If there was a Mount Rushmore of action stars, then you can bet that Jet Li’s face would be on it. He could probably chiseled into the rock with his bare hands. A legend of Hong Kong’s golden age of filmmaking and the star of several cult-classic Hollywood movies, several of Li’s best adventures are being collected into a new 4K Blu-ray package. Simply titled The Jet Li Collection, this five-film collection is up for preorder for $130 at Amazon and Walmart ahead of its July 29 release.
$130 | Releases July 29
This collection is part of Shout Factory’s new Hong Kong Cinema Classics line, and inside, you’ll find the following movies on 4K Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray.
- Fist of Legend
- Tai Chi Master
- Fong Sai Yuk AKA The Legend
- Fong Sai Yuk 2 AKA The Legend 2
- The Bodyguard from Beijing
Each movie is a new 4K restoration from the original film negatives, and they all come with brand-new extras. Not every movie here offers a massive number of bonus materials, but there’s still a lot to dive into overall. You can check out all of the special features at the end of this story.
These movies are essentially a highlight reel of Li’s career during the ’90s, with three of them being filmed in 1993 alone. Earlier films like Once Upon a Time in China and Swordsman 2 helped turn him into a rising star thanks to his talent and well-choreographed fight scenes, and the Fong Sai Yuk movies–known as The Legend and The Legend 2 in the US–alongside Tai Chi Master showcased more of his graceful ability to smash faces. Fast-forward to 1994, and Li’s work on The Bodyguard from Beijing and Fist of Legend were two more instant classics that garnered international praise.
Fist of Legend is arguably one of his most influential movies, as this was a remake of the 1972 action extravaganza Fist of Fury. Since Fist of Fury starred Bruce Lee, Li had some big shoes to fill, but Fist of Legend more than delivered thanks to iconic fight sequences choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping.
It’s worth noting that if you’re a fan of Hong Kong cinema, there’s a lot more to look forward to. Shout Factory recently announced that it had secured the worldwide rights to the Golden Princess film library, a collection 156 movies that have largely been absent from the 4K Blu-ray market. This means that you can expect dozens of hard-hitting action movies to get a new 4K release soon, including iconic films like Hard Boiled, The Killer, the Better Tomorrow trilogy, and City on Fire, amongst many more.
The Jet Li Collection Special Features
We’ve separated the bonus content for The Jet Li Collection by movie.
Fist of Legend
- Audio commentary with James Mudge, Hong Kong film critic at Eastern Kicks (New feature)
- New English subtitles
- Interview with director Gordon Chan (New feature)
- Interview with Professor Aaron Moore (New feature)
- Archival interview with director Gordon Chan
- Archival interview with actor Chin Siu-Ho
- Archival iterview with actor Kurata Yasuaki
- The School Of Hard Knocks: Karate seminar with actor Kurata Yasuaki
- Archival interviews with movie director Brett Ratner and critic Elvis Mitchell
- Deleted scenes
- Trailer
Tai Chi Master
- Audio commentary with James Mudge, Hong Kong film critic at Eastern Kicks (New feature)
- New English subtitles
- Tai Chi Madam: The Michelle Yeoh Effect interviews (New feature)
- Archival interview With actor Chin Siu-Ho
- The Birthplace Of Tai Chi: Documentary about Chen Village
- Meditations On the Master interviews with director Brett Ratner and critic Elvis Mitchell on director Yuen Wo-ping
- Twin Warriors: Director Brett Ratner and critic Elvis Mitchell on actors Jet Li And Michelle Yeoh
- English language opening credits
- Trailer
Fong Sai Yuk AKA The Legend
- New English subtitles
- Interview with Leon Hunt, author Of Kung Fu Masters and East Asian Cinemas (New feature)
- Audio commentary with James Mudge, Hong Kong film critic at Eastern Kicks (New feature)
- Trailer
Fong Sai Yuk 2 AKA The Legend 2
- New English subtitles
- Interview with sound assistants Steven Avila and Trip Brock on translating classic Hong Kong films to the west (New feature)
- Audio commentary with James Mudge, Hong Kong film Critic at Eastern Kicks (New feature)
- Trailer
The Bodyguard from Beijing
- New English subtitles
- Audio commentary with James Mudge, Hong Kong film critic at Eastern Kicks (New feature)
- Trailer