Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Lifeline 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 4, 2024

“Backdraft” was one of the biggest hits of 1991, and deservedly so. Director Ron Howard captured the intensity of firefighting while developing a crime story, working hard to humanize all of his characters during the tale. The picture was an impressive achievement, but weirdly didn’t trigger many copycats. Fast-forward to 1997, and director Johnnie To tries to replicate the formula for “Lifeline,” which examines the heartbreak and heroism of firefighters working in Hong Kong. To doesn’t have a Hollywood budget or technical assistance, but he manages to achieve a sense of danger with the endeavor, which is frequently engaged in moments of potential peril. The helmer can’t quite conquer odd pacing and surging melodrama, but “Lifeline” is a decent offering of special effects and performances.

Sui (Sean Lau) is a firefighter who values heroism over safety, making him trouble for Chief Raymond (Alex Fong), who’s trying to whip a troublesome station into shape. As Raymond deals with discipline and his own personal issues, Sui makes a connection with Annie (Carman Lee), a doctor trying to escape a difficult bout of obsession with her ex-lover. As the men wrestle with their challenges, others in the station are also managing their choices and realities. However, all intimate feelings are pushed aside when duty calls, as the firefighting team is sent on multiple missions to aid citizens in danger.

One of the more interesting additions to “Lifeline” is the positioning of the station as a place of bad luck, with the firefighters not exactly taking their profession as seriously as possible while experiencing an assortment of accidents, including a food poisoning incident. They’re a fallible bunch, but Raymond’s job is to crack the whip, working to eliminate bad habits, which rubs Sui the wrong way. Conflict is common, as are disaster moments, with the firefighters handling multiple emergencies over the run time, including a traffic accident and the rescue of a baby. There’s even a suicidal person on an apartment building ledge, which happens to be Annie, oddly acting as a meet cute of sorts with Sui, and To doesn’t address the ominous nature of the woman’s mental state.

“Lifeline” is pretty strange when it comes to portioning out action and drama. The first hour of the picture balances firefighting encounters with growing problems at home, including a female member of the crew dealing with a husband who demands a baby. The writing gets fairly sticky with emotional needs, and To cranks up the soap opera tone of the movie, which isn’t appealing, slowing down the effort to deal with domestic problems way too complicated for the screenplay to successfully navigate. Personal moments are rushed, while the last 45 minutes of “Lifeline” is devoted to a massive fire at a textile factory, with To pumping in the slow motion to an absurd degree. Still, intensity is present and fire effects are vivid. It’s the length of the closer that’s taxing, with all other character concerns stopped for the special effects show.

Lifeline 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray

"Lifeline" arrives on UHD, listed as "presented in HDR and newly restored from its 35mm original camera negative." The viewing experience often deals with fire elements, which retain their full orangey brightness, and highlights are generally tasteful all around. Color is defined, with distinct greenery and urban tours. Costuming carries vibrant blues on uniforms, and red trucks are sharp. Blacks are deep, exploring emergency areas and firefighter gear. Skin tones are natural. Detail is excellent, examining intense facial surfaces during tight close-ups, and costuming is fibrous, from the crisp cotton of medical uniforms to heavier firefighter layering. Exteriors are deep, capturing locations, and interiors are open for inspection, exploring station activity and emergency situations. Grain is film-like. Source is in good condition.

Lifeline 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two sound options for "Lifeline," including a "stereo remixed soundtrack." The default choice is the original mono mix (the "theatrical soundtrack"), which certainly emerges as the most natural fit for the feature. Dialogue exchanges are strong, with crisp performances and softer emotionality. Scoring offers thin but appreciable synth support, handling bigger moments of heroism and softer melodrama. Sound effects are blunt, but elements of fire and dangers are understood.

Lifeline 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (26 pages) contains an essay by Sean Gilman.

• Commentary features film historian Frank Djeng.

• Interview (27:05, HD) features director Johnnie To, who wanted to try a different genre with "Lifeline," looking to shake up industry expectations with his "experiment." To collected help from real firefighters, working to celebrate the profession while dealing with the inherent dangers of actual fire on the set. The interviewee stresses safety was critical during production, putting actors in the frame with real flames, trying to create a sense of reality to the heroism. Claiming he detests "working with movie stars," To does praise the cast while noting their replaceability, also sharing some regret over the handling of female characters. The concept of heroism is explored, emphasizing the element of sacrifice in such a label, and he analyzes his relationship with producer Mona Fong, with the pair rarely seeing eye to eye on moviemaking choices. Creative challenges are highlighted, including working with film and filthy locations, while "Backdraft" is brought up, finding To willing to admit the American picture is flashier.

• Interview (10:35, HD) features special effects artist Chi Shui-Tim, who reflects on "dicey situations" involved in the making of "Lifeline." Born into a show business family, the interviewee details the growth of his on-set responsibilities, and he's candid about his relationship with director Johnnie To, who wasn't kind to him, though they continued to work together on other projects. Fire effects are analyzed, including a push to "control" flames, which was difficult, especially in an old mill used for the production. The conversation also covers experimentation with smoke, handling explosions, and the sometimes lax safety standards of the shoot.

• Making Of (15:06) plays like a television special, with cast and crew acting more as hosts as they walk through the creation of "Lifeline." A general understanding of the production process is found, emphasizing the physical dangers involved in the creation of the movie. BTS footage is also shared, watching the filmmakers attempt to generate the illusion of danger while working with real fire elements.

• Interview (4:12) features director Johnnie To, who explores the wilder technical achievements of the production as it tried to tame real fire for the cameras. To examines his effort to make a movie with a "positive spirit," choosing firefighting as a heroic vocation to give audiences something different. The interviewee analyzes his casting, and briefly shares his thoughts on shooting in Hong Kong without government support.

• Interview (2:39, HD) features actress Ruby Wong, who explains the learning process of the shoot, dealing with heavy environmental issues. The interviewee discusses preparation, working with real firefighters to achieve some authenticity. She details the dangers of the production, and her time with co-star Ching Wan Lau.

• Interview (1:56, SD) features actor Raymon Ho-Yin Wong, who discusses the difficulty of shooting "Lifeline," spending six months on the picture, carrying heavy equipment and inhaling smoke on a daily basis. Being his first film role, the star examines his newness to the process, learning how movies are actually constructed. He also compares the world of modeling to the demands of acting.

• "Johnnie To in the 1990s" (17:41, HD) is a video essay by Samm Deighan.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:11, SD) is included.

Lifeline 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Lifeline" isn't strong work from To, but it has moments of power and danger that hold attention. The cast is also committed, delivering strong performances that communicate a build-up of pressure that pays off during select scenes of personal connection. It's a lopsided endeavor, and it doesn't come close to matching the fire-based horrors of "Backdraft" (scoring here is remarkably similar to Hans Zimmer's 1991 work), but To focuses on the purity of firefighter spirit and the nature of heroism, getting to the core of the job and its inherent physical and emotional dangers.