7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A near retired inspector and his unit are willing to put down a crime boss at all costs while dealing with his replacement, who is getting in their way. Meanwhile, the crime boss sends his top henchmen to put an end to their dirty schemes.
Starring: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Jing Wu, Kai-Chi LiuForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 68% |
Action | 55% |
Crime | 24% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Wilson Yip's "Saat Po Lang" a.k.a "SPL: Kill Zone" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy British distributors Showbox Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Bay Logan and actor Donnie Yen; making of; a gallery of interviews with Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Simon Yam, Wilson Yup and Wu Jing; as well as Behind the Scenes featurette containing over one hour of deleted footage with optional commentary by Bay Logan and Donnie Yen. With optional English subtitles. Region-Free.
One tough crew
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wilson Yup's SPL: Kill Zone arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media.
I have mixed feelings about this high-definition transfer. As it was the case with the Hong Kong release of SPL: Kill Zone, edge-enhancement and digital noise are once again an issue of concern. Many of the daylight scenes also appear to have been contrast-boosted. As a result, clarity is not as convincing as it could have been. Mild ringing is also rather easy to spot during selected scenes. On the other hand, the color-scheme is mostly stable, though blacks and blues again have a tendency to look soft. Finally, this high-definition transfer looks slightly less filtered than the one found on the Hong Kong release. Unfortunately, however, edge-enhancement is a lot more prominent on it. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL or 1080/50i-encoded data preceding the main menu).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Showbox Media have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very good. The bass is potent, the rear channels very active and high-frequencies not overdone. Many of the action scenes throughout the film feature plenty of good enhancements, and a few, could certainly be used to test the muscles of your audio equipment (I would recommend the crash scene in the very beginning of the film). The dialog is crisp, clean and easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or background noise to report in this review.
I tested a couple of scenes with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, but I really did not like the dubbers too much. I strongly recommend viewing the film with the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Note: The supplemental features on this disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.
Commentary: - and audio commentary with Bay Logan, which is also included on the double SDVD set of SPL: Kill Zone. I ended up listening to the entire commentary and enjoyed it a lot. Mr. Logan offers a strong analysis of the film as well as plenty of background information about the cast and crew members, the interesting symbolism the film uses as a foundation for its story, etc. The commentary is in English, with optional English subtitles.
Behind the Scenes - the featurette offers a look at two scenes, "Alley Cats" (29 min) and "Challenge of the Masters", with optional commentary by Bay Logan and Donnie Yen. The footage from the shooting of the second scene is particularly good, including deleted fight scenes between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung Kam-Bo. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).
Interview Gallery:
-- Born To Be Bad: An exclusive featurette with incomparable martial arts legend Sammo Hung Kam-Bo. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles. (15 min).
-- First Amongst Equals: An exclusive featurette with legendary leading man and action-director Donnie Yen. In English, with optional English subtitles. (40 min).
-- Echoes of Darkness: An exclusive featurette with prolific co-star Simon Yam. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles. (14 min).
-- A Man Apart: An exclusive featurette with visionary director Wilson Yup. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles. (18 min).
-- A Dragon Rising: An exclusive featurette with explosive lead-villain Wu Jing. In Mandarin, with imposed English subtitles. (23 min).
Making of - a standard featurette with plenty of raw footage from the shooting of SPL: Kill Zone and comments from the cast and crew. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles. (11 min).
Though there are still some issues with the transfer for Wilson Yup's SPL: Kill Zone, I think that at present this is the best overall package. The supplemental features British distributors Showbox Media have secured for this Blu-ray release are terrific. RECOMMENDED.
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