6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
At the height of his international fame, the legendary Bruce Lee – along with his friend and student James Coburn and Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant – began to write what he believed would be the greatest achievement of his film career. Five years after his mysterious death, Lee’s vision would finally be realized. David Carradine, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall and Eli Wallach star in this acclaimed cult hit that brings Lee’s personal philosophy to the screen with a still-potent combination of mysticism, humor and martial arts mayhem.
Starring: David Carradine, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach, Jeff CooperMartial arts | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (448 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Whatever you think I am, or want me to be, I am.
Pitch a tent, unroll the sleeping bag, spark up a fire, and grab the marshmallows. A project
conceived by Martial Arts legend Bruce Lee, Circle of
Iron revels in cheesy goodness, the film the very definition of "camp."
Serving up a semi-serious story on the importance of self and mental and emotional, rather than
solely physical, growth, and told with plenty of intentional and unintentional humor on the side,
the movie is consistently bathed in Fantasy/Adventure clichés, often giving it the feel of a
third-rate
Conan rip-off (depite being released years before Schwarzenegger's famed collection of
films). It boasts a tired story that sets a musclebound hero with long, curly hair on
an adventure to claim his right to battle for a mystic treasure; the proud warrior who thinks he
can
do no wrong but has yet to realize that his pecs or biceps are not the most important muscles in
the
body; several goofy side-characters, some of them played by the same recognizable actor; the
wise
old teacher whose albeit obscured-in-parable teachings are all but laughed off; and the
obligatory twist ending that ties it all together. Despite all the problems, Circle of Iron is
just a blast to watch, if only to become immersed in the world of camp filmmaking -- and all that
implies -- at its very best.
Check out my bling.
Circle of Iron traverses onto Blu-ray with a hit-or-miss 1080p, 1.66:1-framed transfer. The somewhat rare-to-Blu-ray aspect ratio will place two small vertical black bars on either side of the 1.78:1 screen. The image continuously fluctuates between sharp and soft, sometimes distractingly so and not from scene to scene but occasionally from shot to shot. Grain may be found throughout, swirling about rather heavily, and spiking considerably in a few select scenes. The print is also plagued by any number of scratches, pops, and speckles, all of which is accompanied by a horizontal line pattern in one scene that looks like cracked-open mini blinds reflecting on the screen, while a vertical line comes and goes through parts of the film's middle segment. Still, Circle of Iron generally looks good overall. Detail and texture never highly impresses, but several objects, for instance stone walls and dusty rock faces out in nature look borderline great in context. Colors are abundant; there's far more here than the occasional splash of green shrubbery dotted on a sandy terrain, and most of them look fine in context. Blacks fluctuate between dark and inky and gray and dull and are sometimes accompanied by copious amounts of noise, a prime example being a nighttime fight in chapter 12. Flesh tones also veer heavily towards a deep red shade. While certainly not a handsome transfer, Circle of Iron looks fine for what it is, absorbed in the proper frame of mind, and given leniency for what is not the prettiest of sources.
Circle of Iron surrounds listeners with a pair of 7.1 lossless soundtracks, one each of the DTS and Dolby TrueHD varieties. The DTS track is notably louder than the Dolby mix, though there seems to be no discernible difference in absolute clarity. The mix features an active sound field across the front as the movie opens in a Gladiator-type arena where warriors battle one another for the right to enter the trials to confront Zetan. Ambient crowd noise during the fights sound spacious if not a bit canned, but there is not much in the way of a rear-channel presence here or elsewhere. One instance where the back channels do come alive may be found in chapter five as the blind warrior swirls a bamboo stick around as a weapon to take down several thugs. The weapon's movement may be traced sonically around the soundstage as it flows perfectly from one speaker to the next. Generally, however, there's not much to this one. A few ear-piercing effects may be heard scattered throughout the movie, for instance the shriek of a monkey-man hybrid beast in chapter seven. Outside of a few action scenes that don't necessarily do anything to stand out from the crowd, Circle of Iron relies on its music and dialogue to drive the picture, and each are represented suitably well by these soundtracks.
Circle of Iron (otherwise known as The Silent Flute) serves up several extra features, headlined by a commentary track with Director Richard Moore and Blue Underground's David Gregory. With Gregory leading the discussion, Moore speaks on the change in title, his work on the project, shooting in Israel and the various locations, the actors and crew, themes, and much more. Playing the Silent Flute -- Interview With Star David Carradine (480p, 13:56) features the late actor reminiscing on the film. The Producer -- Interview With Co-Producer Paul Maslansky (480p, 28:45) offers the producer recalling in some detail his career with emphasis on his contributions to Circle of Iron. Karate Master -- Interview With Martial Arts Coordinator Joe Lewis (480p, 31:01) again begins with a detailed recap of Lewis' life and moves on to take an in-depth look at his work on Circle of Iron. Also included is an audio-only interview with co-writer Stirling Silliphant (25:23) where he discusses his relationship with Bruce Lee. Also included near the end of the piece is a text reproduction of a discussion revolving around Circle of Iron. Rounding out this package are two Circle of Iron trailers -- International (480p, 3:04) and U.S. (480p, 1:57) -- and a trio of 30-second TV spots presented in 480p standard definition.
A delectable slice of cinematic camp, Circle of Iron should delight viewers that approach the film with an open mind and a willingness to give the movie's shortcomings a pass and revel in the humorous onslaught of cliché, poor acting, and dreadful characterization that define the picture far more than its intended purpose as a commentary on the importance of mental, emotional, and spiritual growth. Blue Underground's Blu-ray release suits the picture well. Featuring a rough-around-the-edges 1080p transfer, a fair lossless soundtrack, and a decent selection of extras, Circle of Iron comes recommended with the caveat that the picture may disappoint if not viewed in the proper context.
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