Eureka Brings Ching Siu-tung’s Classic Duel to the Death to Blu-ray
There are some movies that I can legitimately say, without any hyperbole whatsoever, that they blew my mind. Right near the top of that list is Ching Siu-tung’s 1983 Hong Kong wuxia classic, Duel to the Death.
I first watched Duel to the Death back in 2001 (read my review), when I rented it from Netflix on a whim (back when all Netflix did was send out those red envelopes). Suffice to say, my mind was promptly blown to pieces by the film’s insane fight choreography, twist-filled plot, psychedelic soundtrack, and over-the-top ninja action. So awesome was the film, in fact, that I called my friends over the following night to watch it again, during which our collective minds were blown.
Earlier this month, Eureka released a Blu-ray edition of Duel to the Death that’s absolutely loaded. In addition to featuring a new 2K restoration of the film, Eureka’s release contains the following features:
- Original Cantonese audio and optional English dubbed audio
- Newly revised English subtitles with correct translations for Japanese characters
- Brand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng
- Interview with screenwriter Manfred Wong
- Interview with actor Norman Chui Siu-keung
- Interview with actress Flora Cheung
- Alternate English credits
- Stills galleries including production stills
- Trailers
And to top it all off, the first 2,000 copies come with special artwork and a collector’s booklet that includes a reprint of the original liner notes from the American laserdisc release.
Note: Like all of Eureka’s Blu-rays, Duel to the Death is a Region B release, meaning you’ll need a compatible player in order to watch it. But that’s a small price to pay to experience a film like this.