8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A hard-boiled ex-cop, haunted by a troubled past and pushed to the edge by the shooting of his partner, confronts his demons in a ruthless quest for justice and redemption.
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Ôsugi, Susumu Terajima, Tetsu WatanabeForeign | 100% |
Drama | 55% |
Crime | 11% |
Romance | 3% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-bi" a.k.a. "Fireworks" (1997) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary by critic David Fear; making of documentary feature; and trailers. The release also arrives with a 14-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by writer and filmmaker Jasper Sharp. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Quiet time
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Takeshi Kitano's Hana-bi arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement.
The release is sourced from the same remaster that Third Window Films worked with when they prepared the Region-B release of Haba-bi in the United Kingdom. Even though there is some room for minor improvements, I like it quite a lot. Detail and clarity are usually very good, while fluidity remains pleasing throughout the entire film. Depth is also very good, with the daylight footage in particular looking great (see screencapture #5). This being said, I feel that overall image balance could be slightly better. The gamma levels appear slightly elevated in select sequences and my guess is that ideally they should be adjusted during the encoding process. Also, there are a few sequences where highlights appear blown out a bit. Still, the overall quality of the remaster is very good. Here the encoding is also better and eliminates the obvious compression artifacts that are present on the Region-B release, though there is still room for minor adjustments. Image stability is outstanding. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
If you previously owned Hana-bi on DVD and know what the quality of the lossy track was, I am quite certain that you will be quite impressed by the upgrade in quality that the lossess track offers. Indeed, there is a pretty substantial bump in quality in terms of depth and clarity. The music score benefits the most, but elsewhere even balance is noticeably superior. The English translation is excellent.
It should have happened earlier, but it was Hana-bi that legitimized Takeshi Kitano as a director in his home country. It is a very unusual film which at times feels like an exotic project Wim Wenders secretly shot in Japan years ago and then forgot about. I consider it one of Kitano's most touching films. Film Movement's release of Hana-bi is sourced from the recent remaster of the film and the technical presentation is a bit better than that of the Region-B release Third Window Films produced earlier. RECOMMENDED.
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