Story of Ricky

After years of hearing almost legendary storys about Nam Nai Choi's 'Story of Ricky', it finally makes its way on DVD and a welcome release it is too.

Now there has been some minor hilarity from Western folk regarding the somewhat dubious anglo-blurbs used to describe the contents of Asian films, and hey, the 'Story of Ricky's scenario is explained quite simply (and concisely) by its cover :

"Ricky is sent to prison. In the jail, he sees the prisoners being exploited and tortured by the chief warden Cobra. Ricky decides to stand up against them."

And there you have it, but hey - there's a lot more to 'Story of Ricky' than meets the eye here. The plot may seem simple enough, but the film is an absolute delight to view. 96 minutes of over the top super-gory violent comic book action that will please most - the whole feel of the movie comes across like an old Shaw Brothers film that's been co-produced by Lucio Fulci. A truly bizarre and great fun experience.

There are lots of familiar faces throughout that fans of the kung fu scene will recognise, popping up in many small cameo roles. Ricky himself acts like a demented Bruce Lee on speed, doing the trademark Lee thumb/nose flick constantly (except here it's always to magically remove a spray of blood from his face!) The casting throughout is simply splendid with all involved putting in a suitably over the top performance and Nam Nai Choi's direction carries it off with great aplomb.

The gore scenes are also extreme, though not in a horrifying manner, but a pure cartoon crazy style (ala 'Itchy and Scratchy' and 'Dead Superheroes'). Ideal viewing with your mates and a few beers etc, you'll be cheering throughout this little insane cracker.

The disc is very nicely done (as usual from Hong Kong), the print is a nice crisp widescreen and you have the great option of either watching the film in Cantonese/Mandarin with English subtitles or in full English audio dub (with 5.1 surround !!). Check it out with the English dubbing, in true old Shaw Bros style it really adds to the fun and will have you chuckling throughout. Extras wise, there's a nice selection of trailers including one for 'Ricky' that leans to it's comic origins and gives nothing away. And there's some glossarys on the film and its cast too.

Buy this one with confidence. Suspend your disbelief for 96 minutes and you'll have a whale of a time watching this comic book classic.