitles.
Thank you Demon! Updated article.
Oh, how I wish English subbed versions were re-released. I waited too long to pick up Longest Night and Expect the Unexpected, and now the HK DVDs go for 70-100 bucks. (Maybe more)
I dedicated last November to Johnnie, watching a film a day for 30 days! I dubbed it
To-vember! Some titles I watched on Netflix, some on dvd and blu ray but some, including A Hero Never Dies I had to watch on vcd. It’s a wordy film and the subs are tiny. I’d really love this and many others in top quality. Here’s hoping Eureka nab some titles and do a box set.