Director: Jackie Chan
Screenplay: Edward Tang and Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Gua Ah-leh and Richard Ng Yiu-Hon
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 127 min
Year: 1989
When it comes to the work of Jackie Chan, I’ve been lucky enough to cover a handful of his titles here on Blueprint: Review. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the two, Fearless Hyena II and Dragon Fist, but I’m quite a fan of the man’s work. My personal favourites of his end up being the films that he directs, such as the iconic Police Story and its pretty fun sequel, as well as titles like The Fearless Hyena and Project A. It’s been a personal goal to finish his directorial filmography and I’m currently about halfway through it, with one of the most intriguing titles on his resume being Miracles. Also known as Miracles: The Canton Godfather, Black Dragon, Mr. Canton and Miss Rose, it’s a film of many names but from what I’d heard, was a big departure from Chan’s previous directorial efforts. After hearing that 88 Films were upgrading the title to UHD for the first time, I figured it was the perfect time to check it out.
Miracles follows Kuo Cheng-Wah, a small poor man who ends up embroiled in a war between two rival gangs. Before long, he’s the new leader of the gang and it’s all down to, what Kuo believes, is the purchase of a rose from a woman who assured him that it’d bring him luck. While Chan has played down-on-their-luck characters before, this film’s primary focus is actually the characterisation and the comedic elements, with the action taking a backseat. The premise fascinated me, and in retrospective interviews, Jackie has described Miracles as his favourite film of his, and it’s clear to see why. It’s a gorgeous looking film, by far one of the more elaborately constructed films he’s made, thanks to the stunning sets, the surprising musical sequences and again, an emphasis on characters that you want to root for.
The issue I unfortunately had, is that I didn’t find the writing very compelling, which didn’t help when watching the 127 minute Hong Kong version of the film, Jackie’s preferred cut. There’s moments of humour that worked wonders for me, and there’s many physical gags, as to be expected from a Chan film, but the core Godfather-esque narrative didn’t work for me as I was hoping it would.
The saving grace of the film, in my eyes, is those rare action sequences. Again, the film doesn’t have much of an emphasis on action, but when it’s here, it’s arguably some of the best Chan action period. The film opens with a bonkers set piece set around the gang war, with ridiculous car stunts and Chan teasing what’s to come in the third act. When the final thirty minutes of the film roll around, we’re treated to two of the finest showcases of Jackie’s skills I’ve seen. Some unbelievable stunt work, an insane warehouse fight that blends comedy and action in ways that you’d expect from Chan, but continuously upping the ante. It’s great stuff.
While I wasn’t head over heels for Chan’s remake of the Frank Cappa classics Lady for a Day and Pocketful of Miracles, there’s no denying that it’s one of Chan’s most confident and elaborate directorial efforts. I feel like there’s a chance that the export cut, which runs twenty minutes shorter, could work better for me when I inevitably rewatch this one, but as it stands, it’s one that I admired more than loved. Still, it’s one that I can recommend to virtually any Chan fan, as it delivers on some of his most memorable fight sequences ever, which is worth the price of admission alone.
Film: 
Miracles released on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray 14th April via 88 Films. They previously issued the film on Blu-ray a few years ago, and this features a brand new 4K restoration with Dolby Vision HDR. Off the bat, it’s one of the stranger UHD discs from 88 as the bit-rates are all over the place. At points, it hovers around the 30mbps range but as the film continues, there’s moments that reach the high 70s. It’s by no means their best looking UHD, but the clear upgrade is in the colour grade (when compared to their old Blu-ray, which I popped in after watching the UHD) which is absolutely gorgeous. With how vibrant so many of the locations in this film are, it’s a perfect example of a film that’s made for HDR grading. Audio wise, there’s a handful of options. The primary track is the original 2.0 Cantonese mix, which I viewed the film with and it sounded pretty solid. It’s the most authentic mix for the film, but there’s also options such as 5.1 Cantonese and English mixes, and alternate 2.0 Cantonese mixes, including one made for home video releases. Two cuts of the film are included as well, the Hong Kong cut that runs for 2 hours and 7 minutes, as well as the international export cut, running for an hour and 47 minutes. I viewed the Hong Kong cut, but checked the export version out and it seems to be on a similar visual level to the Hong Kong cut. The following extras are included:
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Brand-new 4K restoration from the Original Camera Negative presented in Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR10 Compatible)
4K (2160p) UHD presentation of the Original Hong Kong cut (Mr Canton & Lady Rose – 127 mins) and the International cut (Miracles aka Black Dragon – 107 mins) in original 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray disc also included
Remastered Original Cantonese Mono Soundtrack
Alternate Cantonese Mono Soundtrack featuring a unique mix and different music cues
Cantonese Mono – Home Video Mix
Cantonese 5.1
Newly-translated English Subtitles and SDH [optional]
Classic English Dub for the International cut with optional SDH
Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto [HK Version]
Scenes From the Taiwan Version
Jackie Chan: Film Director Featurette with Steve Lawson
Hong Kong Teaser
Hong Kong Trailer
Japanese Trailer
Japanese TV Spot
Stills Gallery
Double-sided sleeve featuring original Hong Kong art
INCLUDES LIMITED EDITION RIGID SLIPCASE FEATURING NEW ARTWORK BY SAM GREEN
INCLUDES PERFECT BOUND ILLUSTRATED BOOK WITH ARTICLES BY DAVID WEST, PAUL BRAMHALL AND WILLIAM BLAIK
INCLUDES LIMITED EDITION ART CARDS AND DOUBLE-SIDED POSTER
Aside from the audio commentary, all of the bonus features are included on the Blu-ray. The commentary features 88’s regulars Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto and as expected, it’s a great informative piece. It’s exclusive to the Hong Kong version of the film, which gives the pair an extra 20 minutes to dive into the film’s production, their thoughts on the film as a whole and Djeng’s usual fountain of knowledge about all things Chan. It’s a great listen and the most substantial extra on the disc, easily worth your time.
Over ten minutes of footage from the Taiwanese cut of the film are presented, which are new to this release. There’s nothing substantial here, but it’s neat to see these included!
Jackie Chan: Film Director is an archival appreciation of Chan by Steve Lawson, which runs for 10 minutes and features Lawson sharing his admiration for Chan as a filmmaker. It’s a solid piece, touching on Miracles, which he considers a masterpiece, as well as the films that preceded it. This is ported over from the last 88 Films release.
In terms of trailers, teasers and TV spots, there’s a solid selection here. A four minute Hong Kong teaser and another four minute Hong Kong trailer start us off, which are great to see. Next up are the Japanese trailer and TV spot, running for a minute and a half and 20 seconds respectively, and an English export trailer is present too. A stills gallery is also included for those interested.
I wasn’t provided with the limited edition goodies, so I can’t comment on those but they look to be up to 88 Films’ typical high quality standards.
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Miracles, 88 Films have delivered a solid 4K UHD release for the film that’ll please longtime Jackie Chan fans. Great extras and a pretty good transfer compliment Miracles well. Highly recommended.
Disc/Packaging:
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