7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
To win their freedom, a group of hardened Asian convicts agree to go on a suicidal mission to Vietnam and destroy an abandoned ammunitions dump before the Vietcong discovers it.
Starring: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Biao Yuen, Joyce Godenzi, Wah Yuen, Woo-Ping YuenForeign | 100% |
Action | 17% |
War | Insignificant |
Period | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Cantonese: LPCM Mono
Cantonese: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM 2.0
English: LPCM Mono
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Sammo Hung's "Eastern Condors" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage interviews with the director and cast members; new audio commentates with Mike Leeder and Arne Venema as well as Frank Djeng; vintage promotional materials; and more. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The leaders
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Eastern Condors arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release is sourced from a new 2K remaster that is practically free of technical issues. Delineation and density levels could be better during some of the wider panoramic shots, but overall the visuals hold very well and look quite nice. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The color grading is very convincing as well -- the primaries are solid throughout the entire film and look very healthy while the supporting nuances are properly balanced. (For what it's worth, this is yet another recent 2K remaster that looks vastly superior when compared to the 4K 'restorations' that L'Immagine Ritrovata produced for Police Story). With the exception of the opening credits where there is a bit of movement within the frame, image stability is excellent. There are no large distracting debris, cuts, stains, or damage marks to report. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese: LPCM 1.0., Cantonese: LPCM 1.0 (Alternate track)
English: LPCM 1.0 (classic dub), and English: LPCM 2.0 Stereo (modern dub). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
I viewed the film with the original Cantonese Mono track and thought that it was excellent. The audio was clear, clean, and stable. plus dynamic intensity was as good as I expected it to be. I did not test the other tracks because I did not feel that the original track had any notable native limitations. A quick note on the subtitles: plenty of them switch very fast, often making it impossible to read everything that is being said in real time.
I am well aware that Eastern Condors has a lot of admirers and many of them actually consider it one of Sammo Hung's very best films. But I have to say that there are plenty of good reasons why the film flopped in Hong Kong and other Asian markets, and they have nothing to do with its subject matter. (The old theory that a lot of folks just did not get its take on the war in Vietnam is an awful facade to hide a wide range of serious flaws). Yes, some of the action is still quite impressive, but as far as I am concerned not enough to save the film. If you don't think that the film needed to be saved and have been waiting for a quality makeover of it to emerge, this recent Blu-ray release should make you very happy. It is sourced from a very nice 2K remaster and comes with a pretty good selection of bonus features. RECOMMENDED (but only to the fans).
(Still not reliable for this title)
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