Customer Reviews

Untold Story [VHS]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I never thought a film could be made like the 1992
Chinese presentation of "The Untold Story". Let me
start by saying that this is the only film in all my
years of moviegoing that actually nauseated me. Give
me credit. I have a very strong stomach. Maybe what
makes it so horrific is that it is based on true
events. I thought I had seen it all...now (maybe) I
have. I love horror, gore, frightening tales of
terror, but this one crosses the line. It is
shocking...to say the least...and it doesn't start out
that way.

The crew of police officers and detectives in this
film are a bunch of comedians. They are constantly
ribbing one another...find excuses not to work...and I
thought I was in store for a Chinese rendition of Mel
Gibson and Danny Glover in "Lethal Weapon". In
afterthought, their comedic relief is to take pressure
off the gruesome antics of a psychotic killer Anthony
Wong, who won Honk Kong's Film Award for Best Actor in
1993. Best actor? This guy is so convincing he
scared the hell out of me.

While I find it just as hard to understand how such a
film could be made, I was more perplexed over the fact
that I WATCHED IT! Wong is a true psycho-maniac.
There are moments that are simply
disgusting...overboard...unthinkable. And, of course,
I had to buy the ORIGINAL UNCUT VERSION! Guess what?
There's nothing "uncut" about it...if you get my
drift. Words of wisdom:

Stay away from the barbecued pork buns and beware of
the chopsticks.

If you're brave enough to watch this, you may want to
be selective as to who (if anyone) joins you. I've
seen "Silence of the Lambs", "Dahmer", "Portrait of a
Serial Killer", "Bundy", "Helter Skelter"...and a host
of deranged serial killer flicks, but this one takes
the cake...or, better yet, "cuts" it.

In the gruesome serial killer genre', this one is a
"10". If you can't handle this type of flick, I
recommend "Shrek 2"...your side will split from
laughter...not via a meat cleaver.

I saw this back in 1997 at the Fant-Asia film festival in Calgary and I was just stunned. From what I've heard, they just don't make slasher/horror films that often in Asia, so when they set out to shock and horrify, they go to the extreme, in true Asian style. This story concerns a serial killer posing as a restaurant prorietor who goes into violent rages and indulges in sadistic acts. For those of you used to Anime and other far-out Asian arts, you may be already jaded and unaffected, but for those of you looking for something to disturb you, seek this out. It's not an atypical story by any means, but the murder scenes are pretty grisly. It's not quite all out gore, but it's pretty disturbing in that you're just not used to this kind of stuff. One guy gets chopped up into dim sum. In another sequence, a family gets hacked to pieces...you ever notice in Hollywood where murdered children get killed offscreen? Not here. There's also a graphic rape scene involving chopsticks that ain't exactly feminist-friendly. Needless to say, with every succesive murder during the screening. more and more people walked out. It's rare you see a horror film provoking anything more than laughter nowadays. This one is all out, gung-ho savagery. What's even weirder is the moments of slapstick that pop-up whenever the cops are in a scene. A strange way to lighten the darker scenes, but, that's Asian cinema for you...unpredictable, daring, extreme and the polar opposite of Western filmmaking. The guy who plays the killer won some prestigious awards in awards for his portrayal, and he deserves them. He's convincingly creepy. Go to your local Chinese videostore and try and get this gem and play it at your next sleepover party.

Being a big fan of HK cinema and an even bigger fan of gore films, I highly anticipated watching the untold story. The box promises cannibalism in a humorous vein and comes with a standard warning of graphic violence, so I figured it would probably be a lot of fun. The first scene has Anthony Wong, the big time bad guy, setting fire to a man after a gambling dispute, very realistic. Then, after some plot developement which more less establishes Wong as being a despicable man, he kills again and chops up his victim into pieces in a scene which is gut wrenching and very convincing. So far, I think it's pretty cool. then the film suddenly slaps you with this awful rape scene, certainly the most disturbing, graphic, and frighteningly realistic of such depictions I have ever seen. I won't repeat what all Wong does to this woman but I can assure you watching it is far from what anyone should be considering enjoyable. After that we're treated to about 40 minutes of moronic cops torturing Wong into confessing. These scenes are not any fun either, they're drawn out and pointless and lead the film nowhere. Eventually, after much police brutality and sleep deprivation the film goes into a flashback where we see Wong slaughter 8 more people, including 5 young children whose participation in the film must have been traumatizing for them considering their age. This is another very gory scene, and a rather long one, but not quite as disturbing as the one I mentioned earlier. Like I said, I was looking for a movie a little bit more laughable in it's use of blood and guts, but this film is no laughing matter! It's main purpose seems to be the intention of shocking and upsetting the veiwer, and to it's credit it acheives these goals. Wong received the Hong Kong film awards best actor for his role here and I guess he deserved it considering all the awful things he did for this movie. A true study in method acting but other than that he just sneers and screams alot. The cops, as I said, are depicted as sexist and incompetant morons who turn surprisingly cruel once they have their suspect in custody. HK movies often depict cops as idiots for comic relief (see Dr. Lamb or Naked Killer among others) but here it's just really out of place and unnecesary. That's the main fault of the film, but mainly I want to warn others who might consider renting or buying this movie in the hopes of getting some laughs out of it- you won't. This is some hard core stuff. As a side note, the extras and additional trailers are really neat, and the transfer looks great.

This film is one of the most graphic and brilliantly powerful films I have ever seen. Anthony Wong turns in a blistering performance as the owner of a Macau restaurent where his employees go missing. And the ingredients of his buns he makes there are rather unusual. The film's violence hits home so hard because of the humour also evident in the film, particularly between a group of cops on Wong's tail. You will need a strong stomach to watch one scene in paticular towards the end, but it is worth it. Not many films are as powerfully graphic and accomplished as this one. The DVD is also superb. The picture and sound are good, and the extras are superb. Featuring a good commentary from Anthony Wong and a Hong Kong film critic, and a commentary from director Herman Yau. The animated menus are also excellant, presented in the theme of a restaurent menu.

well what can I say about this film that hasn't been said? Its violent(very very violent) twisted, gory and if your a little sick yourself a bit funny. It does shock(made my freind get all queezy and sweaty) but it lacks substance and any likeable characters. If your a shock buff this will be a treat for you everyone else should prob rent a tarintino flick:)

I have always thought that I was somewhat impervious to violence and gore, having breezed through the worst Hollywood has to offer. That is, until I watched The Untold Story last night. I had always read that this was just about the most depraved thing ever put on film. This is an understatement for sure. Only Dead Alive can top it, but Dead Alive is so cartoonish that nobody could ever take it seriously. The brutal scenes in this movie would never pass the censors in this country, especially with the new crusade against violence. Scenes of dismemberment, children being hacked up, cannibalism, and graphic rape are prevalent, yet crucial to the story. Anthony Wong, one of my favorite Hong Kong actors is magnificent in the lead role, giving one the most chilling performances I have ever seen. Danny Lee in his usual role of a hard-nosed detective is great as always. The bumbling, arguing group of cops that he leads provide ample humor which helps counter the violence.

The DVD itself is a testimony to the quality of Tai Seng's domestic releases. Sharp picture, for a Hong Kong movie, and excellent dolby sound, coupled with a neat interactive menu and cool previews for other Anthony wong flicks, not to mention 2 commentaries. I highly reccomend this magnificant film to anyone who can handle it.

In 1978, Wong Chi Hang killed a man after the man refused to loan him some money. That, in itself, is a common enough story, but to add a bit of spark to it, Wong Chi Hang set the man on fire while he was still alive. His security being a bit unsteady at this point, Wong flees Hong Kong to Macau and disappears, hidden from the long arm of the law. There, he becomes the proprietor of a restaurant that serves pork buns, but it seems that he wants to sell the business which he is unable to do because the former owner of the restaurant has gone missing and needs to sign the documents showing Wong's proprietorship." What will the killer do?

On the other side of the law are a group of inept policemen and one policewoman who are led by the womanizer Officer Lee, the film's director Danny Lee, whose relatively stable existence is destroyed when the dismembered arms and legs of an middle-aged woman was onto the beach. It turns out the body parts belong to the mother-in-law of the former owner of Wong's restaurant and when letters from the mainland arrive at the restaurant from the former owner's brother, Wong becomes a suspect in the murders of nine people. However, even though he is a suspect, can Wong control his murderous nature?

I am having a hard time putting my thoughts down about this film because it seems to be a combination of comedy and gore which really does not mix well to together like steamed broccoli and sherbet served on the same plate. The comedy, in my opinion, is very weak and consists mainly of the policemen lusting after the bodies of Officer Lee's numerous girlfriends followed by them putting down the policewoman Bo because of her flat chest and tomboyish nature. The gore, on the other hand, while a bit b movie-ish at times, is quite graphic especially when Wong kills his waitress (you, dear viewer, will never look at chopsticks the same way again) and when he prepares the body of his dishwasher into pork buns. However, the violence is not limited to what Wong does to his victims, because the police and even a female nurse are quite brutal as well, making the viewer feel sympathy for the killer and makes them wish that Wong would unleash his vengeance upon him because of their unjust ways.

Supposedly based on true events committed by a serial killer back in 1978, Untold Story is not for the faint of heart because its violence is over the top and even is unleashed upon women and children. While nothing spectacular as a whole, Untold Story would make a welcome collection to the home libraries for those who enjoy gore and bloodshed in their films.

In anticipation of the arrival of this DVD, I thought I`d just write a few words of encouragement to anyone debating whether or not to buy this film. BUY IT! I can only assume that if you got this far, you are probably familiar with HK Cinema and possibly Tony Wong. This is a (twisted) masterpiece. Anthony Wong through this and "Ebola Virus" (an unofficial sequel, though more a remix), has set himself up as the nastiest, sleaziest man in the movies. I must warn you though, that some people may find it`s mixture of gross-out, sadistic content, and low-brow black comedy too much. But to dismiss it so easily will only deprive you of an amazing performance. After witnessing a catalogue of murderous depravity, Anthony "Bunman" Wong somehow manages to evoke quite sincere pity from most viewers. Quite how he does this despite, the brutal treatment he recieves once caught, is a mystery. This is not a wham-bam HK action movie, but a serious (despite the gags) movie that may make you feel a little guilty on different levels depending on your outlook (why feel sorry for such a monster / why wish such ills on "evil" criminals when the brutality once witnessed cannot be condoned). I only hope that the commentaries are in English, and I may update this review to include the specifics to this DVD release at a later date if no-one beats me to it.

This is a film based on an actual man that goes insane and uses the food business to his advantage! Anthony Wong plays a disturbing perfomance as a resturant owner that always gets his way, Weither it's gambling or people talking behind his back. He always finds a bloody way to dispose of them. Why Not The Meat Grinder?! Well that's exactly what he does. He gets rid of those unwanted pest by making them into delicous pork buns. A team of nit wit police officers are on the trail of some disaperances, But instead they end up feasting on the special pork buns, In a hilarious scene.

The film dosen't take itself too seriously, But it delivers some graphic chills. Such as the infamous Chop-Stick rape and the brutal family mass-murder.

This film is definitely one of the best films to come out of Hong Kong, And cannot be missed by hardcore horror fans or asian cinema fans. This film is definitely not for kids, Or even adults that find this kind of subject matter disturbing.

Good luck finding a copy of this, But it's worth the trouble.

There seems to be some controversy about whether or not this is a true story. I can only speculate but I tend to believe this is a true story due to the straight-forward nature of it. There are no wild twists or exaggerated story line. Just a guy who went on a killing rampage attempting to take over his boss's business. The police figure out it's Bunman without him being to deceive the facts in some elaborate storyline. The movie is pretty much straight forward violence from beginning to end. Guy commits violent crime. Police arrest him and do violence on him in jail. etc. It seems to me this is pretty much how something like this would occur and it is likely a made-up story would have events that didn't fall in such a natural predictible fashion as they would in real life.

The film not embellishing the storyline does work in its favor by not diverting attention from the violence. The acting is top-notch and is perhaps the only convincing "psycho killer" acting job I have ever seen.

The film also works surprisingly well in having a lot of side comedic aspects mostly involving the police. I can't explain (and probably can't understand) why this itself didn't divert attention from the violent realism of the story.

That is not to say the violence is realistic. I don't know of any film that has portrayed dismemberment in graphic realism and this film uses the standard techniques of having the chopping occur offscreen with blood flying into frame and onto objects. But as far as the limitations of showing the "uncreatable", this movie was as effective as any I've seen in this area.

The thing that really carries this movie is Anthony Wong's acting. This is what I would imagine a real life "Bunman" (if there really was one) to behave.

I don't think a movie like this would be made in the U.S. even by the most independent of independent producers. One scene is particular has Bunman mutilating an entire family with young child actors with Wong acting in the most intense psychotic way possible in a room full of severed body parts and blood, as well as the children being splattered with blood.

This movie is enjoyable to watch mostly because it is fresh due to there not being others that I know of that are anywhere similar.