After seeing off hopping corpses in Mr. Vampire, the great Lam Ching-ying (Enter the Dragon, Eastern Condors) faces a new supernatural challenge: someone is using the living dead to smuggle drugs into modern day Hong Kong and only Lam’s Officer Feng – policeman and Taoist master – can stop them, proving the power of traditional Chinese magic in the process!

Mixing comedy, action and esoteric lore, Magic Cop sees the incomparable Lam at his brilliant best. 88 Films are proud to present this gorgeously restored treat from the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.

For thoughts on Magic Cop, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/Nj7nOR-2yJ8?t=2970]

Video Quality

Magic Cop comes to Blu-Ray via 88 Films with a new 1080p master in its original aspect ratio derived from a new restoration. This new release offers a pretty strong presentation that ranks fairly high among the efforts we have seen from the label. The transfer does not seem to suffer much in the way of filtering or DNR which allows it to at least appear natural if not slightly aged. The grain resolves favorably for the most part, but there are fleeting moments when the grain field spikes and the image quality suffers for a few seconds.

This transfer showcases very little in the way of wear and tear, but there are some specks here and there. The film avoids most instances of compression artifacts, banding and other digital anomalies. There are some shots that present as a bit soft which likely links back to the quality of the source elements. The transfer thrives with the rich color saturation on display in some of the clothing, production design and lighting choices. Fine detail rarely disappoints as you take in subtle facets of the costumes and production design without issue. 88 Films continues to do good work with their Hong Kong classics.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 2.0 mono track in both the original Cantonese Mono Mix and Cantonese Home Video Mix along with an English dub in DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio for those who have an aversion to subtitles. As always, we recommend sticking with the original language track. Dialogue can sound a touch boxy at points, but it is mostly clear and easy to discern throughout the film. There are signs that this film has some age to it, but there are no egregious bouts of damage or audio drop outs. The score does a nice job of establishing the tone of the narrative, but there is some weakness in the upper registers. The film digs deep when necessary as action-packed set pieces crop up and make themselves known. This release does have optional English subtitles provided. 88 Films has done a decent job of providing stability for this one.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng and Marc Walkow deliver an informative commentary track in which they discuss the place of supernatural elements in Hong Kong action cinema, careers of the talent involved, the impact of the film upon its release, the background of the spiritual practices observed in the narrative, the dubbing of the film, the stylistic flourishes and more. We wish Walkow would have gotten a bit closer to his microphone since he can be difficult to discern at times.

Taiwanese Cut with Alt. Score (1:33:57): An alternate cut of the film is presented derived from a rough standard definition source in a windowboxed widescreen aspect ratio and with Dolby Digital 2.0 (with burned-in Chinese and English subtitles)

Interview with Tung Wei: A nearly 37-minute interview with the director in which he discusses how he got involved with this production, his involvement with developing the narrative, the casting of the film, his process of working with the performers, going over budget during production, unique elements of the production design the legacy of the film and more that is well worth a watch.

Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here.

Image Gallery: This disc provides various stills and marketing materials in a gallery.

Double Sided Poster

Final Thoughts

Magic Cop is an entertaining diversion from your typical martial arts fare as you delve into the mystical with great excitement. The story is nothing groundbreaking, but the way in which the narrative weaves in the unique elements elevates it quite a bit. Those who are looking for their supply of action will be satisfied with what this has up its sleeve. 88 Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a really good A/V presentation and an array of fun special features. The movie delivers on its titles, so if you want a magical reckoning on your doorstep, this is the movie for you. Recommended

Magic Cop will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on July 25, 2023.

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

Disclaimer: 88 Films 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.