THE CRIMINALS 2-5 - 70's Crime Anthologies on VCD from IVL

[Brian Thibodeau]

I recently finished reading Kate Whitehead's excellent book The Hong Kong Murders, which serves as a phenomenal backgrounder to several decades of murder, Chinese-style by exploring everything from the Jars Killer (filmed as DR. LAMB) to the Hello Kitty murder (THERE'S A SECRET IN MY SOUP, HUMAN PORK CHOP) to the criminal exploits of "Big Spender" Cheung Chi-keung (filmed as OPERATION BILLIONAIRES and BIG SPENDER).

I had long suspected the tabloid-style Hong Kong true-crime film was hardly an invention of the 90's, but just now discovered THE CRIMINALS, a series of five crime anthologies from 1976-77 that are soon to be released on VCD-only by IVL. Knowing that some of the crimes from Whitehead's book - including a fascinating one about a victim found stuffed in a TV box - are covered in this series makes me even more eager to pick these up. The first film was released on DVD awhile back, while the remaining four were released on April 27.

Has anyone picked these up yet? Only one review of the first one in the database, so I'm interested in other opinions:

From http://www.asiandvdguide.com

Criminals 2, The - Homicides (1976)
Director: Kuei Chih-hung, Hua Shan
Cast: Han Kuo-tsai, Mi Lan, Lin Wei-tu
Genre: Thriller

Synopsis
Hong Kong's stressful and cramped living conditions often give rise to a formula for murder. The Criminals 2 - Homicides presents four of the more sensational criminal cases in Hong Kong history: a mute boy driven to murder by constant harassment; a furious mamasan who hunts down a couple who cheated her; an informer whose greed leads him to ruin; and a landmark case of the murder of a 17-year-old girl whose body is stuffed inside a television cardboard box.
Mandarin (Mono), Cantonese (Mono)
Chinese (Traditional) and English subtitles

Criminals 3, The - Arson (1977)
Director: Kuei Chih-hung
Cast: Yu Yung, Ling Yun, Wang Chung, Ku Kuan-chung
Genre: Thriller

Synopsis
In an era not known for its realism, there was a handful of exciting action films firmly rooted in the reality of Hong Kong in the 1970s and bucking the kung-fu and comedy crazes sweeping the movie industry. The ensuing manhunt is one of the most exciting to ever appear on the Hong Kong screen, and named by critics as a highpoint in the career of director Kuei Chih-hung.
Mandarin (Mono), Cantonese (Mono)
Chinese (Traditional) and English subtitles

The Criminals 4 - Assault (1977)
Director: Kuei Chih-hung, Sun Chung
Cast: Pan Ping-chang, Frankie Wei, Liu Hui-ling, Ai Fei
Genre: Thriller

Synopsis
After The Criminals, The Criminals 2 - Homicides, The Criminals 3 - Arson, now comes Assault, the fourth in a series of hugely successful true crime anthology films. Exploitation expert Kuei Chih-hung (Spirit Of The Raped) helms Maniac, about a serial abductor/rapist/killer. Masterful martial arts movie maker Sun Chung (The Avenging Eagle) directs Queen Of Temple Street, the effecting story of an ethereal beauty sold into slavery by her gambling-obsessed, drug-addicted husband. True crime aficionados from around the world have praised this beautifully-made installment, which expertly combines the potent with the poetic.
Mandarin (Mono), Cantonese (Mono)
Chinese (Traditional) and English subtitles

Criminals 5, The - The Teenager's Nightmare (1977)
Director: Kuei Chih-hung
Cast: Ku Kuan-chung, Wang Chung, Lily Li, Chiang Ko-ai
Genre: Thriller

Synopsis
Joined by Mou Tun-fei, director Kuei Chih-hung takes his fascination of some of Hong Kong's most spectacular crimes in the fifth instalment of The Criminals. In Part 5's The Teenager's Nightmare, police have their hands full with a slippery rapist preying on helpless teenaged girls living in a resettlement area. Police are forced to use a decoy to ambush the rapist. In Gun, three teenagers' lives change forever when they find a package containing a gun, hand grenades and ammunition.
Mandarin (Mono), Cantonese (Mono)
Chinese (Traditional) and English subtitles

[dleedlee]

I'm curious about these titles too. I'll probably pick them up down the line but not right away. Has anyone seen the first one?

[Brian Thibodeau]

There's one review of the first movie in the database, but it's more of a recap. Hopefully as these find their way into some of our collections, we'll be able to add some more.

Incidentally, near as I can tell, THE CRIMINALS PART 5: THE TEENAGER'S NIGHTMARE doesn't appear to be in the database at all. Perhaps someone could add it using the specs from Asian DVD guide.

[dleedlee]

There's one review of the first movie in the database, but it's more of a recap. Hopefully as these find their way into some of our collections, we'll be able to add some more.

Incidentally, near as I can tell, THE CRIMINALS PART 5: THE TEENAGER'S NIGHTMARE doesn't appear to be in the database at all. Perhaps someone could add it using the specs from Asian DVD guide.

I think this it:
http://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mht ... ay_set=eng

[Brian Thibodeau]

Ah, my mistake. Although now that the film is out as THE CRIMINALS 5: THE TEENAGER'S NIGHTMARE, perhaps that entry could be amended to acknowledge its status as part of the series, and also to make it show up in searches for "The Criminals."

[MrBooth]

Added some aliases to parts 2-5.