Hong Kong Cinema Classics Roundhouse-Kick Their Way to a New Streamer – Charm

Streaming has not always made watching niche classics easy, but fans of Hong Kong cinema of decades past are in luck. The Wrap exclusively reports that Shout!TV will be host to Hong Kong Fight Club, which is a channel that is exactly as it sounds. Starting in August, the FAST channel will stream fan-favorite movies from famous stars like Jet Li, Chow Yun-Fat, and Jackie Chan. The channel has publicized that this new endeavor:

“Showcases the absolute greatest in action cinema from Hong Kong’s cinematic golden age of the ’80s and ’90s. Restored from new 4K scans, these fan favorites look better than ever. The channel will also sport interactive features, special events, and livestreams, as well as new original content produced for the channel featuring titans of the genre, including Jet Li, John Woo and more.”

John Woo may be familiar to Western audiences due to the completely necessary Mission: Impossible II and Face/Off, but he has a history of impressive films, including Hard Boiled, The Killer, and Bullet in the Head. These titles are the result of a recent initiative by Shout! to restore classic films and make them more accessible to a wider audience. They have been working in conjunction with Hong Kong Film Archives to make these films possible.

These Hong Kong Films Won’t Just Be for Streaming Fans

Streaming has become something of a double-edged sword in recent years. Though it has seemingly made more content available to viewers from the comfort of their own homes, it also takes away from the joy of collecting physical media. Shout! has given the best of both worlds in this case. Along with digital platforms, physical box sets will also be made available with fresh subtitle tracks and new bonus features.

The Wrap promises that Jet Li’s best films will become available in an upcoming box set thanks to the negatives being scanned into a new 4K version. According to Shout Factory, the Jet Li collection will include Fist of Legend, The Bodyguard From Beijing, and Tai Chi Master, among many others. Li started his career as a martial artist before segueing onto the screen. He eventually made a transition to Hollywood in features like The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Fans can start streaming these movies and other Chinese classics on Plex, starting August 1, and on Roku on August 19.

Viewers can download the Hong Kong Fight Club app for more convenience.