Director: Lam Ngai-Choi (a.k.a. Lam Ngai Kai), Yuen Biao (according to IMDb)
Screenplay: Frank Kong Heung-Sang, Shirley Woo Suet-Lai, Edward Tang, Izo Hashimoto, Ikki Sekizumi
Based on a Manga Series by: Makoto Ogino
Starring: Yuen Biao, Gloria Yip Wan-Yee, Pauline Wong, Hiroshi Mikami, Eddy Ko Hung, Gordon Liu Chia-Hui, Narumi Yasuda, Ken Ogata, Kara Wai Ying-Hung, Phillip Kwok
Country: Hong Kong, Japan
Running Time: 84 min
Year: 1988
BBFC Certificate: 15
88 Films have gradually been working their way through the filmography of Lam Ngai-Choi over the years, giving numerous titles the first-class treatment. They’re really picking up the pace too, with Her Vengeance, The Cat and both Peacock King and its sequel, Saga of the Phoenix all being released this year, as well as packaging Erotic Ghost Story together in a box set with the next two installments of the trilogy (the latter of which were not directed by Lam Ngai-Choi).
I haven’t seen all of their Lam Ngai-Choi releases yet, but all the films I’ve seen have been a lot of fun, so I couldn’t resist giving Peacock King a look when a screener was offered to me.
Peacock King is a Hong Kong–Japanese fantasy action film based on the popular manga of the same name (a.k.a. Kujaku Ō) written by Makoto Ogino. The story follows Peacock (Yuen Biao), a skilled Chinese exorcist whose life of hunting demons intersects with a mysterious Japanese Buddhist monk named Lucky Fruit (Hiroshi Mikami) when a malevolent force begins to tear open the barrier between the living world and hell.
Their mission begins when one of the four ‘Gates of Hell’ opens beneath an ancient temple, releasing powerful evil entities intent on releasing the King of Hell by opening the rest of the gates. Guided by their masters, the two monks must confront an array of supernatural foes, including the evil Raga (Pauline Wong) and her ‘sister’ Ashura (Gloria Yip), a girl born from demonic energy who struggles between her human innocence and her dark destiny. As Lucky Fruit and Peacock battle demonic armies, their alliance and faith are tested by betrayal, tragedy, and revelations about their own mystical origins.
Peacock King was popular in Japan but didn’t go down quite as well in Hong Kong, likely due to it being a strange blend of childlike fantasy adventure, scares and bloody violence, which prevented it from being rated suitable for children. In this way, the film might not be enjoyed by those with more narrow-minded views of horror being dark and gloomy, and kids films being cheerful nonsense for youngsters only. Personally, I love the bizarre and imaginative kids films of the 80s (when I was a kid myself) and I also love violent action and horror movies, so I had a lot of fun with Peacock King.
The film plays like a live-action cartoon, reflecting its manga-inspired background. It throws you into its fantastical world and jumps around between settings and characters at the start, which can be disorientating. A lot of the crazy stuff that happens comes out of nowhere too. However, once the characters converge and the film settles down, you realise it has a very simple story at heart, and the wild, magical stuff that happens fits within it.
The film pushed the boundaries of production values and special effects for Hong Kong cinema at the time. It was only really Tsui Hark who was doing this sort of thing back then. It all looks great, with heaps of atmosphere and colour.
There’s also some stop motion animation used, which is always a big plus for me. There are some little stop motion monsters (including a ‘horny ghost’) that only pop up briefly at the start and add little to the story, but I’m just happy to see the technique used, so their inclusion was welcome. Stop motion is also used to greater effect later on, when Raga transforms into a hideous demon.
This section is when the gore ramps up too, after a slightly more child-friendly first half. The transformation reminded me a little of John Carpenter’s take on The Thing, with the mutated demon’s head splitting apart to reveal rows of sharp teeth for munching on people!
The King of Hell at the end is achieved with an even more old-school giant effect, but it’s surprisingly effective and reminded me of Ray Harryhausen’s adventure films.
Yuen Biao fans might be disappointed to discover that there’s not a lot of martial arts in the film. It’s more of a special effects movie, really. However, there is a standout fight scene later on, that sees Biao take on Gordon Liu and his goons. This is fantastic, choreographed fluidly and thrillingly.
The film has an amazing cast too. On top of the forementioned Yuen Biao and Gordon Liu, you’ve got a number of other Hong Kong legends, like Eddy Ko, Phillip Kwok, Pauline Wong and Gloria Yip, who was making her feature debut here. It’s also a surprise to see Ken Ogata appear, who’s better known for more ‘respected’ arthouse fare.
Overall, whilst slightly messy and rough around the edges in places (at least compared to today’s overly-polished films), Peacock King is a wonderfully bonkers adventure with impressive visuals and an infectious anything-goes attitude. Lam Ngai-Choi does it again. Bring on Saga of the Phoenix in December!
Film: 
Peacock King is out on 27th October on region B Blu-Ray, released by 88 Films (pre-order it here). It looks good, with a clean and natural image. It’s a tad soft, perhaps, but this might be down to the stock originally used. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. You get several audio options, with both stereo and 5.1 tracks available for both the Cantonese and English dubs. I watched in 2.0 Cantonese and had no issues.
LIMITED EDITION FEATURES:
– O-RING AND RIGID SLIPCASE FEATURING ARTWORK BY KUNG FU BOB
– COLLECTABLE POSTCARD
– 40-PAGE PERFECT BOUND BOOK FEATURING ARCHIVE STILLS AND NEW WRITING ON THE FILM BY FRASER ELLIOTT AND DAVID WEST
SPECIAL FEATURES:
– High Definition Blu-Ray Presentation in 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
– 2.0 Cantonese Mono with English Subtitles
– 5.1 Cantonese DTS-HD MA with English Subtitles
– 2.0 English Mono
– 5.1 English DTS-HD MA
– Audio Commentary by HK Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
– Yuen Biao on Peacock King
– Tony Rayns on Peacock King
– Additional Footage from the Japanese Release
– English Opening Titles
– English Closing Credits
– Image Gallery
– Original Trailer
Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto provide a commentary over the film. The latter feels the film is particularly underrated. His enthusiasm balances nicely with Djeng’s cheerful listing of facts about the making of the film and the backgrounds of its makers. It’s a great track.
The additional material from the Japanese release runs around 16 minutes and is well worth a watch. Because the film was a Japanese-Hong Kong co-production, the Japanese studio involved, Toho-Towa, was able to have its own cut, where the Japanese characters had more prominent roles. The footage is only in SD and in pretty ropey VHS quality, but it’s wonderful to see what else was included. There’s even a car/bike chase in there. Animal lovers might not want to see the snake gutting scene that appears though.
There’s also an interview with Yuen Biao on the disc. He begins by talking about the reception of his Hong Kong films in Japan. He also talks about how the director cut a lot of the Japanese lead’s scenes for the HK version, as he didn’t seem right for the tone of the film. This led to Biao having a more prominent lead role in that cut of the film. His whole interview is enjoyably honest.
There’s also an interview with Tony Rayns. He puts the film in context and talks about its background. He’s honest about its shortcomings. Later, he talks about director Lam Ngai-Choi. It’s a typically informative and engrossing piece.
I wasn’t supplied with the booklet to comment on that.
Before I tie things up, I must also give a shout-out to Kung Fu Bob for his fantastic cover design.
So, 88 Films have done a first-rate job, putting together a strong collection of extras for an enjoyable Hong Kong classic.
Disc/package:
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