IN THE LINE OF DUTY IV (Eureka Classics) Blu-ray

Product Information

In the fan-favourite fourth entry in the In the Line of Duty film series, action superstar Donnie Yen and Cynthia Khan team up with legendary martial-arts director Yuen Woo-ping. This Eureka Classics Limited Edition of In the Line of Duty III features a Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [First Print Run of 2000 copies] and a Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver [First Print Run of 2000 copies]. On disc extras include the marvelous two audio commentaries listed below, my preferred one being the one with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema since their conversational banter makes it very listenable as well as informative, but Frank Djeng also brings his usual wealth of knowledge to the table in his solo commentary. JJ Bona on So Close | Blu-ray (88 Films) The actually do both (one with, one without) on some of their US/UK releases.

Frank Djeng and Michael Worth return from their commentary on In the Line of Duty III, and an additional older commentary comes from Hong Kong expert Stefan Hammond and actor Michael Wong. An interview with Donnie Yen precedes trailers. The story, as ever, is largely a framework to hang the action on, but this time it sees Khan as a relatively inexperienced cop who impresses her superiors by taking down a robber and is sent to the serious crimes squad, commanded by her uncle (Paul Chun), who doesn’t want her to be a cop. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, a team of thieves led by by a couple (Stuart Ong as Nakamura and Michiko Nishiwaki who simply uses her real name for the character) takes down a jewellery show by a famous designer, killing many people in the process, including the partner of Policeman Hiroshi Fujioka (also using his real name in character). He comes to Hong Kong on their trail, and ends up teaming up with Khan to take the male and female thieves down. The title of this film is confusing. I first saw it on a Hong Kong Legends DVD as In the Line of Duty. HKL had released the first film in the series, Yes Madam, as Police Assassins, then skipped directly to this fourth entry. To be fair to them, it never made much sense to pretend that they exist as part of a series, despite the onscreen title for this one—Royal Madam IV: The Witness—again combining elements of the titles of the first two films. Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [First Print Run of 2000 copies]

Cast

Now, In the Line of Duty IV, talk about finding your footing again four entries into a loosely connected film series. Yeun Woo-Ping, a hugely talented filmmaker and stunt coordinator, gets the helm in this story of Cynthia Khan in Seattle after some drug smugglers, and this time Donnie Yen is here and plays a hotheaded cop with a sadistic bloodlust. The humor that usually shows up is replaced with adrenaline-fueled action in nearly every other scene, constantly keeping the audience on their toes and not paying attention to the somewhat-thin storyline underneath. And at 95 minutes, it’s all very economical and respectful of the audience’s time. 4/5

Ska Martes on The Heroic Trio & Executioners | 4K UHD & Blu-ray (Criterion) Great movies and the kind of megastar casting that you just don't get anymore… In the Line of Duty III is taken from a brand new 2K restoration that is presented in a 1.85:1 AVC 1080p encodement on Blu-ray Disc from Eureka Classics. The overall image for the film looks very organic, with a natural layer of grain and exceptional detail, depth of field, and nuanced shadows. The contrast is superb even given the often desaturated and dim look given to the film overall. Some of the night scenes present stark contrasts, vivid neon signs of Hong Kong, and clean shadows without a lot of elevated noise or graininess. The Audio Andrew Hernandez on The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell (2023) Review I had hopes for this one after MAAC gave it a positive review. Hopefully this… Mr. Odessa on Don’t miss Goodie Emporium’s New Release update! RUN AND KILL is being released by Team Error 4444. It’s available for pre ord… In the Line of Duty IV spends minimal time on storyline, retreading the familiar series routine of international police joining on a case, with Khan the righteous, rule-following cop. Yen, as her partner, chooses violence over courtroom justice. It’s ludicrous in a sense as Yen plays an “American” cop from “Seattle,” but that’s rapidly forgotten – In the Line of Duty IV is close to all action, or as close as possible without losing interest in the crime drama entirely.JJ Bona on Slaughter in San Francisco | Blu-ray (88 Films) You can definitely polish turd so a "so bad, it's good" film is presented bet…