Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Assembly Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 3, 2009

A big-budget war drama loaded with political innuendo, Feng Xiaogang’s “Assembly” (2007) is likely to divide as many as it will probably impress. Touching upon a myriad of sensitive themes, the film tells a simple story about a true hero, but underneath it there is a lot more to ponder. Courtesy of UK-based distributors Metrodome Video. Region-Free.

Pounding the enemy

China, 1948. The Civil War is at its peak. The Nationalist (KMT) and Communist (PLA) forces are massacring each other in the northernmost parts of China. Capt. Gu Zidi (Zhang Hanyu) and his Ninth Company are sent to a strategic battle zone where the enemy is to be warded off for as long as possible. When they arrive, the KMT forces attack and begin exterminating Gu’s men.

Fear sets in quickly. Gu’s men inform him that they’ve heard the assembly bugle and ask for a permission to retreat. He ignores their plea and orders them to get back in the trenches. In a matter of hours, the KMT soldiers, backed by heavy artillery, kill everyone but Gu.

The second half of Assembly follows Gu’s rehabilitation and quest to uncover the remains of his men. Skipping through the Korean War, modern-day Communist China, and the battles from 1948, Assembly uses Gu’s personal journey to paint an unorthodox portrait of a country ruled by a powerful dictator.

Revealing obvious similarities with Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Kang Je-gyu’s Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004), Feng Xiaogang’s Assembly is a deceivingly simple-looking film which many western viewers will probably misinterpret. It is flashy, terrifically-lensed and filled with the type of excessive, in-your-face, gore that Hollywood has been successfully selling in recent years to mainstream audiences looking for realistic war films.

Under its flashy wrapper, however, Assembly is very much a film with a strong political agenda. In fact, I dare say, it is an incredibly polarized film entertaining dangerous themes targeting a very specific group of viewers.

The less problematic but intriguing side of Assembly has to do with the surprisingly critical overtones I detected in Gu’s lines during the second half of the film. For example, his meeting with the Party apparatchiks produces a flurry of dismissive comments addressing the political status quo in China in a manner I don’t recall seeing in a film of such magnitude. While a lot of these dismissive comments are conveniently muddled with generic talk about honor and brotherhood, obviously to appease the Chinese censors, it is fairly easy to grasp who and what Gu’s lines target.

The far more serious, and very troubling according to some Asian viewers, side of Assembly has to do with the remarkably stern tone of the film in regard to controversial historic events - Taiwan's severance, the division of the Korean peninsula, etc. It almost feels as if Assembly aspires to deliver a refreshing reminder that what wasn't accomplished in the past is bound to be achieved in the future. Such a read of the film may seem like a long shot to some of you, but there is quite a bit in it that supports precisely such a controversial deconstruction.

Technically, Assembly is a solid and well-polished film that impresses with its emphasis on detail. Cinematographer Lu Yue, who collaborated with John Woo on Red Cliff II (2009), certainly delivers big, particularly with his preference for stylishly dark and gritty colors. Unsurprisingly, even though the film is disturbingly graphic, it is also uncannily beautiful to behold.

Assembly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.31:1, encoded with MPEG-2 and granted a 1080p transfer, Assembly is distributed in the United Kingdom by Metrodome Video.

There are some key differences between the HK Blu-ray release of Assembly and this UK-distributed disc. First, the UK Blu-ray disc is encoded with MPEG-2 (the HK disc is encoded with MPEG-4 AVC). Second, the UK release boasts a 1080p transfer while the HK Blu-ray disc has a 1080i transfer. Third, the UK disc offers three Mandarin tracks, including a Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, while the HK disc has two Mandarin tracks, including a Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 mix, and a Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 EX dub. This being said, the UK video presentation is quite similar to the one found on the HK disc. The color-scheme is practically identical to the one seen on the HK disc, contrast is solid, and clarity very pleasing. The actual transfer for the UK disc also appears to be practically identical to the one used for the HK release, as I was certainly able to detect the same tiny specks and dots that I noticed on the HK disc. Now, with all these clarifications out of the way, I must make it perfectly clear that the HK disc actually does look a bit better. The UK discs reveals plenty of mild edge-enhancement (quite obvious during the battle scenes in the snow fields), which depending on the size of your TV set will more than likely be an issues of concern. I was also able to spot some mild to average contrast boosting that may annoy the more sensitive amongst you. To sum it all up, the UK disc by Metrodome Video certainly treats Assembly with the proper dose of attention, but the few minor issues I addressed above are probably a good enough reason to consider the HK disc instead. (Note: The UK disc is Region-Free and therefore you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Assembly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1, and Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0. To be honest with you, I could not detect any notable gaps in quality between the Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track found on this UK disc, and the Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 track from the HK disc. To my ears both of those tracks sound absolutely the same. This being said, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is just as aggressive, offering plenty of activity though the rear channels, and free of any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissing. The bass is also solid – it is deep, punchy, and powerful. Finally, the English translation on the UK disc is substantially better than that found on the the HK disc - grammatical and syntax errors are not an issue of concern here (for the record, the English subtitles are split between the image frame and the black bars underneath it).

Assembly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from the original theatrical trailer for Assembly and a standard "Making of" featurette, both in standard-def PAL, there is absolutely nothing else to be found on this Blu-ray disc.

Assembly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Feng Xiaogang's Assembly has plenty of heart and great visuals to compliment its story. It is also a very bold film, one that, surprisingly, does not shy away from producing some quite unconventional for Chinese cinema political statements. The Blu-ray disc, courtesy of UK-based distributors Metrodome Video, is similar to the HK disc, but it is not an exact replica of it. The two Blu-ray releases are encoded differently and offer different audio options. I personally prefer the HK disc because it lacks the edge-enhancement I noticed on the UK disc.