6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
During the Qing Dynasty the Shaolin disciples are hunted down by a powerful warrior who wants to rid the Shaolin men from China. At a remote training camp a group of Shaolin train together, their best student Yun Fei is given the task of taking down Shih Shao-Feng and his reign of terror.
Starring: Tao-liang Tan, Jackie Chan, James Tien, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Wah YuenMartial arts | 100% |
Action | 43% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Unless you're a native speaker of either Mandarin or Cantonese or have some "insider" knowledge about original versions of names, the fact that Hand of Death is a "Wu Wu Sheng" film may mean next to nothing, but as soon as that name is Anglicized to John Woo, interest may be substantially more piqued. Kind of hilariously, there's also an "alternate version" of the film's very title, though in this case it's actually presented on screen as part of the title, with the film's actual credit moniker being Hand of Death AKA Countdown in Kung Fu. If there are therefore a few passing variations of names and the like to be navigated in this effort, the basic story in the film is pretty rote, though Hand of Death remains of interest due to a rather starry cast (some in very early roles), including Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung in supporting roles. Interestingly, both of them also have "originalist" credits as Chen Yuan-Lung and Hung Chin-Pao.
Hand of Death is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:
Hand of Death is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio [sic] with its original Mandarin and English monoaural soundtracks, as well as more recent 5.1 remixes in Mandarin and English and a Cantonese stereo track. It was restored in 2K resolution from original film elements by Fortune Star, who supplied this master to Arrow Video for this Blu-ray release. Further adjustments to the HD master, including the reinstatement of day for night filters in two scenes and a blue tint over a flashback sequence, were made using an archive telecine from a theatrical 35mm print as reference.The appealing palette is one of the strengths of this presentation, while some inconsistencies in grain resolution may be one of the deficits. The surplus of brightly lit outdoor material offers some real standouts in color reproduction, and some warm tones in the orange to red territory can pop extremely well. Woo and cinematographer Liang Yung-chi favor a lot of close-ups (at times arrived at courtesy of zooms), where detail levels are typically very good to excellent. There are moments that look somewhat faded and where flesh tones can skew slightly toward brown. Grain is in evidence throughout the presentation, which argues against any aggressive filtering, but it can look rather roughhewn at times, especially against more saturated backgrounds. As with many Chinese productions of this general era, there are occasional anamorphic anomalies on display.
Hand of Death features a variety of audio options. Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono and what is labeled as a "classic" English dub in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono are the "archival" choices, while there is also a remix in Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and similar English "DVD dub" also in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Finally, a Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is included. The only one of these that I personally didn't care for very much was the English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track, which sounds curiously phased, tinny and overly reverberant, especially in moments like the introductory narration. Otherwise, though, all of these choices, while obviously different, provide solid accountings of a somewhat silly sound design. Both of the rejiggered surround tracks may not offer really consistent engagement of the side and rear channels, but things at least occasionally open up during some of the fight sequences. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Theatrical Trailer (Mandarin) (HD; 4:00)
- Theatrical Trailer (English) (HD; 3:40)
Hand of Death is a perfectly agreeable film, though if it didn't come with such perhaps outsized expectations given the participation of Woo, Chan and Hung, it might come off a bit better. This is a story that martial arts film lovers in particular will have seen countless times before, though one way or the other, it's fun to see Chan and Hung in such early stages of their careers. Technical merits are generally solid, though I recommend parsing through the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. As usual with Arrow releases, the supplements are very enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
豪俠 / Háo xiá
1979
新精武門 / Xīn jīng wǔ mén
1976
贊先生與找錢華 / Chan sin sang yue chau gung Wa
1978
Chap ga siu ji / Zá jiā xiǎo zǐ / 雜家小子
1979
1984
俠女 / Xia nü
1971
三德和尚與舂米六 / Sān dé hé shàng yǔ chōng mǐ liù | Limited Edition
1977
Five Fingers of Death / Tian xia di yi quan
1972
Tai Ji 2: Ying Xiong Jue Qi
2012
龍門客棧 / Long men kezhan
1967
Tang shan wu hu / 唐山五虎
1979
蛇鶴八步 / She he ba bu
1978
In the Line of Duty | Huáng jiā zhàn shì | Wong ga jin si | 皇家戰士 | 2K Remastered
1986
The Five Venoms / 五毒 / Wu du
1978
龙拳 / Long quan
1979
合氣道 / He qi dao / Lady Kung Fu
1972
Fists of the White Lotus / Hong Wen Ding san po Bai Lian Jiao / Hung Man Ding sam por Bak Lin Gau / 洪文定三破白蓮教
1980
Feng hou / 瘋猴
1979
Zui quan
1978
Du bi dao / Duk bei do / 獨臂刀
1967