Brotherhood, honor, and redemption are themes you’ll find in a subgenre of action films known as heroic bloodshed. The stylized action sequences and dramatic themes were staples in the Hong Kong film industry during the ’80s and ’90s. It was popularized by the films of John Woo, more specifically, his 1986 breakthrough, A Better Tomorrow. Woo may have helped the genre to explode, but many feel that Johnny Mak’s Long Arm of the Law (1984) was the first.
88 Films has brought the first two (of four) films in the series to Blu-ray in a wonderful box set that will finally bring the films to audiences in the best quality possible.
In Long Arm of the Law, a group of thieves cross over from mainland China to Hong Kong for a major payday. When the heist goes wrong, they have to take cover until things start to cool off. With the blood of a cop on their hands, they already have nothing to lose, and they can’t go back home empty-handed.
Long Arm of the Law: Part 2 (1987) is a thematic sequel that focuses on three police officers from China who come to Hong Kong. If they want to take up legal residence, they agree to be informants for the HK Police Department. They soon find themselves in a bloody battle against criminals from the mainland who have no trouble risking it all.
Without question, the first film is by far the superior film, but the second one isn’t something to overlook either. Johnny Mak directs the first film with a gritty realism that gut-punches you when the bullets begin to fly. Much of the cast were newcomers who really sank into their roles and delivered believable and sympathetic performances.
Mak’s brother, Michael, takes over directing duties on the sequel and does an admirable job. While it’s more of a standard action film, it does deliver on the bloody action set pieces without the emotional investment I had in part one.
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This collection delivers to you everything you’d expect from an 88 Films release. The 2K restoration gives the films a clarity I had never had the opportunity to see before. There are two cuts of each film (original HK and export cuts), Cantonese with subtitles, English dubs, trailers, commentary by Frank Djeng, interviews with Michael Mak, a 40-page booklet with writing by Tom Cunliffe, a double-sided foldout poster, reversible sleeves, and much more. The films are housed in a sturdy case with newly commissioned artwork.
I’d only ever seen the first Long Arm of the Law so it was a real pleasure getting to revisit it and finally enjoy the first sequel. Fingers crossed, 88 Films is able to bring the final two sequels to disc with the same treatment. The first film was a trendsetter, and the sequel solidifies that this series isn’t to be missed.
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 Long Arm of the Law films to Blu-ray in a wonderful box set. Here's our review!){kind=link}