Odd Couple Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Odd Couple Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 25, 2022

Lau Kar-Wing's "Odd Couple" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include archival interview with actor Leung Kar-Yan; two exclusive new audio commentaries; and vintage promotional materials. In Cantonese or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".

It is rather remarkable how little of what Sammo Hung was doing during the ‘70s has aged. In fact, excluding the facial grimacing virtually everything Sammo Hung did before the camera back then is now routinely replicated by digital trickery. Also, what makes this work even more special is the fact that it was done with a body that was not exactly built for optimal physical performance. This is arguably the main reason so many of the older martial arts films that are being restored for Blu-ray will continue to be sought by younger film lovers that were not around when they were made -- they feature a special kind of acting done by truly special actors, like Sammo Hung.

Odd Couple introduces Sammo Hung at his very best, but it is important to underscore that he isn’t the only star in it. Director Lau Kar-Wing plays his favorite rival, Leung Kar-Yan is a wicked bandit-turned-nobleman seeking revenge, and there are a few supporting actors that do some pretty neat things as well. In other words, even though Sammo Hung and his star partners shine bright, Odd Couple is a lot like a period play in which a team of actors constantly engage each other. Obviously, the overwhelming majority of the acting is actually carefully choreographed fighting, so the interactions between these actors are quite unique.

At the center of Odd Couple is a heated rivalry between the self-proclaimed King of Sabers (Sammo Hung) and the self-proclaimed King of Spears (Lau Kar-Wing), both legit masters of their art. After years of clashing in decisive fights, which according to their servants always ended as frustrating draws, the two masters have grown old, but instead of giving up on picking a winner have doubled their efforts to emerge victorious. They have changed their strategies, too. Instead of trying to win only with improved fighting techniques, both have become very comfortable setting up traps to compromise each other’s public image. But even though these strategies have produced some minor triumphs, they too have failed to produce a winner, which is why the masters have agreed to find and train a student to represent them in an ultimate duel. The student that wins the ultimate duel on behalf of his master will then effectively end the old rivalry. But the latest attempt to producer a winner is also abandoned when the masters unexpectedly clash with a local troublemaker (Dean Shek Tin) and an old nemesis (Leung Kar-Yan) with equally impressive fighting skills.

The action, which is the main attraction, is awfully difficult to describe as anything else but impressive. The choreography is on par with what one would witness in some of the very best martial arts films and the execution of the fights and stunt work is outstanding.

Unfortunately, Odd Couple does not have much else to offer, so once the eyes become used to the action the mind slowly begins to drift away. Indeed, the screenplay keeps producing situations where Sammo Hung and Lau Kar-Wing are essentially required to keep rehashing the same top-quality martial performances, which are impressive as individual acts but do not contribute to an exciting story.

The other serious but perhaps unavoidable problem is with the nature of the comedy. Its visual element is fine, but a lot of the exchanges do not work at all when they are translated into English. The English dub is just as underwhelming. In fact, it is pretty clear that it was done by people who struggled mightily to make it coherent because the English names that are supposed be funny are very awkward, while the jokes that ought to be funny usually seem unfinished or out of sync.

Odd Couple Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Odd Couple arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a new 2K master that is very convincing. Excluding some minor black crush and a few areas where color saturation and balance could have been better, the overall appearance of the visuals it produces are as good as they can be. Indeed, delineation, clarity, and depth usually range from very good to excellent, while image stability is outstanding. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections either. Unsurprisingly, the entire film has a very pleasing organic appearance. It is spotless as well. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Odd Couple Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the Cantonese track. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I started viewing the film with the Cantonese track, quickly switched to the English track, and after a while came back to the former. While I thought that both were solid, I did not find them convincing because they clearly struggle with the English translation. Some of the names on the English track for instance are absolutely ridiculous and the delivery of the lines is very shaky as well. Obviously, this is how it was done, but my impression is that it misses a lot of the funny in a major way. The Cantonese track is preferable, but the English translation does not make the humor drastically easier to digest. For what it's worth, some of the Cantonese exchanges are probably impossible to translate better.

Odd Couple Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a remastered theatrical trailer for Odd Couple. With English subtitles. (5 min).

• Home Video Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for Odd Couple. In English. (2 min).

• Natural Born Killer - in this archival interview, actor Leung Kar-Yan recalls how he entered the Hong Kong film business, some of his more memorable roles, and involvement with Odd Couple. In Cantonese, with imposed English subtitles. (23 min).

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist/actor Robert "Bobby" Samuels

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema

• Booklet -an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver as well as technical credits.

Odd Couple Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The action in Odd Couple is pretty remarkable, so if it is all that you require to be entertained, this new release needs a spot in your library. The film looks really, really good after it was restored in 2K as well. I personally was a bit underwhelmed by it because its story is very weak. It left me with the impression that large chunks of it were done after Sammo Hung and Lau Kar-Wing had decided what type of action they can fit into it. Trying to enjoy the film with the English dub track, which I expected to be quite silly, did not help either. RECOMMENDED to the fans.