Casino Tycoon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Casino Tycoon Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining and action-packed Chinese film.

Casino Tycoon is a action-adventure set during World War II. Set against the backdrop of Macau during colonial times in China, Casino Tycoon has romance and drama at every turn. Produced, written, and directed by Jing Wong (Princess and Seven Kung Fu Masters, On His Majesty's Secret Service), Casino Tycoon stars Andy Lau and Chingmy Yau.

Benny Ho Hsin (Andy Lau) is a simple working-class man with huge ambitions who becomes immersed in the crime underworld and becomes a casino tycoon. As Benny gets to know the sweet-hearted Mei (Chingmy Yau), romance unexpectedly ensues. As the crime-saga unfolds, so does a story of true romance. Can Benny be a hero?

The performances in Casino Tycoon are charming and entertaining to watch. Andy Lau (one of China's most iconic actors) delivers another exceptional performance in the leading role. The part has surprising depth. The role also required quite a bit of comedic timing and action stunts. The role was well performed and Lau helps the storytelling excel. Chingmy Yau is similarly impressive. Yau has remarkable charm, beauty, and grace. Yau gives the filmmaking depth and romantic wonder.

"Weapons from Home Depot?"

The art direction by Andrew Cheuk (Colour of the Truth, Street of Fury) and Jason Mok (From Beijing with Love, Lee Rock) is impressive and helps the production excel. The art direction brings the film a sense of creativity and style that fits the action genre nicely. The sets and layouts are fantastic and fit the tone of the filmmaking quite well.

The music score composed by Fu-Ling Wang (The Big Boss, The Singing Killer) adds a sense of old school charm to the production. The score has energy and pizzazz during the action sequences and imbues the story with a sense of romance during the central sub-plot. The score gives depth and character to the production. An excellent effort by Wang.

The screenplay and direction by Jing Wong are essential to the success of Casino Tycoon. The film manages to showcase top-notch action and adventure befitting old-school genre fare from China. Everything flows well in Casino Tycoon and the experience is all the more exciting as a result. Audiences looking for a fun kung-fu experience (with a good story) will want to check it out.

Casino Tycoon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from 88 Films, Casino Tycoon is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The scan is a bit outdated and is rather soft looking in some scenes. The softness of the scan appears to be inherent to the source film but it is a bit disappointing nonetheless.

Even despite some slight imperfections, the print of Casino Tycoon is exceptionally clean and there is little in the way of print damage. The scan does not have significant scratches or dirt. A pleasing high-definition presentation with a clean aesthetic. Colors can look a little bit muted during the scan. This issue is common with Chinese films produced in this time-period.

Casino Tycoon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo (in 24 bit high-resolution). The lossless track preserves the original Chinese audio. The presentation has excellent fidelity given the age of the source elements. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. Some scenes still sound a little bit rough – as this presentation isn't quite as crisp as a modern production. Yet everything sounds fine for a film of its production era.

Casino Tycoon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in an attractive clear case with reversible cover-art showcasing the original poster art for the feature-film. Inside of the package, fans will find the release includes a booklet featuring an essay penned by Calum Waddell.

Audio Commentary featuring Asian Cinema critic and expert Bey Logan

Casino Tycoon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Casino Tycoon is an entertaining and action-packed feature-film. The production has a number of impressive elements. The action is well directed by Jing Wong (On His Majesty's Secret Service). Featuring solid performances by Andy Lau and Chingmy Yau, Casino Tycoon is well worth checking out. Recommended.