Thunder Run (1991) on LaserDisc—snagged it at a thrift shop. Cost: C$2.50. Absolute steal.
This is Hong Kong exploitation at its grimiest: two cops wind up in a Laos prison, where torture and misery are the daily rations. Naturally, the only way out is fists, blood, and an escape plan that looks impossible until it isn’t.
Directed by Hsu Hsia—who made a career out of wild stuntwork—fronted by Ray Lui and Alex Fong, with Jason Pai Piao and Fung Hak-on chewing scenery on the side.
The copy I found is the Ocean Shores pressing OL-164. Cantonese or Mandarin audio, English subs, and the kind of gaudy cover design that screams early-90s Hong Kong home video.
Is it a polished masterpiece? Not a chance. But cult fans rate it middling-good. Which, in this genre, basically means “come for the beatdowns, stay for the prison sleaze.”
