The Eight Immortals Restaurant: The Untold Story (1993) User Reviews

Simply brutal!

[jluis1984 · 8/10 · 24 January 2007]

In the early 80s, popular actor Danny Lee (famous for his work in action films) became director and producer of his own films, and by the end of the decade was already a major player in Hong Kong's movie industry. This position allowed him an enormous amount of power during the 90s boom of Hong Kong cinema, and made him the discoverer of famous stars (like Stephen Chow) and producer of a wide array of interesting films by upcoming filmmakers. Among those, Herman Yau's "Baat sin Faan Dim Ji Yan Yuk Cha Siu Baau", or "The Untold Story", is one of the most popular in the Western world, and one of the better known movies of the CAT III rating that was introduced by the Hong Kong government during those years. Suppousedly based on a true crime story, "The Untold Story" is a very powerful film that truly lives to its reputation as one of the most brutal films of Hong Kong cinema.

The plot starts with the discovery of a plastic bag containing the severed hands of a person in a lonely Macao beach. The young and unexperienced police team assigned to the case is clueless as they had never faced something so horrible, but lead by the suave officer Lee (Danny Lee), they find some clues pointing to Wong Chi Hang (Anthony Wong), the owner of the popular Eight Immortals Restaurant. As the cops find out that Wong just bought the place to his former boss, they try to track down the previous owner, but every attempt to find him or his family prove futile. The discovery of Wong's dark past prompts his arrest, but he still refuses to admit having committed the crime. Officer Lee decides to take severe measures, but not even he will be prepared to hear Wong's Untold Story.

Written by Law Kam Fai (author of another famous CAT III film, "Dr. Lamb"), the movie develops as a police procedural movie, detailing the work of the cops to figure out the responsible of the crime; however, two extremely different elements set "The Untold Story" apart from similar stories: the dark and extremely brutal portrayal of the psycho killer, and the odd addition of offbeat comedy thrown in to balance the grittier aspects of the movie. While this strange mixture of genres may sound unappealing (and honestly at first sight looks unappealing too), it surprisingly works within the movie, and gives good balance to the overall darkness of the story. Apropriately, in the end it is the horror element the one that dominates the film in a terrific brutal finale that by now is definitely a classic of 90s CAT III movies.

Famed for being one of the most shocking Asian horror movies, "The Untold Story" is surprisingly not as gory as one would expect with that reputation; however, this is not saying that the film doesn't live to the hype, as it is definitely a shocking experience although for a very different reason. Director Herman Yau cleverly chooses to portray the grotesque details of the crime in a relatively subtle, unseen way; but the way he executes the scenes allow for a far more powerful effect as plays with the imagination making the violence portrayed frighteningly real despite not being too graphic. The raw and gritty style Yau uses for his film (mainly for budgetary reasons) only enhance the realism of the movie, and together with Wong's brilliant performance make a movie very hard to forget.

Definitely one of the elements that really make the difference between "The Untold Story" and similar exploitation movies is the top notch performance of Anthony Wong as the enigmatic Wong Chi Hang. He captures so well the traits of this unbalanced psychotic character that one can't help but believe that the man on screen is truly a demented person. Danny Lee as the Officer in charge of the case offers the balance between the sadistic darkness of Wong and the at times silly comedy of the police team. Lee's smooth and witty character contrasts with the clumsiness and naiveté of the young cops, portrayed effectively although somewhat average by equally young actors. The exception is Emily Kwan, who plays Bo, the only female in the team and therefore the one who has to prove that she is as capable as the guys to do the police work.

"The Untold Story" is often hard to watch, but it's definitely never boring, and while crude, the portrait of sadistic violence it makes of the crime is captivating in a way that few horror movies are. While this is definitely one of the best CAT III movies of its time, it's not without flaws, as the budgetary constrains really took its toll in the movie. Anyways, what most viewers have criticized about "The Untold Story" is the odd mixture of comedy in the movie, as it seems to add an unnecessary source of silliness to an otherwise brutal movie. Personally, I think that, while not exactly subtle, the comedy do adds to the "charm" of the film, and helps to break the tension in a very dark movie. It may not seem appropriate at first sight, but it's not really a terrible flaw as some may have pointed out.

In the realms of the horror genre, Herman Yau's "Baat sin Faan Dim Ji Yan Yuk Cha Siu Baau", is now a classic of Hong Kong cinema, and essential viewing for those interested in the infamous exploitation movies rated as CAT III. It's not a movie for everyone, but if you have an interest for gritty tales of serial killers, "The Untold Story" is a must-see. 8/10

A disturbing, powerful and chilling account of a killer

[Afracious · 8/10 · 11 December 1999]

The film begins in Hong Kong with a graphic pyro scene and then moves to Macau and the discovery of body parts on a beach by police. Anthony Wong gives a committed, chilling and powerful performance as the lead which won him a Hong Kong film Best Actor award. He plays a man who runs the Eight Immortals restaurant where the previous owner's family mysteriously disappeared, and it turns out the barbecue meat buns he makes contain an unusual ingredient. The police on the demented owner's trail are lead by the captain, Danny Lee, and several others who behave in a frivolous way towards each other. Some of the scenes between them are amusing. But it is Wong's character that stays with us long after the credits. The scene where the Untold Story is told near the end is extremely distressing and definitely not for the squeamish and faint hearted. But this film is a very powerful account of a remorseless killer with a great central acting performance.

Rule breaking and monumentally unsettling.

[RossLikesMovies · 7/10 · 3 November 2004]

***SPOILER ALERT***

The untold story is an ingeniously crafted horror movie. Extreme violence is well complemented by dark or goofy humour. Some of which feels cliché‚ and unnecessary, although makes the movie a little easier to err, swallow. Until you know what's is in those 'pork buns'

Anthony Wong plays the deranged owner of the 8 immortals restaurant. He rightly won and award for his portrayal of the unhinged murderer. The movie sets out as a kind of police movie. Mainly focusing on a bunch of slacker cops whom are investigating a bag of limbs washed up on the beach. As the plot intensifies you realize that it is much more than a cop movie, it is a terrific and at times darkly humorous horror movie.

As owner of the 8 immortals restaurant, we see Wong chopping and shaping meat and cheating at mah-jong. He is a very creepy character who we know isn't right. His psychological breakdown throughout the picture is extremely well observed. Then sure enough, his true persona is revealed. When accused of cheating at mah-jong, Wong quickly dispatches of his accuser. Then proceeds, to process him. The murders in this film are unbelievably nasty. They're unlike any on screen violence you've ever seen. Unless you've viewed other such cat 3 movies like Dr Lamb. The few kills each play out like mini games of cat and mouse. They are very gruelling and slow. The camera does not stray from the violence, creating a very unsettling atmosphere. Well used music also adds to the pace and gritty, nasty tension. Let's just say that some of the death scenes made me feel sick, they are all ugly and full on. Murders occur at night, building tension well, closing time at the eight immortals usually meant that something was going to happen. Murder for example.

Between the scenes of character observation and murder we get to know the police force abit. This makes way for some interesting comedic interludes. Some humorous, others just plain daft. The police all come across as half assed sexists. The one woman cop has to do all the bad jobs, she gets no praise either. Then humour rises with the frequent of occurrence of General Lee's hookers. Or the female Bo seeking acceptance, by dressing more provocatively. These moments can be genuinely funny. But, as I've mentioned other things such as cheap sexual jibes just grow tiresome after a while.

By the last 20 minutes, the movie turns into a prison drama. The prisoners are all rather brutal towards Wong. I find this clever hear how Herman Yau, the director, is able to play with the audiences emotions. You almost feel sorry for Wong at times. This is until you discover his final confession. The savage slaughter of the previous restaurant owner's family maybe. This bit is a flashback and is hideous. It is gruesome. Little kiddies get killed for Christ's sake. This is monumentally disturbing and shocking.

Subtitles in this feature are good on the whole. Occasionally they pass to quickly to read but they're generally fine. A big plus though is they are in yellow, so you don't get the annoying white on white clashing.

Overall this is an indispensable Asian horror movie which should be seen by anyone who can stomach it. I feel that although the child killing made the movie scarier, it really is unacceptable. All the same this is still a fantastic cop/horror/ prison type flick. 9/10

A brutal, nasty film to test your tolerance.

[johnnycourageous · 9 June 2001]

I watched The Untold Story purely based on the fact that it contained some extreme violence, but was really not prepared for what it contained. Whether the acts of violence were an exaggeration of the facts (it is supposedly based on a true story) is irrelevant. Hong Kong film-makers are not known for their subtlety, and they certainly live up to this expectation when depicting violence.

The story is not a complicated one - a demented chef (Anthony Wong) is interrogated by some irritating police officers about the disappearance of the family who owned the Eight Immortals Restaurant. It is not necessary to identify the killer - we already know. What we do not know, however, is how he killed the family off.

The murder of the family is a most distressing, explicit sequence of violence. The children acting in this sequence, who were eventually murdered with a meat cleaver, appeared to be truly traumatised and distressed while watching the simulated murders of their parents. One wonders how the film-makers were even allowed to subject the children to these acts.

Another sequence depicts the rape and murder of an innocent woman, and it is depicted in a most inhumane manner. It could possibly be one of the most violent, prolonged rape and murder sequences ever seen in film. The brutal violation of the woman with a handful of chop-sticks eventually kills her, and is a most cruel, disgusting act.

How this film managed to pass the relatively conservative Australian censors is truly astonishing. It can be difficult to source, but is worth a look, if only to test your tolerance levels in depictions of screen violence.

Traumatic movie experience

[Ramuna · 6/10 · 24 August 2008]

'The Untold Story aka Human Meat Roast Pork Buns'

I first had a chance to watch this movie when I was a kid about 13 years of age in my junior high, believe it or not this movie was widely spoken at that time in the place where I live (Medan,Indonesia), of course considering the graphical content and nudity of the movie, I only have the chance to watch it together with several buddies while nobody's attending home. What happened was...one of my mate dispersed halfway the movie, as for me, after watching it, I feel terribly remorse within because it haunted me day after day for long enough than I could remember, especially that Wong figure make me really sick and guts out.

Last Sunday, 24th August 2008, after 15 year I have another chance to watch this movie again. It's much different this time, kinda nostalgic and I found the scenes more bearable compare to watching it in the older day, but still I prepare extra guts and it still portrays a very horrifying and disturbing scenes even compared to modern Hollywood gory/slasher flick like 'Saw' and 'Hostel' alike. So it was fair to say that one should never claim to have watched 'the most' gory or terrifying film in modern cinema before ever taste a chunk of this Hong Kong classic cinematic horror.

I wouldn't go so far to say that this movie is great, but I can point out few points that distinguish 'The Untold Story' from movie alike:

1.The acting of the lead (Anthony Wong) is unbelievable brilliant, as the bun man , only by the evil look of his eyes you could tell how vicious and mean he is. And he really deserved to be the only lead actor from CAT III Hong Kong movie to ever win the best actor category in Hong Kong Film Award history.

2. The dark and merciless scenes contain of extreme graphic violence subject to children, the sadistic method of killing and diabolical suicide attempt, police and cell brutality, etc, all those scenes are somehow cross the line, thank God there's some crunchy humor poured onto the film. Well, some silly humor wouldn't do any harm in such a dark material.

3. The originality of the movie's theme itself has become like a trend-setter at Hong Kong cat III film industry at that time, many of which trailed the very same theme despite of the controversy, and the movie itself later spawned its sequel of The Untold Story II and III respectively, of which none has the quality equal or even close to the original.

4. This is one of the movie despite explaining everything in the title and poster still make you feel like watching it, under the account of curiosity.

As a matter of fact I wouldn't ever recommend such a disturbing movie to anyone, but for those who like to test the limit of tolerance, well this one is surely worth a notice. Strongly not recommended for age below 17, based on what I experienced...

Very brutal film and a bit schizophrenic in its structure

[freakus · 7/10 · 30 December 1999]

The first 3/4 of this film are a dark comedy reminiscent of "Delicatessen". Suddenly it veers off into horrifically brutal scenes more like "Henry: portrait of a serial killer". It's a good film but definitely not for everyone.

Finally - A Film That Lives Up To It's Reputation

[EVOL666 · 9/10 · 20 September 2005]

THE UNTOLD STORY, like many reviewers have already noted, will stay with you for a long time. The basic storyline: Anthony Wong (in a masterful performance) portrays a sociopathic/psychopathic restaurant "owner" with a penchant for rape and murder. Wong takes over and claims ownership of the 8 Immortals Restaurant after he murders the real owner and his family (in one of the most brutal scenes ever put to film...) following a card game. From there Wong tries to legitimately take ownership of the restaurant but is unable, since the true owner is nowhere to be found to sign-off on the legal documents. Suspicions arise as the local police are sent letters from family members inquiring to the whereabouts of the missing owner. The police go to the restaurant and question Wong and his cashier, and notice that something seems "off". Upon further investigation, the police begin to put the story together, and THE UNTOLD STORY is finally revealed in all its horrific glory... First off, this is a well written, well acted, interesting film. I know that almost every other reviewer had a serious problem with the "comedic" elements in the film, but personally I feel that they really don't overshadow the film itself at all and are not as prevalent or annoying as other reviewers have noted. I think it is used to lighten the tone of the film a little, but to also show the dynamic between people who are constantly together, day and night, due to the nature of their profession. I don't think the good-natured (though admittedly sexist) ribbing of the female cop from her male counterparts is truly "harassing" in nature (though here in the States she'd definitely have cause for a lawsuit...) - I think it's more of a way to make her feel like "one of the guys" while still acknowledging her sexual differences. I think any female who has taken a profession in what might have once been considered a "man's field" can probably relate. THE UNTOLD STORY also delivers on the brutal and gory level. There are several scenes that are really rough, including: chopstick rape, rusty bucket wrist slicing, soda can tab wrist slicing, limb dismemberment, human meat grinding, and the infamous family slaugther scene. This scene in particular will have most casual horror-goers gouging their own eyes out, and even the more jaded of us sickos out there will have a hard time not being repulsed by the graphic, on-screen murder of an entire family, including several very young children. I have to say, I really, really like this film. THE UNTOLD STORY is a lot better made than many of the Cat III HK sickies, and works on more than just an exploit film level. It is definitely not for anyone who can't truly handle the above-mentioned types of images, but may prove to be a real treat for the more "discerning" (that is to say "depraved") viewers out there. There have been several inferior copy-cats of this film out there, this one is the real-deal. Highly recommended 9/10

If you haven't heard of this, it ain't for you.

[baumer · 7/10 · 13 December 2006]

This film reminds me of what made Last House on the Left so effective, and so unnecessary in some parts. What works well in here is the horrific disregard for human life. What doesn't work at all is the humour. In fact, the film almost didn't work for me as it seemed to concentrate too much on the bumbling cops trying to get laid and their fascination with breasts and behinds. When it gets sidetracked and goes for the humour, it is actually quite terrible. Fortunately, the film smartens up and becomes an all out gorefest and changes it's lackadaisical tone to one that becomes horrifically serious.

I too came across this film on a whim. I ordered Men Behind the Sun from Amazon.com and one of the recommendations was this film. I checked it out, and then bought it blind. It obviously has a cult status and for good reason.

I'm sure people that are reading this already know what makes it so cult like, and that is the violence and the graphic nature of the film. This is different violence that what we see here in North America. It is unapologetic, graphic, bloody and perpetual. The only complaint I have is that the camera doesn't show all that it could. If film makers like Argento and Fulci can find a way to show the violence, then so can Herman Yau. We see the blood, we see the body parts being tossed aside, but for a film that made it's reputation on its gore, it would be "nice" to see some more of it. Gallons of blood is cool, but seeing a limb severed is even better.

The crowning moment in the film is the slaughter of the family. It did remind me of Reservoir Dogs, but it is much more gruesome. And that is what makes the film so intriguing for sickos like us. You won't find anything like this in North America. As mentioned in the first line of the review, it does have that Last House on the Left feel to it. Anthony Wong is sickening brilliant in this film and he reminds me of Krug from LHOTL. He kills because he needs to. He wants to taste blood and if this is based on a true story, then he is one sick character. There are children losing their heads in the film, rape by chopstick, grinding of human meat and buckets and buckets of blood. If this sounds like your kind of film, you will not find one better.

Another interesting aspect of the film is the police brutality. You would never see such an admission of these sorts. And it is quite refreshing to see what might have gone on behind closed doors. It is treated like it is normal, like it is part of police procedure. You won't see that in a North American film either.

7/10 Only the comedy brings it down, or it would have been a 9.

Forget about all your Hollywood "shocker", this is the real deal !

[Viva_Chiba · 10/10 · 11 September 2010]

The Untold Story is part of a sub-genre called Category III (abbreviated: CAT III), CAT III is a certificate given by the Hong Kong film censors to films that features extreme violence or excessive sexual content. The most notorious CAT III movies, are the ones made in Hong Kong. The Untold Story is based on an actual murder case that happened in Macau. Plot: Severed body parts are found at the Macau Bay, the police investigates and all the evidences leave to the "Eight Immortal restaurant", the cops suspects of Wong-Chi Hang, a man who escaped from Hong Kong after committing a gambling-related murder. The violence is taboo-breaking and bloody, the special effects are good, but i can't tell you how they are realistically shocking. The most sadistic scene is probably the one where Chi-Hang rapes and murders a woman, by shoving some chopsticks up her lower parts.... This movie features a excellent performance by Anthony Wong, as Wong Chi-Hang the serial killer, Anthony even won a best actor award for this movie (100% deserved !). Recommended for CAT III beginners or for who is tired of the same Hollywood "shocking movies".

2-Faced movie, just like Wong's character..

[Sicco_1975 · 7/10 · 15 February 2005]

The other reviews on here say it all - Anthony Wong gives a fantastic performance and the gruesome scenes are truly hard to take. This makes the movie watchable for those who want a shiver or a laugh (depending on your character!) What is often ignored in all these reviews is that the other half of this story is dismally poor. It concerns the work and ways of the police-force trying to catch Wong. The acting is so incredibly poor and the script so woefully thin that it lets down the entire movie. I have read reviews saying that this 'fun' aspect of the film is to relieve the tension. Maybe that was the intention, however it has turned horribly wrong. The scenes and acting make you cringe, and you even start to look forward to Wong's next butchering scene - a shame he doesn't butcher any of his co-"stars".... Still worth watching, don't get me wrong. I can't deny it's a bit of a classic.

I would have been fine leaving "The Untold Story" unseen

[eschwarz-687-550662 · 5/10 · 16 February 2021]

It was just okay. Lead actor is great. There are certainly some brutal scenes, but there's no real *value* to it. I literally said, "wtf?" aloud at least twice and in part it was because I was disturbed, but I was equally dubious about the purpose. The violence is so over the top that the movie just came across as hollow. There's also wanton misogyny that brings no value to the story. Just a pretty immature movie, overall, with some great effects and a solid lead.

Extremely brutal and disturbing film.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 10/10 · 5 June 2003]

"Bunman-The Untold Story" is one of the most horribly disturbing horror movies ever made. Anthony Wong plays a lunatic who butchers a restaurant owner and his family in Macau after a gambling argument. He takes over the restaurant and uses the family's bodies to make pork buns!"The Untold Story" is a nasty,brutal film based on a real-life facts. Anthony Wong is perfect as the psychotic Wong Chi Hang and his grotesque grin is truly bone-chilling. The violence is extremely shocking:the family slaughter scene has to be one of the most repulsive acts of violence I've ever witnessed on film. The other sequences like brutal rape and murder of his female employee or Wong's suicide attempt in jail are also pretty hard to stomach. Still "The Untold Story" is sprinkled with humour what makes it a bit easier to watch. A must-see for fans of extreme cinema.10 out of 10!

Dumplings.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 8 June 2020]

Recently seeing Dr. Lamb (1992-also reviewed),I decided to continue watching the CAT III DVD's which I've been meaning to play for years! Finding that I had the original and sequel,I turned the page on the first untold story.

View on the film:

Working from a recipe loosely based on the real August 4th 1985 Eight Immortals Restaurant murders, the screenplay by Kam-Fai Law and Wing-Kin Lau grinds the Horror of True Crime with the wacky bad-taste Comedy of CAT III, as Hang tries to hide the evidence, by serving it up to unsuspecting souls.

Poking at body parts that appear at shore to get clues out of them, the writers play the mystery out on a jarring sea-saw, at one moment being on the grime cover-up by Hang, (played by a great, rough Anthony Wong )then at the next, going to the cops dropping foul gags on each other, and never finding a moment to smoothly blend them together.

Cooking up the same flavor as the script, co-director/ (with Herman Yau) co-star Danny Lee visualise the brilliant squashy sound effects with a washed out, saturated appearance, which the directors decay with panning shots running the outpouring of blood across Hang's murky world. Boiling a grubby Horror atmosphere when round Hang, the directors stumble and take it all off the boil with a wacky, brightly coloured splash for the police investigation, where cheeky sound effects and lingering camera shots at the fit ladies cook up a saucy comedic CAT III mood.

Cat III - and Horrible

[ebiros2 · 5/10 · 29 January 2013]

Hong Kong movies are not known for extreme cruelty, but this movie is. I watched this movie after seeing the "Untold Story 2". It was very civilized compared to this one.

A butcher at the "Eight Immortals Restaurant" (Anthony Wong) likes to butcher a livelier piece of meat than his usual pork and beef. But it's difficult to hide such criminal acts for long, and he ends up in jail. None of the inmates likes him, and he gets tortured, first by the inmates, and later by the inspectors.

While the guy was deserving of the treatment he got, this is an extremely disturbing movie to watch. Cruelty, and violence is off the chart.

The credit goes to Anthony Wong for playing this extremely gritty role, and he made this movie work. He's an international star now, and very deserving as such. This is one of his early crowning achievements

One thing I can say about Anthony Wong is that he maintains his youth very well. After 20 years since this movie was made, he still looks the same as when he starred in this movie.

No bars held psycho action, that is not recommended for the faint of heart.

One more reason to avoid Chinese food...

[Mr Parker · 20 August 2001]

I bought this movie out of sheer curiosity. I'd heard about it somewhere, something about it being a cult classic based on a true story. Anthony Wong was in it and I liked him in Hard Boiled and Full Contact, so I said what the hell. I ordered it on DVD and watched it as soon as I got it. Man, this movie is something. It's one of those movies where you watch it wondering if the cast and crew went home and had horrible nightmares every work day. There's stuff in this movie that doesn't quite leave your mind. I've shown this movie to several people, one in particular swearing off Chinese food to this very day. Anthony Wong gives one hell of a performance. It's not necessarily Oscar-caliber (even though I don't really dig the Oscars these days anyway) but it's just... very convincing. A little bit hammy maybe but yeesh, this guy is scary. My friend asked me once while watching it one day if Wong was really nuts. Judging from the look on Wong's face in most scenes I said yes. The murder scenes are better left undescribed because no amount of words can prepare you for when you're actually watching them. The only gripe I have with this movie is the comedy element. I think the best comparison would be to "From Dusk Till Dawn", where it was almost like watching two different movies spliced together. The comedy feels out-of-place and my idea is that they added it to lighten the movie up a little bit for the murder scenes are pretty intense. If you are one of the faint-of-heart, avoid. If you got guts, give this a look. One other thing: after watching this, you will never look at chopsticks the same way again. Rating: ***1/2 out of *****.

nasty in some parts, funny in others but still gory

[trashgang · 7/10 · 29 July 2012]

A perfect example of HK III gore. Naturally those kind of flicks mostly have some kind of humor in it that Western people don't understand but The Untold Story luckily has a lot to offer. But be sure to have the full uncut release because there are a lot of copies that are cut. Looks that it somehow is in the public domain because most versions you can buy are mostly VHS rips.

Nevertheless, it is still worth picking up. There are a few scene's that aren't for the squeamish. The killing of children is still hard to watch. But I was also surprised that it even had some full frontal nudity in a rape scene. Mostly genitals are blurred in Eastern flicks but not here. The killer really looked convincing. The acting by Anthony Wong Chau-Sang who plays the killer is sublime. On the other hand does this flick shows how prisoners are treated in prison. Clearly to see that human rights doesn't count.

The scene's with the cops do have a few comedy situations but are also the most boring parts. The first part of this flick is cruel and nasty , then we have a normal situation but once prisoned and being interrogated and confesses his crimes it turns into a gory mess of a flick. The last 20 minutes aren't for the faint-hearted.

Gorehounds will love it and finally a good HK III flick.

Gore 4/5 Nudity 1,5/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1/5

Fact or fiction?

[youngcollind · 6/10 · 29 April 2022]

True crime portrayals are always a bit exploitative, but it's hard to look away. The Untold Story is not claiming to be a documentary, so it may be a little unfair that I keep getting hung up on the details they chose to alter.

The climax of the film depicts the real atrocity that took place, and it's possibly one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen. Mercilessly slaughtering innocent children could possibly be the most depraved thing someone could do and I can't say I've seen another movie even touch the subject. It's morally questionable that they subjected the child actors to filming this, as it was hard to watch even as a middle aged dude.

While the real film depicts the incident happening in a moment of rage, in real life it was over a substantial debt that had been sustained over a year. It's weird to think, but this does make the real life killer's actions a sliver more understandable than the film's villain. Though I'm not saying this justifies the violence, like not at all. Don't kill kids. Ever.

From there, they take further liberties with the truth, playing off the urban legend that the victims wound up in pork buns. It makes sense to include this as it's part of the lore even though it never actually happened. Eating people is just a classically gross idea that's right at home in this sick picture.

What I did find to be in poor taste (no pun intended) was the addition of a really graphic rape scene. I'm not sure why rape rubs me the wrong way when I just gave a pass to grinding human flesh into meat. The implications of sexual violence are too dire for this tossed in scene with no ties to the real events and it just felt gratuitous and unnecessary.

In general, the film's depiction of women is questionable, whether it's due to the time, culture or simply the attitudes of the filmmakers. Even bit characters are treated poorly.

Most elements of the chummy cop side plot seem goofy and out of place. The acting gets pretty cheesy, even through the subtitles, though Anthony Wong is a fantastically creepy lead.

There's a good catharsis to seeing the s.o.b. Get what's coming to him in prison and good to know the real life human garbage poetically slit his wrists on a trash can lid!

Still Disturbing After 10 Years

[mindless_junk · 8/10 · 16 February 2003]

A friend told me about this movie recently. Originally, I thought it's 10 years old and that it must be dated. Boy, was I wrong!!!! A very disturbing movie still by today's standard, and still a very disturbing movie on my book - and I have seen many disturbing movies in the past.

* MINOR SPOILER *

The one murder scene which I find to be the MOST disturbing is the involvement of children. It looks VERY real. I really hope that the kids don't suffer from permanent scar as a result of doing this movie - they look like 6 or 7 years old at most. Such a horrible thing to do to the kids for the sake of making a movie.

* END OF MINOR SPOILER *

The movie has very realistic murder scenes, dissection, rape, torture, police brutality, and blood blood blood... The much hailed "Reservoir Dogs" is nothing compared to this disturbing movie. I can't imagine something like this coming out of Hollywood anytime soon.

Watch this movie, it will make you think twice before ordering cha siu buns the next time...

Nasty Category III thriller with an infamous reputation

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 13 October 2017]

THE UNTOLD STORY is perhaps one of the most infamous of all the Category III thrillers made in Hong Kong, and certainly one of the films that helped to kick start a whole wave of sleaze and depravity in 1990s Hong Kong cinema. It's based on a true story that happened in Macau in 1985, in which a restaurant worker ended up butchering his colleagues. Two unconnected sequels were to follow, while star Anthony Wong find himself typecast in similar roles for the rest of the decade.

Given that this is an outrageous Hong Kong movie, everything plays out in an over the top fashion. There's one of the nastiest and most explicit rape sequences you'll ever seen, alongside some truly horrendous murder scenes which don't skimp on the visceral mayhem. A late-stage flashback depicting the murder of an entire family is particularly gruelling. Anthony Wong transforms himself into a crazed and frightening figure as the villain of the piece, while Danny Lee holds it together with his typical cop performance. I didn't like it quite as much as THE EBOLA SYNDROME, but it's certainly one of those films that gets in your head.

Good graphic little serial killer flick from Hong Kong.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 11 April 2009]

Even though Hong Kong movies are never as good looking or slick made as an Hollywood production, it produced a couple of great little movies. "Baat sin faan dim ji yan yuk cha siu baau" is simple one of those great movies, mostly because of its sick story.

Movies focusing on serial killers are often good and interesting ones to watch, especially when they are done as well as this one. The movie is not really made great by its directing, acting or writing but more due to its violence and graphic straight-forward approach.

The movie features a couple of pretty graphic and sick moments, that makes this movie stand out in its genre. It's one of those movies that got banned in numerous countries at the time of its release and is heavily cut in others. Not that it's the most shocking more around but the movie does have its moments that will make some people's stomach turn.

In the beginning the movie its storytelling doesn't feel balanced out well enough. On the one hand it focus on the movie its killer and on the other on the police investigators. The two don't always mix well and it feels a bit disjointed. This gets better as the movie progresses but it always still remains a problem of the movie. The movie also gets less great toward its ending, when its perhaps starting to drag a bit.

Because the movie picks a more light and comical approach at times, you're able to forgive the movie its rather cheap look and production values. Had the movie been done completely serious the movie would had probably been not as effective, although it of course also prevents this movie from being a classic movie within its genre.

Overall the movie remains a surprisingly good one, despite all of its obvious flaws and 'cheap' Hong Kong style of film-making.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Watch this one with your friends!

[northwindbrat · 7/10 · 8 September 2007]

I've waited to watch this one for a long time, having eagerly read up about it before actually managing to find it. Yes, I'm one of those horror fans who salvage through tons of reviews and stuff, taking it upon themselves to find a worthy film to behold. I was excited by this film's reputation... it was hailed as something for the gorehounds, something sick yet funny, a reputation which Peter Jackson's Braindead also shares. Well, I've watched both and some other movies as well so I'll throw in my two cents.

1) Does it live up to the gory reputation?

No, not really. First thing, the blood. It seemed as though Herman Yau had two kinds of blood in use for the movie. One is the common overly bright red you see in old horror movies and the other is the deliciously realistic dark coloured blood we all love. If you want to see gore, you can see much more from any respectable zombie movie. Or you could try the Guinea Pig series instead :)

2) The funny scenes ruined the movie!

That's what lots of reviewers who've watched the movie and actually liked it seem to think. I think the humour in this film doesn't spoil the movie, it's the typical Hong Kong humour you see from films like Troublesome Night, to Bio Zombie. People who say the funny scenes ruin the serious mood of this movie totally fail to see that those scenes are everywhere. Not just from the parts where the female cop is made fun of. This movie is darkly camp and the black humour is persistent and liberal. Now, I won't say I'm a fan of the sexist humour, but I did like the surprise that Anthony Wong's character had for a certain auntie waiting to see her sick nephew... :)

3) The 'Chopstick' scene

Some people seemed to have a problem with this one. Ignore them! It's not a great scene, nor does it deserve its notoriety, to me it's just... kind of lame. The most brutal rape scene I've seen still belongs to Boys Don't Cry.

Finally, if you decide to see this movie, make sure you see it not just for the gore or you might be disappointed. This isn't a bad movie, but it works much better on all levels, than just the 'exploitation' reputation it's been slapped with.

Not sick, not shocking, not disturbing... It only gave me the munchies!

[Coventry · 4/10 · 6 June 2006]

What, that's it? Either I am the sickest bastard in the world (or at least on this website) or I just missed the whole point again, but this infamous Hong Kong gut pile left me pretty much stone cold. According to my fellow reviewers, some of them whom's opinions I really respect, this is one of the most shocking and disgusting horror movies ever to come from the Asian world yet all that I saw was a largely imbecile slapstick comedy with only a couple of depraved gore scenes. And, no, the version I watched wasn't censored or cut. This is just a very incoherent movie and the constant conversions from light-headed comedy to inhumanly cruel horror is nearly impossible to process for the normal-functioning mind. On one side you've got the incredibly deranged psycho-killer who rapes girls with eating sticks and chops up small children without any moral issues whereas, on the other side, we follow a team of completely incompetent and clumsy cops that constantly argue and suck up to the inspector. It's more than obvious that Wong Chi Hang butchered the previous owners of the restaurant that he currently runs, but he rather gets urinated on in prison that to confess his crimes to the cops. "The Untold Story" is especially worth checking out for the performance of Wong Chau-Sang, who looks genuinely miserable with his over-sized glasses and obscene grin. The gore is either extremely grotesque or absurd, but never really capable of making your stomach turn. Not even when the young, innocent children are decapitated on screen. You'll be much better off watching "Riki ô – the Story of Ricky". At least that film knew what it wanted to be.

Just as brutal and nasty as you've heard!

[The_Void · 8/10 · 26 October 2006]

This is my first 'Cat III' flick, so while I'm not qualified to compare this to other genre entries; I've heard this is the pick of the bunch, and I wouldn't be surprised to find that is indeed the case. I guess this is the sort of film that people mean when they talk about completely sick Asian cinema, as The Untold Story doesn't exactly hold back and while the plotting is largely uneven and sometimes doesn't flow well; there's buckets of blood on display, and the film always at least has that to fall back on. The film plays out something like a cross between a psycho killer flick and a police drama, as we follow Wong Chi Hang; a man who brutally murdered a family after a card game, and took control of the Eight Immortals Restaurant. Various members of the restaurant staff are going missing, and it's no coincidence that the restaurant happens to serve 'pork bao'. The story really starts when some kids discover a hand on the beach, and following an investigation into the hand's former owner; it comes to light that it once belonged to the mother of the restaurant family...

The film starts off slowly, and I can't say that I was enjoying it too much by the end of the first half. However, things really pick up in the second half and by the end we are treated to what is surely one of the most brutal murder sequences ever committed to screen! There's a distinct element of pitch black humour to the film, and this is shown through the bumbling police officers and even some of the murder scenes themselves. The way that the film is shot is fairly stylish and certain sequences; such as the one that sees the main character welding a huge butcher's knife, are very memorable. The Untold Story does a good job of drawing the audience into the central character's story, and this is why the second half of the film works better than the first. The title of the film comes from the fact that our murderer tries his best not to divulge the story surrounding the murders to the police, and the torturous sequences that see the fuzz trying to get it out of him add nicely to the brutal atmosphere of the film. Overall, this is a great slice of nasty cinema. Since it's one of the better known 'Cat III' films, I guess all the experienced viewers will already have seen it; but if you've never seen a Cat III film, this looks like as good a place as any to start!

good a keeper

[kakoilija · 6/10 · 26 January 2008]

i liked this one. you should too.

honk kong films such as human pork chop, daughter of darkness... have similar content.

they have humor, they have horror and gore all in the same film...

we'll the cinematography is no Election standard, but if the plot takes you away it doesn't matter...

i won't tell no more...

watch it for your self. of course there are movies better than this, but i would recommend this one.

AND NOW TO FILL THE TEN LINES WITH JUST MEANINGLESS WORDS =D=D=D=D

Great violence and gore but that can't be enough

[PedroPires90 · 5/10 · 24 April 2022]

A thin plot and a very weird tone sometimes - i honestly found the comedy bits too stupid and out of place.

It's almost saved by a great interpretation on the main role, by fantastic gore and the guts to go all the way through, but I can't give a positive rating when all it does is being disgusting for the pleasure of being disgusting. At least, Miike or Sono have usually something to say and they do it with strong plots and other artistic elements. Here it's just for the shock value.