Perhaps even God can’t save the Queen in Golden Harvest’s A Queen’s Ransom (also known as International Assassin), an explosive action-thriller starring George Lazenby (The Man from Hong Kong), Angela Mao (Lady Whirlwind) and the legendary Jimmy Wang Yu (The One-Armed Swordsman).

As Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Hong Kong for a state visit, a band of skilled mercenaries plan her assassination. Contracted by an Irish Republican (Lazenby), the international group of hired killers includes a Japanese explosives expert (Chang Pei-shan), a Thai boxer (Bolo Yeung), a Filipino sniper (Peter Chan Lung) and a veteran of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Wang Yu). As the conspirators move to carry out their plot, two police officials (Ko Chun-Hsiung and Charles Heung) work with a young socialite (Tanny Tien Ni) in a race against time to save the Monarch’s head – while also trying to manage a crisis that has brought a huge number of refugees to Hong Kong, including a young Cambodian princess (Mao).

Written and directed by Ting Shan-hsi (Rebel Boxer), A Queen’s Ransom was Golden Harvest’s attempt to capitalize on the popular success of the political thriller in the wake of The Day of the Jackal. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film for the first time ever on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration.

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Video Quality

A Queen’s Ransom comes to Blu-Ray via Eureka Entertainment with a new 1080p master in its original aspect ratio derived from a brand new 2K restoration of both the Theatrical Cut and the Export Version. This release is very pleasing and avoids most of the anomalies that usually take points away from other Golden Harvest releases. The transfer looks mostly natural throughout without filtering or DNR ruining the party. Some fleeting signs of age remain, but the source appears to have been kept in great shape. The grain resolves consistently outside of odd moments when the grain field gets a bit unstable and the image quality takes a downturn for a few seconds.

This transfer is in commendable shape when it comes to wear and tear, only allowing for a brief intrustion of speckles. The presentation avoids most instances of compression artifacts, banding, and other digital anomalies. A few shots present as a bit soft which likely links back to the quality of the source elements. The transfer is favorable when it comes to color saturation in some of the clothing, production design, and lighting choices. The presentation excels in terms of fine detail as you notice distinct facets of the costumes and backgrounds without issue. Eureka has delivered a nice presentation for fans.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with an LPCM mono track in the original Mandarin for the Theatrical Cut which delivers on all fronts. There is also an English dub for both cuts of the film provided in LPCM 2.0 mono that sounds good, but we advocate sticking with the original language when it is an option. There is a balance between the action-driven set pieces and the somewhat quieter, character-driven moments. The film digs deep when necessary for a formidable outing. There are signs of some source deficiencies, but there are no unforgivable instances of damage or audio dropouts. Dialogue can sound a touch hollow in some scenes, but typically it is clear and easy to understand. The score does a great job of setting the tone of the narrative, and it comes through with consistent fidelity. Eureka has provided a pleasing sonic experience for fans. This release does have optional English and English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Hong Kong Theatrical Cut (1:37:33) and Export Version (1:31:47)

Audio Commentary (Kong Kong Theatrical Version): Asian cinema experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth deliver an informative commentary track in which they discuss the place of this film in Hong Kong action cinema, the careers of the talent involved, how the film evokes a Hollywood style, the cinematography of the film, similarities to real-life events and more.

Audio Commentary (Export Version): Action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema provide an entertaining commentary track in which they discuss the dire straits of Golden Harvest at this time, the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to the narrative, the shooting locations, the background of the performers, the financial failure of the picture, and more.

Furious George – Training with Michael Worth: A 16-minute featurette in which martial artist and actor Michael Worth discusses training George Lazenby in martial arts, the street fighting of the picture, the pace of working at Golden Harvest, and more.

Trailer: The nearly five-minute trailer is provided here.

Booklet: This release provides a 24-page bound booklet featuring the essay “Royal Warriors: Regicide, Robbery, and A Roll of the Dice in A Queen’s Ransom” by film historian James Oliver.

Final Thoughts

A Queen’s Ransom is a decent Hong Kong action film that introduces new threads throughout that keep you on your toes. The plot is a bit too chaotic to be fully transfixing, but it is a solid outing from this area of the world. The cast does a nice job of bringing something a bit special to the material to keep you more invested. It is not upper-tier Golden Harvest, but it will get the job done. Eureka Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a nice selection of supplements. Most fans of Hong Kong cinema will have fun with this one. Recommended

A Queen’s Ransom is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Eureka Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.