So while the movie itself is recommended, Buena Vista's DVD release definitely isn't. The Disney company has once again seen fit to edit yet another Asian movie for its Western market - this time by three minutes to remove the aforementioned gory moments. And, as expected, the original Cantonese soundtrack has been replaced with a dreadful English dub and generic score - denying us the pleasure of hearing Anita Mui's two excellent songs. Still, this is what we've come to expect from the distributor that seems to delight in infuriating hardcore Chinese film fans. Those wishing to own the uncut version of the film would be advised to seek out the 'Universe' DVD from Hong Kong or the now out-of-print 'Tai Seng' American release. Better still (if you have PAL/Region 2 capabilities), waiting for the forthcoming remastered Special Edition from British DVD label 'Hong Kong Legends' would be the ideal solution.


Disrespect of foreign films continues.   November 17, 2002
FredOhh (South FLorida)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Disney continues to butcher the work of foreign directors. THey bought the rights to most of the famous Asian action films, prohibit the sale of the original version, and then release a version on dvd without the original soundtrack, scenes cut, titles changed, etc. For a company that attempts to market it's own movies worldwide, it shows a total disrespect for the art of other countries. This movies is entertaining, but I would seek out a copy of the Tai Seng company version. It includes english subtitles. Anyone realize how easy it is to add a second audio track,not to mention widescreen and fullscreen on the same disc. Disney continues to refuse this. Don't get me wrong, I buy all of there major animated release, and they can show great care and respect for their own work, I just wish they'd cater to the collector as well as the Kmart crowd.


Absurdly over-the-top, even for Hong Kong   February 10, 2001
Serdar S. Yegulalp (Huntington, NY United States)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

One of Michelle Yeoh's most outre' adventures yet; a mad collision of genres and ideas in a movie that more often than not works on sheer brio. Yeoh, Anita Mui, and Meggie Cheung are the Heroic Trio of the title, a gang of female warriors who're out to defend a city that's under seige by a witch who's stealing babies to make some incoherent prophecy come true. The plot is not the point: the incredibly whacked-out stunts and action scenes are. Case in point: Cheung needs to get access to the upper floors of a building. While whistling "Yankee Doodle," she lights up a stick of dynamite, throws it under a 55-gallon drum, then climbs aboard and rides the blast all the way over the building. If you can swallow that, the rest of the movie is a piece of cake.

The two biggest flaws: one, the film's very eccentricity makes it hard to swallow at times. Sometimes more is just too much. Second, the dub job is thoroughly awful; this is one of those movies that they should have just titled and been done with it. (Curses on all HK importers who refuse to include the original language tracks and soft titles on their DVDs.) If you're a Yeoh fan, or a devotee of any of the other ladies here, grab it and run with it.


Please note!   July 14, 2004
Yi Chieh (Singapore)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

For those of you thinking of purchasing this DVD, please note that the dialogue is dubbed in English completely. For those of you who prefer it in its original language (Cantonese), give this a miss.

Otherwise the movie is great and the acting superb, plus we get to see the late Anita Mui in action. What can you say... top notch performance from Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui.


AVOID BUENA VISTA VERSION!   February 18, 2003
walkgentlythroughthegatesofjoy@hotmail.com (.)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

The Buena Vista version of this film has been cut by roughly 20 MINUTES (compare running time in the specs with the other version on DVD), rescored, and otherwise cheaply altered. Disney/Miramax do this with ALL of their DVD releases of Hong Kong classics, which they have more or less monopolized the rights to in terms of US distribution. I wouldn't mind so much if they would simply release the movies as they were intended to be seen -- but this is ridiculous. The changes are all completely unnecessary. Thanks for nothing, Miramax. Harvey Weinstein fails to realize that nobody -- NOBODY -- who truly likes and wishes to own a movie like The Heroic Trio is going to prefer a heavily cut down, edited, altered version, once they realize that is what they are getting. So pointless. Anybody who values asian cinema at all should avoid buying any foreign films from Disney/Miramax/Buena Vista. A lot of American distributors are guilty of these practices, but some are helping improvements along -- for instance, Columbia TriStar's domestic release of the "Once Upon a Time in China" trilogy is perfectly satisfactory. It is in its original widescreen ratio, uncut, with its original score and audio tracks; clear subtitles are offered, as well as an English dubbed version for those so inclined. Is such a basic package really asking so much?

When it comes to this particular movie, I recommend seeking out an import version if you are going to purchase it. The import versions have failings of their own, but at least you'll see the COMPLETE movie as it was intended to be seen.