7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
'Firestorm' centers on a senior police inspector determined to bring down a violent gang of robbers responsible for a string of violent heists across the city.
Starring: Andy Lau, Ka-Tung Lam, Chen Yao, Jun Hu, Ray LuiForeign | 100% |
Action | 75% |
Crime | 38% |
Thriller | 15% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (96kHz, 24-bit)
Mandarin: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96kHz, 24-bit)
Mandarin (Traditional), English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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
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).
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.
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.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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