Story Of Ricky

Story Of Ricky will probably never look better than it does here. While never a demo disc, the digitally restored, anamorphic and widescreen enhanced PAL transfer is a definite improvement on the old Region 3 NTSC letterbox version, with less artefacting and greater clarity.

Sound-wise there appears to be no difference between the old and new discs. Both sport 5.1 tracks that don't really seem to add greatly to the experience. You can watch the film in English dub, with the character names changed, or with subtitles and the character names consistent with the original comic. You don't need me to tell you which is the prefered option.

The commentary track, with Hong Kong stuntman Jude Poyer and critic Miles Wood, is okay, but lacking in that special something to take it from value-added feature to essential listen. Wood focusses more on the who, what and where of the film, its cast and crew, while Poyer provides useful insights into the realities of shooting a film like this, such as the difficulties of doing falls when performers are stripped to the waist and thereby unable to pad up.

Next is a 25 minute subtitled interview with the film's leading man, Fan Sui-wong. He talks about how he got into the business through hanging around with his father on set, his dedicated training regime and his memories of making the film.

The package is rounded off by a short sequence of Sui-wong showing his moves and the original trailers. The latter is especially recommended, as it shows how well the film-makers have succeeded in using the comic as storyboard for the film with the resources available to them.

All in all, Story Of Ricky is another winner from Hong Kong Legends.