Andy Lau is out for blood… literally. Terrorists have shot two people: their target was a Tibetan religious leader but they also wounded the girlfriend of Bee (Lau – God of Gamblers). Since both victims share the same rare blood group, Bee joins the cops (headed by Alan Tam – Armour of God) racing to find a donor. But those terrorists haven’t finished yet…

Also known as ‘Hard Boiled II’, ‘Police Protectors’ and ’12 Hours of Terror’, THE LAST BLOOD is a gunplay movie such as only Hong Kong filmmakers could produce and is a full-tilt tribute to the heroic bloodshed of John Woo (Hard Boiled). A pioneering mix of Buddhists and bullets from your pals at 88 Films!

For thoughts on The Last Blood, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/NtnntbeGwqs?si=fOjFyLpZoKlDFu5W&t=2394]

Video Quality

The Last Blood comes to Blu-Ray via 88 Films with a new 1080p master in its original aspect ratio derived from a high definition master of unknown origin. This release is largely very pleasing and avoids most of the anomalies that usually take points away from other releases. The transfer looks primarily natural throughout without filtering or DNR rearing its ugly head. Some signs of age remain, but the source appears to have been kept in good shape. The grain resolves well outside of fleeting moments when the grain field spikes and the image quality takes a downturn for a few seconds.

This transfer seems to be in decent shape when it comes to wear and tear, only allowing for a light undercurrent of speckles. The presentation eschews most instances of compression artifacts, banding and other digital anomalies. There are still some shots that present as a bit soft which more than likely links back to the quality of the source elements. The transfer is lovely 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 subtle facets of the costumes and backgrounds without issue. 88 Films has delivered a nice presentation for fans.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 2.0 mono track in the original Cantonese which delivers on all fronts. There is also an English dub provided in DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio that sounds decent enough, but we always advocate sticking with the original language. The film digs a bit deep when necessary, but there is a balance between the action-driven set pieces and the quieter, character-driven moments. There are signs of some source deficiencies, but there are no blatant instances of damage or audio dropouts. Dialogue can sound a bit hollow in some scenes, but typically it is clear and easy to understand. The score does a nice job of setting the tone of the narrative, and it comes through with a nice fidelity. 88 Films has provided a lovely sonic experience for fans. This release does have optional English and English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng and author John Charles 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 this was a diversion for certain talent, the unusual titling of the film, the background of the story and more.

Trailers: There is an English Trailer (3:38) and a Hong Kong Trailer (4:12) provided for The Last Blood.

Stills Gallery: This disc provides various stills in a gallery.

Double Sided Poster

Final Thoughts

The Last Blood is a pretty wild and fun action movie that features a pretty ridiculous story, but it is one that sells with its commitment. Andy Lau is a standout here under the direction of Wong Jing as he delivers with both charisma and the ease with which he executes his action scenes. The rest of the ensemble complements him capably with nearly everyone understanding the assignment. It is not high art, but it quite a bit of fun from beginning to end. 88 Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a welcome A/V presentation and a fine commentary track. Any fan of Hong Kong cinema will have fun with this one. Recommended

The Last Blood will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on October 10, 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.