The Millionaires’ Express
A lone man on horseback in the snow, coming across a heavily armed encampment of men, all slaughtered; the police force of shanty town Hon Sui in no man’s land, planning an incendiary distraction as cover while they betray their oaths and rob the local bank; a stolen map in the hands of a trio of Japanese travellers pursued by bandits: all will come together on the Millionaires’ Express.
Travelling from Shanghai to Chengdu, the steam locomotive and its diverse passengers will pass through Hon Sui, supposedly without stopping, but having relocated the key workers of a city brothel to a renovated hotel in his former hometown on the promise of green hills and clear water, Ching Fong-Tin is keen to ensure they have a supply of wealthy customers, even if it means dynamiting the tracks.
Written and directed by Sammo Hung who also stars in the lead role, the multifaceted Ching Fong-Tin, businessman and fighter, outlaw and peacemaker, his 1986 eastern western The Millionaires’ Express (富貴列車, also known as both Shanghai Express and China Warriors) is a bizarre mashup of cowboys, comedy and capers, unashamedly ridiculous as might be expected from the man behind Encounters of the Spooky Kind.
Presented as a Blu-ray set from new 2K restorations as part of the Eureka Classics range, the two discs offer four different cuts of The Millionaires’ Express, the original Hong Kong theatrical and extended versions, the English language “export” version and a “hybrid” which combines footage from the different cuts in a newly created maximised version around eleven minutes longer than the first.
The entire town constructed for the film and then partially destroyed on camera, the stunts are performed with grace, flair and indifference to any form of danger, with fights captured in continuous takes and falls caught in long shot leaving no place to hide anything the ease the landing, Hung’s multidisciplinary cast ready for shenanigans, confusions and contusions, the plot disjointed and sporadic as the multiple groups are established but paid off in the second half as chaos unfolds and the disparate forces unite against the bandits.
Her second film for the Hong Kong film industry and the first of a three picture deal with Golden Harvest, Cynthia Rothrock provides commentary along with Frank Djeng, and the set also contains new and archive interviews with Rothrock, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao who plays Cho Cheuk-Chin, former fire chief of Hon Sui now standing as interim police chief, Yukari Ôshima, a skilled ninja of the Japanese contingent, trailers, alternative credits and an additional feature relating to Hung’s My Lucky Stars which Eureka were unable to include on their recent edition of that film.
The Millionaires’ Express is available on Blu-ray from Eureka now
