Royal Warriors (DVD – Eyecatcher Movies)

German distrib Eyecatcher Movies is providing hope in an otherwise barren landscape where classic Asian action titles on DVD are concerned. Their solid release of ROYAL WARRIORS (released as ULTRA FORCE: HONGKONG COP) is a welcome alternative to Fox’s inexpensive yet flawed North American DVD which left viewers with only remastered surround audio options to choose from.

If other licensed DVD versions of ROYAL WARRIORS are not uncut I am not aware of it. This version actually clocks in four minutes shorter than the Fox or Korean versions. No side-by-side comparison has been done but this difference could be attributed to PAL versus NTSC transfers which run a slightly different speeds. Eyecatcher may be trying to draw a distinction between this release and a previous German release that was not uncut.

While largely catering to the German market, Eyecatcher has become a viable option for English-speaking collectors around the world thanks to their efforts to include original English audio tracks and/or English subtitles on their Asian action releases. ROYAL WARRIORS is no exception. It contains optional English and German subtitles, as well as German, Cantonese and English audio tracks presented in their original mono format. Fox’s North American release was not on hand for side-by-side comparisons but I can confirm that their version contains only remastered 5.1 Cantonese and English tracks.

The print on Eyecatcher’s version is adequate but still in some need of restoration or repair. There is minor damage, mostly in the form of occassional scratches. The picture is also somewhat grainy while colors are muted. This appears to be the state of the source print which would have come from Fortune Star and therefore would not appear significantly different any other licensed release on DVD. Beyond this, buyers will be getting an all-region, PAL formatted disc running at 25 frames per second. Menus feature German language only and are not particularly attractive but they’re easy to navigate and they get the job done.

Bonus content is limited to a nice collection of trailers and a photo gallery.

Trailers – Contains original trailers for ROYAL WARRIORS, THE SWORD, DUEL TO THE DEATH, THE SECRET RIVALS, THE SECRET RIVALS 2, MILLIONAIRES EXPRESS, SEAMAN No. 7, SEX AND ZEN, and THE JOY OF TORTURE. Also contains German trailers for ROYAL WARRIORS, EASTERN CONDORS, THE GOOSE BOXER, CHAOCHOW GUY, and BEACH OF THE WAR GODS.

Gallery – Contains a slideshow presentation of German lobby cards for ROYAL WARRIORS.

Format: Region 0 PAL DVD
Aspect Ratio: 16×9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: German 1.0, Cantonese 1.0, English 1.0
Subtitles: English
Length: 92 minutes
Release Date: 2008.09.29

This release can be purchased at D&T Mailorder, an online retailer that Kung Fu Cinema does not endorse nor is supported by.