Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Battle of Wits Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 24, 2009

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"

Based on the Japanese manga, Battle of Wits transports its audiences to 370 BC when the Chinese kingdoms are battling each other. The Zhao state has declared war on the Yan state and gathered a formidable army of 10 000-strong. They arrive at the gates of Yan and stage a massive blockade.

Ge Li (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs), a young Moshi warrior, appears and joins the Yan army. After a quick test and a demoralizing arching attack the Zhao warriors unleash upon the Yan warriors, he is allowed to lead their army and defend the city. A massive battle ensues where the two sides struggle to outsmart each other.

Those of you who have been following Asian period cinema during the last five years will recognize a lot of familiar ingredients in Jacob Cheung’s A Battle of Wits – dramatically framed wide shots and conspicuous display of bravery being amongst the most prominent ones. Unsurprisingly, even though one may not necessarily be familiar with the self-titled manga, one should easily guess where the story is heading and how it ends.

Furthermore, while not truly switching into a plagiarizing mode, A Battle of Wits appears to be quite content in patronizing qualities the likes of Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) might have irreversibly damaged. As a result, Ge Li’s heroics, while admirable, occasionally come off as too cliched and politically-correct.

The large battle scenes, however, may make up for some of the issues mentioned above. The sleek camera work for instance allows the audience to witness an impressive display of warfare skills. Unfortunately, unless this is precisely the reason why you would want to see A Battle of Wits, you may find yourself pondering whether there is actually something here that you have not already seen done better in other similarly themed films.

Japanese cinematographer Yoshitaka Sakamoto (Azumi 2) reveals some interesting conceptual decisions (strong panoramic vistas in particular), but the film lacks the sense of intimacy that transformed Red Cliff for instance into far more than just an elaborate collage of warfare scenes.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Andy Lau remains one of the most flexible actors currently working in the Hong Kong film industry. His notable contributions in a streak of challenging films as of late have raised the value of his already impressive resume for a good reason. The charismatic actor is always consistent and capable of expressing a variety of emotions other Asian stars seem largely incapable of duplicating. With that in mind, this reviewer sincerely hopes that he stays as far away from Hollywood as possible.

Battle of Wits Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

Battle of Wits Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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).

Battle of Wits Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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).

Battle of Wits Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.