In the Hong Kong film pantheon, Kirk Wong's debut work The Club is considered an indispensable link between the oldschool martial arts bangers of the seventies and the John Woo-influenced heroic bloodshed gangster epics of the eighties and early nineties. The raw, neon-lit and almost documentary-style images tell the story of the triad henchman Ah Sai - played by Michael Chan Wai-Man. He has to compete with all kinds of hostile gangsters who are in a bitter power struggle for the nightclub run by Sai's boss. At the same time, Sai is allowed to sleep with his maid - a Japanese escort girl, played by Pinku Eiga starlet Erina Miyai (Zoom In: Rape Apartments) - and a loudmouthed pimp gets his car taken apart and avenges the murder of his boss, after he has been cut to pieces by two assassins with outboard motors (!).

Instead of hyper-stylized shooting orgies like the gun-fu blood operas of the coming years, the battles in The Club are fought exclusively with fists, knives, swords, axes, hammers, fans and even outboard motors. Among the actors are numerous legendary kung fu stars from Shaw Brothers' days, including Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, "Foot Doctor" Wilson Tong or Philip Ko (star of the breathtaking Shaw cult film The Boxer's Omen), who died too young in 2017. The real star is of course Michael Chan Wai-Man, who in the Cinema Of Vengeance interview described The Club wholeheartedly as "the best gangster movie ever made in Hong Kong". The man must know, because it's no secret that Chan himself is a member of the triads. Even today, Chan still likes to tell about his gangster life in the then so wicked district Tsim Sha Tsui, where The Club was filmed, in interviews. For director Kirk Wong - who immediately afterwards directed the cult cyberpunk hit Flash Future Kung Fu - The Club became a career launching pad, which even led him to Hollywood.

Even though the tough triad-smasher is considered a milestone and pioneer work for Hong Kong cinema, the current situation is a real tragedy. The last official home video release was about 25 years ago. The film never made it onto DVD - let alone Blu-ray. What's even worse: Each of the versions we have at hand has different flaws, none of them can be described as really uncut. Towards the end of the movie, all available versions contain curious cuts on archive pictures of police operations during a violent scene (Sai stabs an enemy gangster boss). Whether this is intentional or censorship, we can't say. Also the legal situation around the used songs seems to be problematic: As it is not unusual for Hong Kong productions from that time, The Club cheerfully used soundtracks from other movies and contemporary rock songs. Most of them already had to be removed on the English Ocean Shores VHS, so it's questionable if the original sound could be released today without any problems and without a lawyer's letter from RIAA and Co. Whether this film will ever be released again - let alone uncensored, with original soundtrack and in acceptable quality - is up in the air.

In addition to a Cantonese PAL cassette, an English dubbed version was also released in Hong Kong in the 1980s via the Ocean Shores label. On the back of the cover is the following note:

In addition to a Cantonese PAL cassette, an English dubbed version was also released in Hong Kong in the 1980s via the Ocean Shores label. On the back of the cover is the following note:
*Yummy* thinks the inclined Heroic Bloodshed fan. Has the long search come to an end? Is this tape the holy grail for which we soon had to work our way through half a dozen different versions? A completely uncensored version of The Club? But the joy is also short-lived here, because on closer comparison the good news turns out to be a cheeky label fraud.

In fact, the English-language Ocean Shores Tape is the least heavily cut version. Still, there are plenty of missing parts. The VCD offers a few more text panels at the end. The LD comes up with an additional sex scene. And even in comparison with the heavily cut Eastern Heroes VHS, some missing parts are noticeable on the Ocean Shores tape. In particular, a short scene in which Kent Cheng's head is held in a toilet bowl stands out.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as "uncut" here either.

The most annoying thing is of course the English audio track. While cool rock music was stolen for the soundtrack in the original Cantonese version, the majority of the songs had to be replaced by much more boring but legally harmless library music. The report identifies the affected songs as best it can.

Missing on the Eastern Heroes VHS compared to the Ocean Shores VHS: 277.1 seconds
Missing on the Ocean Shores VHS compared to the Eastern Heroes VHS: 5 scenes = 53.7 seconds, of which 23.7 seconds are corporate logos.

0:00:00
Additional material: Eastern Heroes.
Missing (once again) the Verdull company logo.
23.7 sec

The "This film is fictional, any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental" insert is missing.
2.4 sec

The presenter credit of Dennis Chiu Da-Cheng is missing.
3.3 sec

0:00:03
Changed music
Instead of Gonna Raise Hell by Cheap Trick, some library music is played. When the fight starts, Gonna Raise Hell is played after all.
No time difference, 19 sec different music is played.

0:03:24
Additional material: Eastern Heroes
Changed title insertion
No time difference

HK VHS	BBFC 18

0:04:06
Changed music
The music here has been replaced with some Seventies guff.
No time difference, 124 sec different music is played.

0:05:13
Yeeeah! Copyright notice!
No time difference, there is 13 sec of fade-in.

HK VHS	BBFC 18

0:05:58
Cameo of the Ocean Shores seahorse.
No time difference, the insertion can be seen for 12 sec.

HK VHS	BBFC 18

0:06:38
Changed music
As Sai opens the door, different music is briefly heard.
No time difference, 3 sec different music is played.

0:07:58
Changed music
No time difference, 89 sec different music is played.

0:11:56
Changed music
No time difference, 29 sec of different music is played

0:13:33
Changed music
No time difference, 69 sec of different music is played

0:14:40
Changed music
Sound and Vision by David Bowie was replaced by another song.
No time difference, 147 sec of different music is played.

0:18:06
Two strippers wearing Frankenstein and King Kong masks undress to Tusk by Fleetwood Mac (which, oddly enough, has been left intact on the Ocean Shores soundtrack).
106.2 sec

0:19:35
After the strippers have taken off their panties, they stand up. As they do so, you can see their pubic area.
3.7 sec

0:19:38
Ah Kun seems to like the show.
3.6 sec

0:19:41
The strippers turn around.
1.8 sec

0:19:42
The stippers sit down again.
13.5 sec

0:20:22
Again briefly the stripper, then briefly you see two of Sai's people talking (a very poorly placed cut, as you see the latter shot for a split second).
12.3 sec

0:21:37
The strippers one last time, this time again with full frontal nudity.
11.1 sec

0:23:41
Changed music
Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits was replaced by another song.
No time difference, 9 sec different music is played.

0:30:13
Changed music
You Really Got Me by Van Halen has been replaced by another song.
No time difference, 19 sec of different music is played.

0:36:16
Changed music
The music at this point (probably stolen from some soundtrack) was replaced by library music.
No time difference, 37 sec different music is played.

0:40:36
Changed music
Again, a different song plays in the club.
No time difference, 114 sec other music is played.

0:41:00
Another cameo of the Ocean Shores seahorse.
No time difference, the insertion can be seen for 10 sec

HK VHS	BBFC 18

0:42:51
Changed music
Again, another song is playing in the club.
No time difference, 10 sec different music is played.

0:43:23
A cab drives through the night, then bed acrobatics by Sai and Jenny.
14.7 sec

0:47:07
Shot of Jenny moaning.
2.4 sec

0:47:09.
While Brother Hon is being murdered by two hitmen with outboard motors, cutscenes are shown on Sai and Jenny making love. While the two are seen, you can continue to hear Hon being sawn up in the background. This shot is also included on the "Deleted Scenes" compilation at the end of the Eastern Heroes tape, but without sound.
4.8 sec.

0:47:13
Plater Kuen and Deep Throat Shing continue to perforate Brother Hon with outboard motors. Hon makes his escape.
5 sec

0:47:18
Jenny and Sai at work again.
6.5 sec

0:47:59
Sai and Jenny taking a shower.
4.5 sec

0:48:03
Sai and Jenny showering a bit longer on the Ocean Shores VHS than they did on the LD.
14.8 sec

0:48:16
Additional material: Eastern Heroes
Jenny fixes her hair
3.8 sec

0:51:28
Patrolling Wire Borders by Brian Eno was replaced (although the same track was heard just under a minute earlier) by library music.
No time difference, 33 sec of different music is played.

0:52:01
Here, material was probably lost during the reel change: two cars are parked in front of the club. Some frames of the following shot are also missing at the beginning.
16.7 sec

0:55:46
Changed music
The J-pop in the background was replaced by other music.
No time difference, 63 sec different music is played.

0:56:49
Changed music
Another J-pop song replaced by other J-pop.
No time difference, 139 sec of different music is played.

0:58:02
Additional material: Eastern Heroes.
There are a few seconds missing on Ocean Shores after Jenny knifes one of Fingers Hung's goons.
3 sec

0:59:51
Changed music
Music by Tangerine Dream stolen from Michael Mann's Thief was replaced here by library music.
No time difference, 16 sec different music is played.

1:05:28
Changed music
Again, music stolen from Michael Mann's Thief by Tangerine Dream was replaced by library music.
No time difference, 44 sec of different music is played.

1:06:21
Changed music
The lounge music in Uncle Bill's club was probably also too legally explosive and was replaced by other music.
No time difference, 60 sec different music is played.

1:07:38
Additional material: Eastern Heroes
Plater Kuen pushes Ah Kun's head into a toilet bowl. At the beginning of the shot, the phrase "Here, wash them down." can be read, although nothing is said. What is meant by "them" is also not clear. This suggests that more was probably cut here in all versions.
17.5 sec

1:14:11
The Ocean Shores seahorse makes one last guest appearance
No time difference, the fade in can be seen for 7 sec.

HK VHS	BBFC 18

1:15:52
Additional material: Eastern Heroes.
The Cantonese pop song had to be deleted in every version except the Eastern Heroes VHS and the Cantonese Ocean Shores VHS. However, the English Ocean Shores VHS features a different replacement song: While the LD and VCD feature karaoke chatter, a J-pop song was used here.
No time difference, 75 sec of different music is played.

1:16:22
Michiko takes off her clothes and invites Sai to join her in the bedroom with the words "If you like having a Marlboro...". Then she prepares the bed and lies down.
51.8 sec

1:19:48
A goon is finished off by Sai, blood slaps against the window pane. The soundtrack here is different than on the VCD: while the battle sounds continue normally on the VCD, there is almost complete silence on the Ocean Shores VHS.
4.4 sec

1:20:03
Changed music
A guitar riff of about 2 seconds was replaced by a library music fanfare.
No time difference, 2 sec different music is played.

1:21:14
Changed music
Again, a different song plays in the club.
No time difference, 21 sec different music is played.

1:25:22
Longer The End fade-in. Eastern Heroes fades to black early on.
3.8 sec