Having commented on the dubbed and edited version three years
ago on IMDb, I'm back again, having recently had the chance to
check out the newly released "Ultimate Edition" version in Los
Angeles. In a word, it is the "Ultimate Edition." Long-lost scenes
(that I had never seen in the dubbed version) are re-inserted, fight
scenes are extended, one tournament fight scene is added (which
was already in the "One Armed Boxer vs. Flying Guillotine"
version), and the film is SUBTITLED and not DUBBED, which is
the biggest change. It's interesting to watch the film in its native
language, and not the awful Australian dubbing (which actually is
one of the things I really like about the original!!), which adds a
whole different color to the film. The added scenes of the One
Armed Boxer in the beginning of the film also add more dimension
to his character, and yes... we find out that "One Armed Boxer" has
a real name!! The story behind the re-release is an original,
complete negative was located in China, and Greg Hatanaka and
Pathfinder Pictures saw fit to give this film a re-release in the
States (thanks, Greg!). To call "MFG:Ultimate" a "restored" version
from a technical standpoint would be incorrect (the print is
somewhat washed out, and damaged in places -- looks like
processing flaws which they will hopefully correct in the DVD
release... hint hint...), but it is a LOT more vibrant than the bootlegs
of the original "MFG" floating around out there, and it's presented in
the correct 2.35 aspect ratio! All in all, a great release of an
entertaining film to watch! It is in limited release, but the upcoming
(hopefully) DVD version should please true fans out there! The
biggest disappointment -- missing great dubbed-in dialogue like:
"D'you know who eye yam? I happen to be the one armed boxer!!"
and "Just you get outta my way now... you old has-been!!
Hahahaha!!!" All gone...
ago on IMDb, I'm back again, having recently had the chance to
check out the newly released "Ultimate Edition" version in Los
Angeles. In a word, it is the "Ultimate Edition." Long-lost scenes
(that I had never seen in the dubbed version) are re-inserted, fight
scenes are extended, one tournament fight scene is added (which
was already in the "One Armed Boxer vs. Flying Guillotine"
version), and the film is SUBTITLED and not DUBBED, which is
the biggest change. It's interesting to watch the film in its native
language, and not the awful Australian dubbing (which actually is
one of the things I really like about the original!!), which adds a
whole different color to the film. The added scenes of the One
Armed Boxer in the beginning of the film also add more dimension
to his character, and yes... we find out that "One Armed Boxer" has
a real name!! The story behind the re-release is an original,
complete negative was located in China, and Greg Hatanaka and
Pathfinder Pictures saw fit to give this film a re-release in the
States (thanks, Greg!). To call "MFG:Ultimate" a "restored" version
from a technical standpoint would be incorrect (the print is
somewhat washed out, and damaged in places -- looks like
processing flaws which they will hopefully correct in the DVD
release... hint hint...), but it is a LOT more vibrant than the bootlegs
of the original "MFG" floating around out there, and it's presented in
the correct 2.35 aspect ratio! All in all, a great release of an
entertaining film to watch! It is in limited release, but the upcoming
(hopefully) DVD version should please true fans out there! The
biggest disappointment -- missing great dubbed-in dialogue like:
"D'you know who eye yam? I happen to be the one armed boxer!!"
and "Just you get outta my way now... you old has-been!!
Hahahaha!!!" All gone...