All Men Are Brothers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

All Men Are Brothers Blu-ray Movie Review

All Men Are Brothers is an entertaining historical sequel to The Water Margin. Produced by Runme Shaw (Vengeance!, The Sword Stained with Royal Blood), All Men Are Brothers is based on the novel by Guanzhong Luo. Based on a story by Nai'an Shi, the epic source-story is a famous classic.

The sequel to The Water Margin was years in the making and a highly anticipated follow-up to the previous Shaw Brothers classic. The source novel was such a sprawling book, the first feature-film only adapted segments from the novel. The sequel finds more story to explore as it focuses on a large cast of characters including leads 'Tiger Killer' Wu Sung (Ti Lung) and 'The Beau' Yen Ching (David Chiang). The action kung-fu classic continues to explore the epic battles between groups of rebel warriors and the violent leaders in opposition.

The supporting cast of characters in All Men Are Brothers includes 'Twin Spears' Tung Ping (Michael Wai-Man Chan), General Shih Pao (Feng-Chen Chen), 'Spearman' Hsu Neng (Wo-fu Chen), Short Tiger Wang Ying (Lei Cheng), Emperor Tao Chun (Yang Chang), and 'Clever Star' Wu Yung (Feng Chin). The entire supporting cast did an excellent job in the production. The sprawling cast is enormous – no surprise considering the source material.

The production features art direction by Johnson Tsao (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Battle for the Republic of China). The stunning art direction is essential to the backdrop of the epic historical drama. The feature-film blends martial arts and drama for a compelling piece expanding on the first film to adapt material from the classic novel. The sets, designs, and nuances of the production are superb.

The costumes by Chi Li (Five Shaolin Masters, Heroes Two) are impressive and help to expand on the production. Li is a talented costume designer. Li has a good sense of the needs of the historical epic. These costumes reflect the style needed for the characters in the time period.

The action stunts coordinated by Tang Chia (Lightning Fists of Shaolin, Mercenaries from Hong Kong), Liu Chia-Yung (Once Upon a Time in China, Five Fingers of Death), Chen Chuan (The Delightful Forest, The Boxer from Shantung), and Chia-Liang Liu (Drunken Master II, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter). The action is intense and involving. The sequences are well-staged. The choreographers brought the production to life in a compelling manner.

The score composed by Yung-Yu Chen (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Clans of Intrigue) is a highlight of the film. The music by Chen adds gravitas, energy, and character-depth to the production. The score certainly is one of the core strengths of the film.

The cinematography by Han Lu Kuang (The Spiritual Boxer, The Master of Kung Fu) is visually superb and a great showcase for visual storytelling. The visual sensibilities of the production are superb. Kuang is a talent with a knack for what to bring to the table as a cinematographer – making the film a bigger and more immersive visual spectacle.

Edited by Ting-Hung Kuo (Triple Irons, Heroes Among Heroes), All Men Are Brothers is well-paced and has a good energy. The historical epic manages to bring together more chapters of the sprawling and iconic classic. Kuo has a large ensemble cast of characters to work with as editor and the flow of the filmmaking is well-handled in terms of the cuts and selections.

Written by Cheh Chang (Five Elements Ninjas, Five Deadly Venoms) and Kuang Ni (Shaolin Intruders, The Deadly Breaking Sword), All Men Are Brothers is a solid script. The screenplay covers a lot of ground in exploring more of the source material. The canvas of the source material was so enormous it actually couldn’t fit inside the run-time of either The Water Margin or All Men Are Brothers. Even so, a script capable of providing more dramatic depth to the story and its characters.

Directed by Cheh Chang (Vengeance!, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung) and Wu Ma (The Water Margin, Deaf Mute Heroine), All Men Are Brothers is worthwhile and a solid production. Though not amongst the greatest Shaw Brothers classics, All Men Are Brothers is a solid and entertaining action-packed drama. A good follow up to The Water Margin.

All Men Are Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, All Men Are Brothers is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The transfer is solid if not perfection. The transfer provides a worthwhile scan free from egregious print damage or telecine problems. The print is free from problematic specks and dirt – a good-looking presentation. The encoding is well-done, too. The scan does have some DNR (digital noise reduction) and sometimes is heavy-handed, more-so than some other Shaw Brothers titles, and this was a little disappointing. Even so, a solid looking encode with good color reproduction.

All Men Are Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. The lossless audio sounds crisp, clear, and engaging. Dialogue is well-reproduced on the release. The score is a highlight as well. An impressive soundstage. The English subtitles on the release are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

All Men Are Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by James Mudge

Yu Feng – Warrior Lady (HD, 18:50)

Original Theatrical Trailer (HD, 4:38)

Celestial Trailer (SD, 1:09)

Still Gallery (HD, 2:32)

All Men Are Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All Men Are Brothers is a noteworthy historical epic by Shaw Brothers and a sequel to The Water Margin. The epic production is well-worth seeing for audiences familiar with the previous film. Impressive production values and solid filmmaking make this another worthwhile Shaw Brothers feature. The Blu-ray release includes an audio commentary, an interview, photo gallery, and a trailer. Recommended.