If you’re a fan of Hong Kong’s 1980s and 1990s era, you’re probably familiar with the granite face of Shing Fui-On, probably one of the great “that guys” of cinema (to borrow a phrase from fellow Indiana Film Journalist Association member Matthew Socey). He appears as a supporting role in an endless list of classics – films like John Woo’s The Killer, A Better Tomorrow, Tiger on the Beat, God of Gamblers, Ebola Syndrome, Horrible High Heels and Long Arm of the Law II. Always supporting, always great, displaying not only roles stereotypical to his massive physique but surprisingly comedic roles as well. He was everywhere in those years, the definition of a working actor. In fact, he only ever had one leading role: The Blue Jean Monster, a goofy and inventive Category III horror-comedy that has gained a cult following in the years since its release.
In Monster, Shing Fui-On plays Tsu Hsiang, a dedicated police officer with his first child on the way. His wife, Chu (Siu-Fung Wong), is about ready to pop when Tsu is tragically killed by a group of Triad bank robbers in a scene lifted partially from RoboCop. His corpse is buried under a pile of scrap metal, never to be seen again – until a black cat walks across his corpse and the refuse is struck by a bolt of lightning, which turns our hero into a vampire for some reason.
The rest of the film’s relatively short runtime concerns largely comedic bits involving Tsu’s new vampiric life. He’s not driven to suck blood, but he does have to electrically recharge his decaying body every so often. Rather than killing to eat, he starts to experience fits of unbridled supernatural rage, which he can direct towards criminals. It’s a strange superhero story that features little action. Of course, when the blood does start to flow, it’s pretty satisfying.
It’s not that Monster is a cohesive story or consistent in its shocks and splatters. It’s just that when it does get gonzo, the moments are memorable enough to understand how it achieved cult status. My favorite moment is when Death-rays (guest star Amy Yip) appears to try to seduce Tsu. Fans of Category III will recognize Yip from a number of her own classic roles, including as the large-chested lead of Erotic Ghost Story and Robotrix. Her role here is brief and ends with Tsu accidentally popping her breasts, spraying milk all over the room. She promptly runs out of the room screaming out of terror but seemingly not pain. Look, breasts don’t work that way. It’s cartoonish. It’s absurd. It’s hysterical.
That sums up Monster in a nutshell. Shing Fui-On never had another starring role after this, and it’s kind of a shame. His face makes for one hell of a vampire, but his comedic timing and ability to land slapstick is in keeping with the best of his generation.
The film is commemorated by a new Region A Blu-ray release from 88 Films. It’s one of their more spare releases; there isn’t even an English dub included (perhaps there were none to source) and the other special features are barebones. However, in terms of the film, this is one of their most entertaining Hong Kong releases of the past year.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Double-walled O-Ring featuring new artwork by James Neal
- Double-sided foldout poster featuring new and classic poster art
- Brand new 2K restoration in 1.85:1 aspect ratio from the original negatives
- High definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original Cantonese mono with English subtitles
- Man Made Monster – An Interview With Assistant Director Sam Leong
- Hong Kong trailer
- Stills gallery
- Reversible cover with new artwork by Neal and original Hong Kong poster art