Eureka Classics is releasing the 1976 martial arts movie ‘A Queen's Ransom' on Blu-ray following the film's 2K restoration. ‘A Queen's Ransom' is notable for starring a post-James Bond George Lazenby in a supporting role. He plays an IRA terrorist who organises a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to Hong Kong, which was still under British sovereignty at the time.
Also known as ‘International Assassin', ‘A Queen's Ransom' fits neatly into the Hong Kong-based martial arts genre. It is one of several feature films with an on-screen collaboration between actors Jimmy Wang Yu and Angela Mao. Viewers who are steeped in this style of filmmaking may embrace its trademark and much-parodied heightened realism. Casual viewers may show up to see what became of George Lazenby once Roger Moore took over.
Although Lazenby's only James Bond outing, ‘On Her Majesty's Secret Service' was well-received on its release, the actor chose to walk away from the franchise. For around a third of his tenure as Bond, he is dubbed by George Baker, the rock-solid English actor whose vocal talents notably improve Lazenby's performance. In the version of ‘A Queen's Ransom' dubbed into English, Lazenby's IRA terrorist is also dubbed. This leaves only his physicality to hang a performance on. Whilst he's in good shape and can hold his own in fight sequences, Lazenby is unconvincing at everything else. Having blown his Bond money by the mid-1970s, ‘A Queen's Ransom' was the third film Lazenby shot in quick succession in Hong Kong. It's hard to tell if he's simply going through the motions by the time he made this, or he simply lacks the acting mettle to bring this film to life.
Not every weak aspect of ‘A Queen's Ransom' can be laid at Lazenby's door. There are some baffling directorial decisions, such as to introduce Lazenby's character in profile and in mid-shot in a busy airport. An accompanying absence of dialogue can't help but leave the audience wondering if that really was the main international star, or just an extra who happened to look like him. The gang members that Lazenby's IRA man assembles are underwritten and mostly forgettable. Ting Shan-hsi's directorial strengths lie in the fight sequences that are well-choreographed, and decidedly not in telling a coherent story.
For a relatively short film, ‘A Queen's Ransom' feels ponderous. A large part of the problem is that the plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II relies on a credible threat to her life. Since the late monarch would not have agreed to star in the film, the other obvious option is to employ a lookalike to play her. Perhaps for budgetary reasons, we are left with the fudge of inserting wholly undramatic stock footage of the Queen and Prince Philip waving to well-wishers from the brow of a ship whilst clearly under no threat and in no way involved in the film we're invited to imagine they are integral to. If these interminable inserts weren't so tedious to sit through, they would render the film laughably bad. During the same decade, ‘The Eagle Has Landed' came up with an ingenious solution for viewing audience to believe that Winston Churchill's life was in danger from a wartime German plot to assassinate him. ‘A Queen's Ransom' lacks any of that film's guile and originality. Instead, it repeatedly takes the audience out of the story by overuse of glacial shots of Her Majesty graciously waving.
Other aspects of the film may not translate well cross cultures, but the Hong Kong actors seem overplayed to my taste, and the dubbing into English gifts us with dialogue that is painfully on the nose and riddled with cliches. An unsavoury and gratuitous sex scene compounded my detachment from the unfolding drama. There is certainly an audience for these films. Martial arts enthusiasts in particular may well find much to enjoy in ‘A Queen's Ransom'. To give it credit, the final set-piece is well-executed and provides a satisfying resolution to the plot. I was too underwhelmed by the ineptitude of the cast and crew to revise my overall opinion by that point. I could only conclude that ‘A Queen's Ransom' is a sorry mess, whether or not I am its intended demographic.
However, the film elements have been remastered well to provide a clean 2K copy on Blu-ray. The first print run of 2,000 copies feature an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling, and it has to be acknowledged that Eureka Classics has thrown the kitchen sink at providing a collector's edition jam-packed with additional features. There are several ways to enjoy the film, including in the original Hong Kong theatrical cut and the English language export cut. Those who prefer subtitles to dubbing have that option. Two brand new commentaries are provided: one with East Asian film expert Frank Djeng and another with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. A featurette ‘Fighting George' hears from martial artist and actor Michael Worth.
Cast: Jimmy Wang Yu, Angela Mao, George Lazenby, Ko Chun-Hsiung, Charles Heung, Dean Shek Director: Ting Shan-hsi Writer: Ting Shan-hsi Released by: Eureka Entertainment Certificate: 18 Duration: 96 mins Release date: 27th May 2024 Buy ‘A Queen's Ransom'
