6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Deu, a girl with equally high degree of recklessness and beauty has never experienced 'true love'. One day her life changes completely when some gangsters try to kidnap her and she narrowly escapes with the help of Sanim, a sad looking stranger with a painful past. Waking up in an abandoned factory, she joins his gang of merry do-gooders who practice a form of drunken Thai break-dancing martial arts that they dub Meyraiyuth. Sanim and his friends, having had loved ones abducted, join together to break the gang of kidnappers.
Starring: JeeJa Yanin, David Bueno, Marc Nghi Hoang, Kazu Patrick TangForeign | 100% |
Action | 87% |
Martial arts | 75% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Thai director Rashane Limtrakul's "Deu suay doo" a.k.a "Raging Phoenix" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media. The supplemental features on the disc include a gallery of interviews with director Rashane Limtrakul, action choreographer Weerapon Phumatfon, actors Nui Sandang, Kazu Patrick Tank, JeeJa Yanin, Somphong Leartvimolkasame, Boonprasert Salangam and Roongtawan Jindasing; B-roll action scene footage; and trailers. In Thai, with imposed English subtitles. Region-Free.
Thai action star JeeJa Yanin
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Rashane Limtrakul's Raging Phoenix arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media.
This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object-detail is pleasing, clarity very good and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The film's unique color-scheme, however, is impresses the most. Yellow is the prominent color, but blues, greens, reds, browns and blacks are also of key importance. The beach scenes, for example, look absolutely terrific. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. I also did not detect any traces of heavy noise-filtering. A few of the darker scenes - particularly during the last 20-25 minutes - have mild digital noise, but I personally was not bothered by it. Additionally, when blown through a digital projector, Raging Phoenix looks simply marvelous; the image conveys excellent depth and stability. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing scratches, debris, dirt, or stains to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. Please note that there is no "forced" PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Thai DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Showbox Media have provided forced English subtitles for the main feature.
The Thai DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid. In fact, I would say that it definitely ranks amongst the very best I have heard on a Showbox Media release. Many of the action scenes also boast strong dynamic enhancements - certain kicks and punches are louder, selected jumps benefit from strong surround activity (pay attention to the training footage), etc. The dialog is crisp, clean and easy to follow. There are no balance issues to report with Kanisorn Phuangjin's surprisingly effective ambient score either. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks or hissings to report in this review. All in all, the Thai: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track definitely gives Raging Phoenix and extra does of oomph.
Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.
Interviews - a gallery of interviews with director Rashane Limtrakul, action choreographer Weerapon Phumatfon, actors Nui Sandang (Pigshit), Kazu Patrick Tank (Sanim), JeeJa Yanin (Deu), Somphong Leartvimolkasame (Dogshit), Boonprasert Salangam (Bullshit) and Roongtawan Jindasing (Jaguar London). In these mostly short interviews the cast and crew members discuss some of the principal characters in the film, its story, the elaborate actions scenes, etc. In Thai, with imposed English subtitles. (38 min, PAL)
B-roll action scene footage - raw footage from the filming of a few action scenes. Not subtitled. (PAL, 7 min).
Trailers - the original Thai trailer, in Thai with imposed English subtitles (4 min, PAL), and the UK theatrical trailer, in English (2 min, 1080p).
Trailers - trailers for other Showbox Media releases: Chocolate (1080p), Shinjuku Incident (1080p), The Myth (PAL), IP Man (1080p), Fatal Move (PAL), Flash Point (PAL), House of Fury (PAL), Kung Fu Dunk (PAL), Machine Girl (PAL), and Robo Geisha (1080p).
I believe that it is only a matter of time before Hollywood approaches JeeJa Yanin and transforms her into an international action star. Her athletic skills are indeed phenomenal. Raging Phoenix, Yanin's second feature film, certainly offers more style than substance, but it is still quite enjoyable. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Showbox Media, looks and sounds very good. It is also Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.
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