Post by Mark (Webmaster) on Feb 6, 2005 11:08:03 GMT
[glow=red,2,300]HARD-BOILED
(Prism Leisure Budget Edition)[/glow]
Picture:[/color] 4:3 Non-Anamorphic Full-screen
Sound:[/color] Mono 2.0 Surround Cantonese | Mono 2.0 English (Dubbed)
Discs:[/color] 1 (DVD 5)
Region:[/color] 2
Features:
Trailers (for other Prism titles)[/color]
Story:[/color] From John Woo, the director of Face Off and Broken Arrow, comes this high-octane roller coaster ride through the violent criminal underworld of Hong Kong.
Inspector Yuen, nicknamed 'Tequila', is a courageous cop who shoots from both hips, never reloads and never misses. A tough guy with a soft spot and infinite charm, Tequila is the only man for the job of cleaning up the city, and when his partner is killed in a spectacular shoot-out he decides to take the investigation into his own lethal hands.
With the body count well into three figures, more fire power than you can shake an Uzi at, stylised adrenalin pumping action sequences which make Hollywood
blockbusters look like Bambi, this is Woo's most outrageous flick to date.
Review:[/color] This is John Woo at his most explosive Hong Kong best. Before he moved to Hollywood and threw out dross like M:I-2 and PAYCHECK Woo was the absolute king of the ballistic action set piece. Using a masterful combination of multiple shots, slow-motion photography and rapid editing Woo could make a walk on the beach look like the coolest thing on earth and this is his magnum opus. Chow Yun-Fat is excellent as the hard-edged cop who teams up with an undercover cop to eradicate a guns running operation in Hong Kong. The screen smoulders as set piece after set pieces comes at a frenetic pace leaving at least 900 people dead by the closing credits. Chow and Leung make a better onscreen duo then the former did with Danny Lee in Woo’s earlier masterpiece THE KILLER, here you get a genuine sense of a mutual respect that develops into a silent bond between the two characters. Woo is surprisingly restrained here and keeps the emotions to a low whilst letting the actors and story flow like a traditional Western.
Ballistic and brilliant. See this and realise why Woo used to be the King of Action movies.
The DVD
Picture:[/color] Oh well it’s nothing too special to report here. This looks like the same print used for the original Tartan release in 200 with noticeable blemishes on the print. It is presented in an anamorphic 4:3 fullscreen.
Sound:[/color] Mono. Oh dear. No doubt due to space on this smaller disc but at least it has the option of English dubbed or Cantonese with subtitles. This I liked.
Menu:[/color] Static as per the norm. More attention has been given to overall design though with font , and even colours for highlighting/selecting options, given a consistency with the movie.
Special Features:[/color]
None except self-promoting trailers for other Prism releases.
Summary:
Film: 5/5
Picture: 2/5
Sound: 2/5
Extras: 1/5[/color]
Overall package:[/color] 2/5 Possessed Cheryls – Prism are in essence a great company. They get good movies and put them on smaller DVDs with nicer price tags. Great if you just want the movie but poor for the collector. If you’re a fan of the movie go for Tartan’s recent re-mastered DVD that includes a new transfer from the original 35mm negative and a bombastic DD 5.1 surround mix.
Amazon.co.uk - Purchase Information:[/color]
If you want to purchase this budget version for 5.99 GBP then click :HERE
If you want the remastered collectors edition from Tartan then click : HERE
(Prism Leisure Budget Edition)[/glow]
Picture:[/color] 4:3 Non-Anamorphic Full-screen
Sound:[/color] Mono 2.0 Surround Cantonese | Mono 2.0 English (Dubbed)
Discs:[/color] 1 (DVD 5)
Region:[/color] 2
Features:
Trailers (for other Prism titles)[/color]
Story:[/color] From John Woo, the director of Face Off and Broken Arrow, comes this high-octane roller coaster ride through the violent criminal underworld of Hong Kong.
Inspector Yuen, nicknamed 'Tequila', is a courageous cop who shoots from both hips, never reloads and never misses. A tough guy with a soft spot and infinite charm, Tequila is the only man for the job of cleaning up the city, and when his partner is killed in a spectacular shoot-out he decides to take the investigation into his own lethal hands.
With the body count well into three figures, more fire power than you can shake an Uzi at, stylised adrenalin pumping action sequences which make Hollywood
blockbusters look like Bambi, this is Woo's most outrageous flick to date.
Review:[/color] This is John Woo at his most explosive Hong Kong best. Before he moved to Hollywood and threw out dross like M:I-2 and PAYCHECK Woo was the absolute king of the ballistic action set piece. Using a masterful combination of multiple shots, slow-motion photography and rapid editing Woo could make a walk on the beach look like the coolest thing on earth and this is his magnum opus. Chow Yun-Fat is excellent as the hard-edged cop who teams up with an undercover cop to eradicate a guns running operation in Hong Kong. The screen smoulders as set piece after set pieces comes at a frenetic pace leaving at least 900 people dead by the closing credits. Chow and Leung make a better onscreen duo then the former did with Danny Lee in Woo’s earlier masterpiece THE KILLER, here you get a genuine sense of a mutual respect that develops into a silent bond between the two characters. Woo is surprisingly restrained here and keeps the emotions to a low whilst letting the actors and story flow like a traditional Western.
Ballistic and brilliant. See this and realise why Woo used to be the King of Action movies.
The DVD
Picture:[/color] Oh well it’s nothing too special to report here. This looks like the same print used for the original Tartan release in 200 with noticeable blemishes on the print. It is presented in an anamorphic 4:3 fullscreen.
Sound:[/color] Mono. Oh dear. No doubt due to space on this smaller disc but at least it has the option of English dubbed or Cantonese with subtitles. This I liked.
Menu:[/color] Static as per the norm. More attention has been given to overall design though with font , and even colours for highlighting/selecting options, given a consistency with the movie.
Special Features:[/color]
None except self-promoting trailers for other Prism releases.
Summary:
Film: 5/5
Picture: 2/5
Sound: 2/5
Extras: 1/5[/color]
Overall package:[/color] 2/5 Possessed Cheryls – Prism are in essence a great company. They get good movies and put them on smaller DVDs with nicer price tags. Great if you just want the movie but poor for the collector. If you’re a fan of the movie go for Tartan’s recent re-mastered DVD that includes a new transfer from the original 35mm negative and a bombastic DD 5.1 surround mix.
Amazon.co.uk - Purchase Information:[/color]
If you want to purchase this budget version for 5.99 GBP then click :HERE
If you want the remastered collectors edition from Tartan then click : HERE