Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

PTU Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2021

Johnnie To's "PTU" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng; archival interviews with cast and crew members; and original trailer for the film. In Cantonese or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

*The text below was used in our review of Mei Ah's 2008 release of PTU.

A sharp-tongued cop (Suet Lam) is harassed by a gang of street thugs in a rundown bistro. He is tricked into a dark alley where his attackers beat him up and steal his gun. A friend (Simon Yam) of the cop and leader of a four-man squad patrolling the streets of Hong Kong, the PTU, offers to help. Shortly after, the two embark on a wild chase hoping to retrieve the lost gun. The closer they get to the thugs, the more heads begin to roll.

A loose remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Stray Dog (1949), Johnnie To’s PTU is a film that spurred plenty of heated debates amongst the director’s hardcore followers. Some saw it as a departure from his visually stunning but structurally predictable triad pictures, a step in the right direction. Others insisted that PTU is nothing but a rehashed attempt to sell a familiar story with a well-conditioned contemporary appeal. I think that it is a little bit of both. Here’s why:

PTU relies on the same key features that elevated Stray Dog into a cult classic -- it is stylishly lensed, notably moody, and flirting with comedy while delivering a gravely serious critique on the corrosive effects of violence. It also reveals an array of sub-themes caricaturing a lot of what Hong Kong cinema has been thriving on during recent years. As such, PTU is indeed a departure from To’s fascination with the triads.

And yet PTU does not represent a radical change of direction for To either. (Sparrow actually does). It is still packed with plenty of action, catchy one-liners, and a heavy dose of dark humor which is neither satire-bound nor pure comedy. Depending on how you deconstruct the main protagonists and their actions, it might well be, as argued by some critics, only a surprisingly stylish reimagination of a familiar story.

What muddles the waters even more is the introduction of a highly unusual soundtrack courtesy of Chi Wing Chung. A slow and broody guitar solo reappears in much the same way Ry Cooder’s wailing solos did in Wim Wenders’ classic Paris, Texas (1984). However, while in Paris, Texas the guitar solos complimented the hypnotic vistas from the desert, in PTU the music effectively contradicts most everything we see on the screen. It is intentionally out of sync with the pacing of the story and, strangely enough, reminiscent of something that you would hear in early '50 and '60s Hong Kong films.

Why PTU is structured in the manner I described above remains somewhat of a mystery. Indeed, the lack of a convincing screenplay certainly does not explain everything that happens in front of the camera. The final scene, for instance, is very much indicative of To's style -- there is an impressive shootout, plenty of empty shells, and all sorts of different fancy camera moves. And yet everything that leads to it is far less intriguing and flashy than what we saw, for example, in Fulltime Killer. Oddly enough, I even detected a great deal of nostalgia in this film which adds to the visuals but detracts even more from the narrative.

Naturally, PTU could be a very difficult film to embrace. It is not disappointing, not at all, but it is far less cohesive and easy to understand than To’s latest work. It is also uncannily uneven -- a characteristic which apparently has put off a lot of viewers used to director’s more linear storytelling.

PTU Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, PTU arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

In 2008, we reviewed this release of PTU from Hong Kong-based label Mei Ah. It appears that Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from the same master that was used to produce the previous release. While the age of the master definitely shows now, I think that it still provides a good overall presentation of the film. Indeed, if you exclude the fact that the grain tends to appear a bit powdery at times, which is a very common limitation on older masters, everything else actually looks very good. For example, depth ranges from good to excellent, which isn't always easy because large portions of the film contain either dark or very dark footage. Density levels are strong as well. Image stability is excellent and there are absolutely no age-related imperfections. So, while there is a room for some minor improvements in terms of grain exposure, the current presentation is still quite good. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

PTU Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese: LPCM 2.0, Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and thought that it was excellent. It has great potency and plenty of excellent surround effects. Yes, the overwhelming majority of them are minor, but they definitely enhance and open up select scenes very well. The real upgrade, however, comes from the improved English subtitles. The difference is obvious and most welcome.

PTU Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for PTU. With printed English subtitles. (3 min).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by Asian film expert Frank Djeng.

• Interviews - the following archival interviews address the production of PTU and unique qualities of its characters, as well as Johnnie To's background and career:
  
  1. Johnnie To and Simon Yam. (19 min).
  2. Johnnie To. (14 min).
  3. Simon Yam. (22 min).
  4. Maggie Su. (13 min).

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing by David West (NEO Magazine).

PTU Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you see and enjoy PTU, I encourage you to track down a copy of Sparrow. Even though the two tell drastically different stories, they are actually similarly nostalgic films that see Hong Kong in a very particular way. PTU is the stranger film, so it is practically guaranteed that you will have a better time with Sparrow. Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from an older but good master. RECOMMENDED.