The Untold Story is a classic Hong Kong crime horror film written and directed by Herman Yau. Listed as beyond mainstream on Unearthed Films website, The Untold Story has the most extreme Hong Kong rating for gruesome and over the top depictions of violence and sex.
In 1978 a horrible murder occurs in Hong Kong. Wong Chi-Hang (Anthony Wong) beats a man to death and sets him on fire because he won’t lend Wong money. Wong flees to Macau and eight years later Wong is seen running the Eight Immortals Restaurant. Clues appear that something is not right: Wong is seen visiting a lawyer to obtain legal ownership of the restaurant, but is turned down as he can’t produce the former owner Chem Lang’s signature, and, Wong keeps receiving letters addressed to Cheng Lam which Wong tears up. It is 1986, and while a family is playing on a beach in Macau, the children suddenly spot the cut off hands and limbs of another murder victim. Police officers Bull (Parkman Wong), Robert (Eric Kei), King Kong (Lam King Kong), and Bo (Emily Kwan) arrive at the grisly scene and the men force Bo to check it out. Their supervisor Inspector Lee (Danny Lee) arrives with a sexy woman by his side and tells the men to assist Bo and take the limbs to forensics. Later, forensics identifies the victim as Cheng’s mother-in-law. Inspector Lee also receives a request from Chem Lang’s brother in Hong Kong to locate his missing brother. Inspector Lee decides to visit the Eight Immortals Restaurant where two employees provide information against Wong. Later, Wong retaliates by brutally killing the two staff. It’s clear Wong enjoys killing and plays an inside joke as he cuts up the victims, puts the insides through a grinder, and makes a filling for the pork buns. When he disposes of the bones in the garbage, the police arrest him. Inspector Lee and his officers are rough on Wong and place him in prison while they gather more evidence. Another brother of Chem Lang is in prison and enlists prisoners to help him torture Wong bad enough he ends up in a hospital. There Inspector Lee further tortures Wong with sleep deprivation, stimulants, and constant questioning. Finally, Lee confesses and flashbacks show him murdering the entire Cheng family.
Although the movie is full of violence, it is also comedic, and the young police officers and handsome Inspector Lee primarily have women on their mind. Blu-ray special edition extras include: commentaries with Anthony Wong, Herman Yau, Art Ettinger (Ultra Violent), and Bruce Holecheck (Cinema Arcana); Q&A with Herman Yau; Cat III: The Untold Story of Hong Kong Exploitation Cinema, and interview with Rick Baker. This film may be of interest to libraries collecting Hong Kong cinema. Optional.