7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok (Yam) faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy (Koo) looks to increase his business relations with mainland China.
Starring: Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Nick Cheung, Ka-Tung Lam, Suet LamForeign | 100% |
Drama | 32% |
Crime | 19% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Mandarin (Traditional), Mandarin (Simplified), English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of the Best Film Award granted by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, Johnnie To’s “Election II” (2006) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama. All of the special features are placed on a separate SDVD. Amongst them are exclusives interviews with Johnnie To and cast members, Making-of documentary and more. All of the supplemental features are perfectly playable on Region-A hardware. English-friendly and Region-Free.
We have to vote again!
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Johnnie To's Election II arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Panorama.
Election II looks slightly sharper and better detailed than Election. Its color scheme, however, is as complex as that of Election. There are plenty of scenes where grays, browns, blues, and whites look somewhat soft. The heavy shadows I addressed in my review of Election are once again of utmost importance in this film -- there are certain scenes where you could barely see the faces of the main protagonists. Again, I assume that all of this is intentional. This being said, I noticed a bit of very light edge enhancement (see second capture) popping up here and there but it is hardly something that would affect your viewing experience. I also spotted bits of digital noise. Macroblocking, however, is not an issue of concern. Aside from a few tiny specks that I saw early into the film, there are no disturbing debris, scratches, or dirt to report in our review. To sum it all up, if the few issues I noted above were not present, Election II would have looked exceptional. Still, I have absolutely no problem recommending this disc to you. (Note: This is a Region-Free disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.
Once again, I am very pleased with the audio treatment. The Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has been mixed exceptionally well - the bass is convincing, the high frequencies not overdone and the rear channels intelligently used. The dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. The music score by Robert Ellis-Geiger is delicately mixed with the dialog. There are no disturbing pops, cracks, or dropouts that I detected.
And once again, the Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 track is not a match for the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. This is not to say that it is a flawed track, but it most certainly does not match the dynamic intensity of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Interestingly enough, this is most obvious not during the action scenes, but when Robert Ellis-Geiger's soundtrack is more prominent. For the record, Panorama have provided optional English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese subtitles. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
(Note: All of the supplemental features are placed on a separate SDVD. All are in 480/60i and perfectly playable on Region-A players. All of the supplemental features arrive with optional English and Simplified Chinese subtitles).
Exclusive interview with Johnnie To -the director talks about the history of his films at the Cannes Film Festival, their unique style, the themes they address, etc. (12 min).
Exclusive interviews with selected actors - Lam Suet (18 min) and Lam Ka Tung (15 min) talk about the characters they play, they impressions of Johnnie To and organized crime in Hong Kong,
Making of documentary - a short piece on the production history of Election II. (7 min).
Trailers-there is only one trailer for the main feature.
TV Spots- three TV spots.
Photo Gallery -
I enjoyed Johnnie To's Election II a lot. In my opinion, it is a lot better than Election. It is darker, grittier and more violent. It is also better paced and with a lot more complex narrative. If you enjoy intelligent crime films, where style and substance are well balanced, do not miss it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Panorama, looks and sounds very good. Highly Recommended.
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