Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Firestorm Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 22, 2014

Alan Yuen's "Firestorm" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Edko Films Ltd. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers and teasers; photo gallery; and standard making of featurette. In Cantonese, with optional English and Traditional Mandarin subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The angry cop

Director Alan Yuen’s very fast and very bloody action thriller Firestorm follows closely two men on opposite sides of the law. The first is Bong (Gordon Lam, Vengeance, Motorway), a middle-aged gangster who has just been released from prison. He is ready to start a new life with his girlfriend Bing (Yao Chen, My Lucky Star), but understands well that with his long criminal record it would be virtually impossible. The second man is Inspector Lui (Andy Lau, Running Out of Time, Infernal Affairs), an ambitious professional who senses that with the right offer Bong can be persuaded to help him arrest Hong Kong’s biggest crime boss, Cao Nan (Hu Jun, Red Cliff Part I & II).

But Lui isn’t convinced that Bong can be fully trusted, which is why he approaches Tong (Patrick Keung, Life Without Principle), an old friend and informer with valuable connections in the underworld. Tong agrees to help Lui get to Cao Nun so long as he and his men promise to protect his identity and guarantee the safety of his autistic daughter during and after the operation.

Tong infiltrates Cao Nan’s gang but at the crucial moment things go terribly wrong and Lui is forced to change his plan. Seriously frustrated and sensing that his tactics are testing the patience of his superiors and colleagues, he offers Bong a deal that would allow him to effectively reset his life and be the man Bing always wanted him to be.

Meanwhile, another gangster named Paco (Ray Lui, Flash Point) and his men plan an unusually bold robbery which if executed right would allow them to retire. Assuming that they are controlled by Cao Nan, because he discovers that Bong has been working with Paco, Lui greenlights a massive operation to capture them on the day when they are to steal a large load of cash in downtown Hong Kong.

There are some obvious similarities between Firestorm and Michael Mann’s Heat. For example, the long sequence in which the gangsters attack the armored car is every bit as intense as the one in which Robert De Niro and his men steal the insured bonds. There are some fancier cuts and zooms, but the attention on detail is very similar. The very bloody showdown in downtown Hong Kong also appears to have been inspired by the infamous street shootout in Heat -- there are all sorts of different special effects that have been used to raise the intensity even more, but its gritty style mimics that of Mann’s film.

The film’s one and only major flaw are the endless subplots -- there are more than enough for a long TV show. While the key characters are identified they are tolerable, but once they begin to interact with each other the 'surprises' visibly disrupt the rhythm of the film. Also, there are character transformations that are either too quick or so extreme that they never feel authentic.

Still, the spectacular visuals will likely please most action junkies. There are all sorts of massive explosions, dangerous car crashes, and intense shootouts that reveal what cutting-edge digital technology can accomplish. Also, sound effects in Firestorm appear to have been optimized as best as possible. (An honest advice: Keep your remote control close to you).

Firestorm was lensed by cinematographer Chan Chi-Ying (Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, Law Chi-Leung’s The Bullet Vanishes).

Firestorm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alan Yuen's Firestorm arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Edko Films Ltd.

Aside from some extremely light banding that I spotted early into the film, the technical presentation is excellent. Shot with the Red Epic camera and Zeiss Ultra Prime and Angenieux Optimo lenses, the film has the appropriate clean and glossy look. Most close-ups allow one to see even exceptionally small details, such as tiny facial pores, while the larger panoramic shots boast tremendous clarity (see screencapture #5). Throughout the entire film contrast levels remain stable. Colors are stable, crisp, and always looking natural. Overall image stability is terrific. Lastly, there are no digital glitches to report in this review. All in all, this is a very strong technical presentation of Firestorm that should please its fans as well as those who are going to experience the film for the first time on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Firestorm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (96kHz, 24-bit) and Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96kHz, 24-bit). For the record, Edko Films Ltd. have provided optional English and Traditional Mandarin subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 will test the muscles of your audio system. It has a tremendous range of nuanced dynamics, depth is spectacular, and the surround movement is some of the best that I have heard in a long time. The bloody showdown in downtown Hong Kong, in particular, can easily be used as demo material. The dialog is exceptionally crisp, always stable, and easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital glitches to report in this review. The English translation is good.

Firestorm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Firestorm. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Teasers - original teasers for Firestorm. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles.
  
  1. Teaser One (2 min, 1080p).
  2. Teaser Two (2 min, 1080p).
  3. Teaser Three (2 min, 1080p).

• Photo Gallery - a gallery of stills from the film. (1080p).

• Making of featurette - standard making of featurette with comments from various cast and crew members and raw footage from the shooting of the film. The featurette is broken into eight chapters. In Cantonese, with imposed traditional Mandarin subtitles. (20 min, 1080i).

Firestorm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alan Yuen's Firestorm is one one of the loudest and fastest action thrillers to come out of Hong Kond in a very long time. My feeling is that many people will fall in love with it because it never slows down, but I also think that just as many people might be disappointed with its over the top intensity. I enjoyed it. The cast is good and the special effects are outstanding. RECOMMENDED.