All this posting is making me hungry. Some Dim Sum and a beer sure sounds inviting...
From LoudLon at Horror-movies.ca:
When one thinks of Hong Kong cinema, or Asian cinema in general, the usual images are of cheaply made chop-socky films which feature pony-tailed kung fu masters, extravagant weaponry such as flying guillotines and numerous repetitions of the phrase "But still." But still (heh heh), Asian cinema is every bit as diverse as that of the good ol' US of A, and often more extreme.
Whereas the States have "exploitation films," Hong Kong has Category III films (you can find an explanation for this rating in my review of another HK Category III flick, Dr. Lamb). Most Category III films are, to be perfectly honest, hit or miss. The Untold Story, on the other hand, is one of the best -- though whether that's a good or bad thing depends on one's gag reflex.
The Untold Story starts with a violent prologue circa 1978 Hong Kong. Wang Chi Hang is accused of cheating at mahjongg by his boss. This enrages Wang (even though it's true) and he pummels his boss, then sets him afire.
Jump eight years ahead to Macau, in mainland China. A bag full of dismembered body parts washes ashore a beach, and the police are soon called in to investigate. The terribly inept detective unit led by the horn-doggish and equally inept Inspector Lee follow the clues to a diner called Eight Immortals Restaurant, ran by the relocated Wang. We know all along that Wang is the killer, and we also know that Wang has killed his newest boss and his boss's family and ground them into filling for his roast pork buns, which he generously offers to the questioning detectives who waste no time in gorging themselves on the free food.
The clues, though obvious, are nevertheless considered inconclusive by the police and Wang, though a suspect, is never accused. He continues his murderous deeds by dicing up a pair of nosy employees -- one a man Wang stuffs into the grinder with a cheeky slap on the man's severed ass, the second a woman Wang first rapes with a handful of chopsticks (women, prepare to flinch at this brutal scene) before dropping her into the grinder as well.
Wang is eventually arrested but without the vital evidence, the police decide to beat a confession out of him. Over the course of several days, Wang is deprived of sleep, his rectum is punctured with needles, and blisters are seared onto his back and then ripped open. Finally, Wang breaks and delivers his confession, the titular untold story.
Based on an actual chain of events which transpired in the mid 80's, The Untold Story is a brutal, disturbing and graphic piece of work -- yet also an effective character study. Anthony Wong, one of the bravest of HK's A-list actors, let's loose in the role of the psychopathic Wang. So intense and disturbing is his performance that he was awarded the Best Actor award at the 1993 Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese version of The Oscars, a first for a Category III film.
However, those who object to on-screen violence against children might wish to avoid this sick little number as the entire finale of the film includes the detailed butchering of Wang's boss back in Hong Kong, as well as the boss's wife and many children. And as graphic and unflinching as the sequence is, what makes it more disturbing is the fact that it actually happened.
Unfortunately, the film also contains its fair share of off-target and distracting comic relief. Not including the film's finale, every scene involving the police is filled with tacky, inane "humor" in the form of lousy one liners and remarkably stupid sex jokes. A female detective with a major crush on her superior is made the butt of her peers' obnoxious, locker-room-level jokes, and every scene involving Inspector Lee sees him appearing with a different hooker on his arm. And while this makes no sense in the film, it has been suggested that legendary HK actor Danny Lee insisted on his character being a ladies' man as an attempt to dispel real life rumors that he himself was homosexual. These ridiculous scenes seem straight out of a Police Academy movie and are almost as painful to watch as Wang's acts of vicious homicide.
For those seeking out this film, you shouldn't have a problem as it's offered by many online video sellers. If you can't find it under this title, you could also try one of the film's six many alternate titles, which include:
Bun Man: The Untold Story
Human Meat Roast Pork Buns
Eight Immortals Restaurant: Human Meat Roast Pork Buns
Human Pork Chop
Bunman's Untold Story
or just plain old Bun Man.
Ultimately, while definitely not for all tastes -- and despite the horrible comic relief -- The Untold Story is Category III filmmaking at its lurid and disgusting finest. For those of you interested in seeing it, I guarantee you'll think twice next time you order Chinese take-out
Technical Information:
Title: 八仙飯店之人肉叉燒包/Bunman: The Untold Story
Year: 1993
Country: Hong Kong
Director: Herman Yau
Source: DVD9 Retail
DVD Format: PAL
Container: .iso + mds
Size: 7.21 GB
Length: 1:35:29
Programs used: Unknown
Resolution: 720x576
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Video: MPEG2 @ ~8000 kb/s
Frame Rate: 25 fps
Audio 1: German- Dolby AC3 5.1 @ 448 kb/s
Audio 2: Mandarin- Dolby AC3 2.0 @ 224 kb/s
Audio 3: Cantonese- Dolby AC3 2.0 @ 224 kb/s
Audio 3: English Commentary (Herman Yau)- Dolby AC3 @ 224 kb/s
Audio 4: English Commentary (Antony Wong)- Dolby AC3 @ 224 kb/s
Subtitles: German, English
Menu: Yes
Video: Untouched
DVD Extras:
- Making Of Der Deutsche Synchronisation (German only)
- Comparison of the original and the remaster
- Trailer
- Filmographies: Danny Lee and Herman Yau
(Use JDownloader to automate downloading)
八仙飯店之人肉叉燒包 Megaupload Links