88 Films recently issued a gorgeous edition of the Hong Kong Category III classic, Sex and the Emperor (1994). This limited edition features 88 Films’ usual great production design, and the new 2K restoration from the original negative looks cinematic and gorgeous. Housed with a booklet and featuring a new interview and commentary track, this great release of Sex and the Emperor can be ordered from MVD.
Inspired by the massive success of Sex and Zen (1991), Sex and the Emperor arrives near the end of the peak of the Category III erotic period. Essentially, meaning films for adults over the age of 18, Category III productions were often outrageous and sometimes unforgettable. Sex and the Emperor is a real quality exploitation film, prettily shot, erotic, and violent.
Despite not having the most prestigious filmography, Sherman Wong’s surprisingly strong direction supplies what could have been a cheap softcore sex film with more thrust. The film’s cinematography, credited to Kin-Fai Mau, is colorful and dynamic. Sex and the Emperor is a nicely made production, with a lot of technical merits.
Sex and the Emperor’s script is also a pleasant surprise. Screenwriter Cheuk Bing is best-known for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story (1994), but his historical-based script for Sex and the Emperor is just as memorable. The fact that there is a love story at the heart of this makes Bing’s script all the more noteworthy.
Sex and the Emperor does contain several scenes with extreme sex and violence, although this is still a decidedly soft production. The film’s violent content is much more disturbing than its sexual side, although the film is at its most intense when the two combine. At times, this is a very cool transgressive film with much to say about how power corrupts.
I liked Sex and the Emperor quite a bit. Featuring a solid cast, this just-over-90-minute film is immensely entertaining and watchable. Both the interview with James Mudge and commentary with David West are fine additions to the film. This is a great little picture and a terrific Blu-ray. Very much recommended.
-Jeremy Richey, November 2026-
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