7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
An experienced jailbird protects a weakling newcomer from bullies behind bars.
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Roy Cheung, Ka-Kui Ho, Kwong-Leung WongForeign | 100% |
Crime | 7% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p (upconverted)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Mandarin (Traditional), English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Nominated for eight Hong Kong Film Awards, Lam Ling Tung's "Prison on Fire" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. The supplemental features on the disc include two theatrical trailers and a short interview with the director of the film. In Cantonese, with optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Chow Yun-Fat as Ching
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lam Ling Tung's Prison on Fire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.
I think that I am ready to begin speculating that Kam & Ronson Enterprises may not actually have high-definition masters for quite a few of their older films. If this is indeed the case, then it is certainly very bad news because they have a tremendous catalog, and I really want to see as many of their 80s and 90s films arrive on Blu-ray as possible. What really worries me is that many of their classic films are no longer even available on SDVD - I recently looked up approximately 40 films they produced before 1990, and quite a few are actually available only on VCD (!) - so unless they decide to bring them to Blu-ray, the only way they could resurface again on the market is if a foreign distributor (perhaps in the UK or North America) picks them up, which I think is highly unlikely. If Kam & Ronson Enterprises have high-definition masters for their older films but are not using them, then someone in the company needs to be fired immediately. I am speculating because some Hong Kong distributors have a history of not taking good care of their older films, which really is extremely sad.
Prison on Fire does not impress. It looks marginally better than Police Story II, and this really isn't good news at all. Fine object detail ranges from average to poor, clarity fluctuates a lot, and macroblocking patterns routinely pop up. Early into the film there is plenty of edge-enhancement as well (see screencapture #8). The color-scheme also consistently breaks up - the blacks, browns, blues, and yellows are particularly weak. Lastly, various tiny flecks and scratches plague the film from start to finish. To sum it all up, Prison on Fire really does look like an average upscale job. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1, and Thai Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, Kam & Ronson Enterprises have provided optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature.
The Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track also isn't overly impressive - there is very limited amount of activity in the surround channels and the bass is rather weak. The good news is that the dialog is actually surprisingly clean and stable, and there is practically no heavy background hiss. For the record, I did not detect any pops or audio dropouts to report in this review either. Despite a few minor errors, the English translation is rather good.
These are exactly the type of films I would like to see arrive on Blu-ray - the very best Hong Kong produced during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Many of them are no longer available even on SDVD, so this is a great time to reintroduce them to younger audiences outside of Hong Kong. But I am starting to wonder if some of the local distributors there actually have suitable masters to work with. In any event, I am not impressed with how Prison on Fire looks on Blu-ray.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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