7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
A lethal assassin for a secret Chinese organisation, who sheds tears of regret each time he kills, is seen swiftly and mercilessly executing three Yakuza gangsters by a beautiful artist. She is captivated by the grace of his kill and later falls in love with him. An intense power struggle for the leadership of the Yakuza Clans ensues as they seek vengeance for the death of their leader. They soon realise the fatal mistake of underestimating the deadly skills of the Crying Freeman. Based on the "Portrait of a Killer" arc of the best-selling manga
Starring: Mark Dacascos, Julie Condra, Tchéky Karyo, Byron Mann, Rae Dawn ChongComic book | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Christophe Gans' "Crying Freeman" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Metropolitan Filmexport. The supplemental features on the release include an exclusive new video interview with the French director; exclusive new video interview with Mark Dacascos; original trailers for the film; making of featurette; deleted scenes; cast and crew interviews; and a lot more. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The elusive assassin
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Christophe Gans' Crying Freeman arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Metropolitan Filmexport.
Please note that the screencaptures included with this review appear in the following order:
1. Screencaptures #1-22: Crying Freeman
2. Screencaptures #23-30: Japanese animated film, Episode I
3. Screencaptures #31-36: SteelBook/packaging
The release uses a new high-definition transfer created in 2K from the original camera negative, which was supervised by director Gans. Rather predictably, the overwhelming majority of the film looks quite good. A lot of the daylight sequences -- and in particular the big battle at the end -- boast very pleasing depth and fluidity. Close-ups with an abundance of natural light also impress (see screencaptures #8 and 15). Some minor contrast fluctuations exist during the indoor and nighttime footage, but they appear to have been inherited (see screencaptures #3 and 12). Colors are stable and natural, but color saturation occasionally seems slightly inconsistent. There are no traces of problematic degraining and sharpening adjustments. However, the encoding could have been better for select parts of the film where light is intentionally restricted (see screencaptures #12 and 18). Overall image stability is excellent. Also, there are no large cuts, damage marks, debris, or stains, but I noticed a few blemishes popping up here and there (see screencapture #20). To sum it all up, this new Blu-ray release of Crying Freeman represents a major upgrade in quality over the old R2 DVD release which Metropolitan Filmexport produced in 2001. The encoding could have been a little bit better, but the final result is indeed very pleasing. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Metropolitan Filmexport have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it. (Please be aware that throughout the film there are a couple of short exchanges in Japanese. There are no optional English subtitles for them).
The lossless English track is outstanding. During the action sequences dynamic intensity is excellent and there is good surround movement. More importantly, the lossless track allows Patrick O'Hearn's very atmospheric soundtrack to shine in all the right places. The dialog is clean, stable, and very easy to follow. Finally, there are no pops, cracks, background hiss, or distortions to report in this review.
Blu-ray
In one of the exclusive new supplemental features included on this Blu-ray release, an unusually emotional Mark Dacascos mentions how unfortunate it is that most people in America never got a chance to see Christophe Gans' directorial debut Crying Freeman. I wholeheartedly agree. This is a very, very stylish film with an absolutely incredible soundtrack which deserves to have a proper home video release on this side of the Atlantic. If you are one of the lucky few fans of the film who imported the deluxe French DVD release of Crying Freeman in 2001 and are now wondering whether you should upgrade, I can assure you that the new 2K restoration of the film is indeed very good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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