7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Set during China's Warring States period when the tiny Kingdom of Liang fought against a 15,000-strong army by applying the defense strategies of the philosopher Mozi, one of China's most important figures in developing philosophy and political theory.
Starring: Andy Lau, Fan Bingbing, Choi Siwon, Tin-Chiu Hung, Ahn Sung-kiForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 64% |
Action | 62% |
War | 35% |
Drama | 9% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A big-budget action extravaganza teaming up some of Asia’s most prominent actors, Jacob Cheung’s “A Battle of Wits” (2006) is yet another period project aiming for international glory. Stylishly-lensed and gritty, the film offers an abundance of well choreographed fighting scenes. Courtesy of UK-based distributors Metrodome Video. Region-Free.
Andy Lau plays a fearless warrior in "A Battle of Wits"
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacob Cheung's A Battle of Wits arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based distributors Metrodome Video.
I am fairly certain that Metrodome Video had access to the same master Deltamac Co. used in Hong Kong for their Blu-ray release of A Battle of Wits. In fact, aside from a few minor differences, which I will touch upon below, these two releases look practically identical.
As I mentioned in my review for the HK release, A Battle of Wits boasts a unique color-scheme where faded yellows are constantly countered with lush blacks. Blues and reds also play a prominent role, though they are certainly not as overwhelming as the yellows and blacks are. There is also a good amount of grain here but, unfortunately, it appears to be mixed with an equal amount of machine noise, which creates all sorts of minor issues that are quite obvious on larger screens. On the other hand, a lot of the haziness that I noticed on the HK disc – particularly during the battle scenes from the first half of the film – appears to have been partially addressed on this UK release. I went back and forth between the two discs to see how much of a difference there is and, frankly, I think that the Metrodome transfer looks marginally clearer. Of course, since A Battle of Wits wasn't screened at my local theater, I could only guess what the intended look of the film is, and which of the two transfers is more accurate. This being said, the UK transfer is just as healthy as the HK transfer is - I did not detect any disturbing debris, specks, or stains to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
The HK Blu-ray release of A Battle of Wits offered a number of different audio options - Mandarin PCM 7.1, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital EX 6.1. What you will find on the UK release is a Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Mandarin LPCM 2.0 tracks. As you could see, Metrodome have dropped the Mandarin PCM 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital EX 6.1 tracks and downgraded the Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 to DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. They have also included a basic Mandarin LPCM 2.0 track.
There are a couple of things that I would like to mention here. First, it is somewhat disappointing that the Mandarin PCM 7.1 track was not offered on the UK release as this was truly a thunderous mix that tested the muscles of my audio equipment. On the other hand, the downgraded Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sill sounds enormously impressive – the bass is heavy and extremely potent, the rear channels very active and the high frequencies not overdone. This being said, I played with the two discs to see whether or not I could hear a big difference between the Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 tracks, and aside from the first battle scene where it was easy for me to separate the two tracks, I must conclude that more than likely, if you had the two discs, you would have a difficult time telling which one boasts the Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and which one has the Mandarin DTS-HD master Audio 5.1 track. Finally, the dialog is once again crystal clear and extremely easy to follow. (Note: The optional English, white, English subtitles are placed inside the image frame).
Aside from the international and UK trailers for the film, on this Blu-ray disc you will also find a rather long "Making-Of" (53 min) with optional English subtitles. There is an abundance of raw footage here showing a lot of the technical difficulties the creators of the film had to overcome as well as informative interviews with cast and crew members where they recall their involvement with the project. (Note: All of the supplemental features are in standard-def PAL. Therefore, unless you have a player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, you won't be able to view them on your North American TV sets).
Fans of period action extravaganzas will find plenty of interest in Jacob Cheung's A Battle of Wits. The film isn't as visually impressive as John Woo's Red Cliff, but it most certainly has its fair share of stunning battle scenes. This being said, I like this UK Blu-ray disc slightly better than the HK disc we reviewed awhile ago. Even though there are a few minor downgrades in the audio department, I think that the picture quality is a tiny bit better. With other words, if you have not yet picked A Battle of Wits, but have been planning to, take a look at the technical summations for the HK and UK discs and see which release appeals to your taste better. Recommended.
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