Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Naked Weapon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 24, 2009

Action and mild lesbian overtones get mixed up in Ching Siu-Tung’s “Naked Weapon” (2002), the latest addition to Hong Kong-based distributors MegaStar’s Blu-ray catalog. The disc herein reviewed reveals a pleasing AVC-encoded transfer and a strong audio treatment. Region-Free.

One beautiful assassin - Maggie Q

The story of Naked Weapon begins in a luxurious hotel in Rome where a beautiful female assassin kills a notorious underground boss. As she attempts to evade his security guards, her car is blown up with a grenade launcher.

Fast-forward a bit. We are introduced to another beautiful female, Madam M (Almen Wong Pui-Ha, The Wesley's Mysterious File), who apparently trained and mentored the killed assassin. We learn that she is on a mission to find a replacement. In order to do so, she dispatches her scouts to different parts of the world where they would attend underground kid fights and kidnap the winners. Then, the kids would be transported to an unnamed island where they would be trained to become assassins.

We meet Charlene (Maggie Q, Live Free or Die Hard) and Katt (Anya, Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters), two kids who have been kidnapped by Madam M's scouts. We see them become close friends while going through Madam M’s training program.

Fast-forward a bit more. Charlene and Katt have become beautiful women. They have also mastered the art of killing. Graduation time arrives and all of the trainees are thrown into a large cage where they must fight each other to the death – only one can replace Madam M’s assassin. After a serious of very bloody fights, three girls reach the final – Charlene, Katt, and Jing (Jewel Lee, Lethal Angels). Charlene asks Katt to kill her, so she could face Jing, defeat her and live. Katt disagrees and vows to protect Charlene no matter what. Moved by the strength of their friendship, Madam M changes her rules and lets all three girls live.

After yet another test - Charlene, Katt and Jing are raped by three guys in front of Madam M – the three girls leave the island. They are dispatched to different parts of the world where their services are needed. Eventually, they reunite when a Japanese crime boss comes after Madam M, who many years ago ordered the murder of a member of his family. Before the film ends, we also see Charlene reuniting with her mother.

Naked Weapon is a strange hybrid of a film. It blends a great amount of violence with an even greater amount of nudity; nothing explicit, really, but enough to force many to conclude that it is indeed just another exploitation film meant to arouse rather than provoke. I personally do not think that it is arousing, but I can see why some of you, who have already seen the film, may disagree with me.

The technical presentation is questionable. For the most part, Naked Weapon feels like a very long, exotic and uncensored, deodorant commercial – the nudity is pointless, the fighting sequences familiar but unimpressive (Bill Pope will be delighted to see that someone has been paying close attention to his outstanding contribution to the Wachowski’s The Matrix) and the editing a serious issue of concern. The English dubbing is also quite problematic, though, as far as this reviewer is concerned, not surprising.

Naked Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.80:1 (slightly modified from its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1), encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ching Siu-Tung's Naked Weapon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors MegaStar.

The transfer for this curious film is surprisingly good. Generally speaking, contrast is convincing, clarity pleasing and detail far better than I expected it to be. Many of the close-ups look notably healthy, though it is easy to tell that the creators of Naked Weapon had a limited budget to work with as sharpness levels are not always consistent (some of the indoor scenes for example look a bit soft). On the other hand, there are a few exceptionally well lensed panoramic vistas that look terrific. It is also important to note that an overwhelming amount of the film is blanketed by a heavy blue-ish tint, which occasionally affects clarity. This being said, some of the fine film grain has been blended with a mild dose of video noise that pops up here and there but, overall, Naked Weapon looks surprisingly convincing. For the record, aside from a few specks that I noticed throughout the film, there are disturbing no debris, specks, or stains that I detected. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray disc is marketed as Region-A "locked", it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Naked Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

The English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is solid, though I must say that rear channel activity is quite underwhelming. Obviously, the basics are intact – the high-frequencies are not overdone, the bass is pleasingly potent and the dialog crisp and very easy to follow – but the channel separation is fairly modest. This being said, I certainly understand why. The creators of Naked Weapon had a limited budget to work with and, more often than not, you will be able to tell how this affected the film's production qualities. Overall, however, the English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is strong and without any deficiencies that I could detect.

The English Dolby Digital 5.1 track compares well with the English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track. I would say that the biggest gap between the two tracks is in the bass activity, but some of you will probably also add surround activity. I personally thought that during the few scenes I tested with the two tracks, the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track conveyed some rather pleasing characteristics. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. Please note that Mega Star have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature.

Naked Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Making Of – A rather short, but mostly informative featurette about the production history of Naked Weapon. Cast and crew members recall their involvement with the project. With optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles.

Trailers – MegaStar have provided trailers for Naked Weapon, Exiled and Breaking News. With optional English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese subtitles.

Naked Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I did not like Naked Weapon. I understand why it may appeal to some of you, but I did not find anything of substance in it. The female assassins, however, are beautiful. If this is a good enough reason for you to experiment with Naked Weapon, give it a try. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of MegaStar, is of surprisingly good quality.