Review of Iceman Cometh, The

Introduction

It`s time for some more kung-fu action courtesy of Hong Kong Legends in the form of The Iceman Cometh. Made in 1989, this was when audiences were asking for more from their films than a master student relationship leading to a climactic explosion of skill and stunts. The Iceman Cometh combines swordplay and martial arts, a historical setting, and courtesy of a time travel subplot, a contemporary setting too. Naturally there is a healthy dose of comedy too.

Fung-San has rejected his training and is on a hedonistic rampage, raping and murdering whenever it suits him. When his next victim turns out to be a close relative of the Emperor, the Emperor decides to execute his family in retribution, including Royal Guardsman Fong Sau-Ching. However there is a reprieve at the last minute, when Fong Sau-Ching pledges to capture his brother within 20 days. Fung-San has an escape planned though, for he is stolen the Black Jade Buddha, which when inserted into the Wheel of Life will allow instantaneous and repeated death and reincarnation, in other words, time travel. Fong Sau-Ching catches up to him just has he activates the device, and they find themselves in a frozen mountainous wasteland where they continue the battle. Choosing to sacrifice himself rather than let Fung-San escape, the guardsman takes both of them over a cliff to their doom.

They remain frozen in ice for hundreds of years, when a Chinese research group discovers them, and send the frozen bodies to Hong Kong for further research. When a surge of electricity fries the fridge they are stored in, they are revived to waken into a strange new world. Fong Sau-Ching is shocked to find a world full of metal monsters and odd people, and bereft when he learns that the Ming Dynasty has fallen. Fortune favours him though when he comes to the aid of a prostitute that he assumed was a damsel in distress. Polla sees someone she can exploit, and she soon has a new bodyguard. She has to instruct him about the minutiae of modern life, but that`s a small price to pay for someone who waits on her hand and foot, and protects her from the more obnoxious client. But while Fong Sau-Ching is being domesticated, Fung-San is rapidly fitting in with the Hong Kong underworld, and soon formulates a plan to change history.

Video

The picture for The Iceman Cometh is a rather unimpressive 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. While print damage is light, and the image is clear for the most part, there is a constant degree of grain that results in occasional artefacts, such as ghosting during darker moments. The colour palette also felt a little dull and subdued, though that may have been a creative choice. This was made pre CGI, so expect to glimpse the occasional wire during stunt sequences. The visual effects are nothing to sing about either. The stunts and fight sequences are frenetic, charged and exciting though.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.1 English and Cantonese, as well as the original DD 2.0 mono Cantonese track. I chose to listen to the Cantonese surround track, and the dialogue is clear, and there is a bit of surround ambience, punctuated by the action scenes. The quieter moments of the film were predominately front focused though. Sampling the English dub, I found it to be almost comical, but the surround was slightly punchier. There are English and Dutch subtitles as well as a signs only English subtitle track.

Features

Think Hong Kong Legends, and that means another feature filled commentary from Bey Logan. It`s just as engrossing as usual, and among the interesting titbits is the fact that this is the first uncut release of The Iceman Cometh in the UK. The only thing that I would hope for is that these commentaries be subtitled.

There are a couple of featurettes to go with the film, and HKL have tracked down the elusive Yuen Biao for his recollections of making the film. Warrior Prince lasts 10 minutes, and he talks about the difficult location filming and working with Maggie Cheung.

Nemesis last 14 minutes and gets the opposing viewpoint. Yuen Wah who played Fung-San also talks about the shoot, but there is an added perspective as he was also the action director on the film.

Naturally there are the UK and Original theatrical trailers, and as with most HKL discs, there are promos for 12 other titles from the HKL and Premier Asia ranges.

Conclusion

It`s Highlander with Kung Fu! The idea of beings with supernatural powers from the past, battling for supremacy in the present is certainly familiar. The climax of the film atop a Hong Kong skyscraper in front of a massive neon sign with protagonist and antagonist hacking at each other with swords is practically lifted from the earlier film. The difference being that these two have reached the present by means of a mystical time travel device rather than immortality, and any supernatural powers they do have come from their mastery of kung fu rather than the Quickening. Also the journey to that point is markedly different from the Russell Mulcahy film.

The Iceman Cometh is quite an odd mix of light and dark. Much of the middle third is played for laughs, as Fong Sau-Ching goes through the typical culture clash of a medieval visitor to the 20th Century. He encounters prostitute Polla, played to comic perfection by Maggie Cheung, who sees to his introduction to a world filled with electric lights, electric kettles, electric phones, electric televisions, and electric wells. Polla is far from the hooker with a heart of gold, and sees a business opportunity in the apparently naïve guardsman. Naturally she is reformed by the end of the film, but it`s a gradual progression from heartless hooker to genuine affection. The culture clash comedy is certainly clichéd if you have seen a few time travel movies, but it is judged perfectly and thoroughly entertaining. In contrast, Fung-San as a villain is brutal and unrelenting, a man who takes pleasure in raping and murdering women. This is the main reason the film was originally cut in the UK, and it is a little jarring to see his depredations immediately after a moment of light slapstick.

Oddly, I got the feeling that there was a bit of two-way pollination with Highlander. The Iceman Cometh is certainly reminiscent of the first film, but there are elements of 1994`s Highlander III that appear in this film, the villain frozen in time for 300 years who preys on women, and the forging of a sword, that make me wonder if the makers of the second sequel hadn`t seen this film first.

The Iceman Cometh is certainly a good deal of fun, mixing comedy, action, kung fu and swordplay to great effect. It`s certainly helped by good performances from Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah and especially Maggie Cheung. However, while it is a multi-genre film, it doesn`t really stand out in any one of them. I will say this though; it is the second best Highlander film.

It`s another good disc from Hong Kong Legends, with the usual excellent presentation and involving commentary from Bey Logan. Aside from a touch of grain, the transfer is up to the usual standards, and for two hours of entertainment you can do far worse than give The Iceman Cometh a rent.