Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Railroad Tigers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 13, 2017

There may very well be a charming, kind of retro, comedy action adventure film in Railroad Tigers, but, boy, is it ever buried beneath some annoyingly frenetic editing and nonstop underscore that is “Mickey Mouse”-ing even when there isn’t even a hint of a figurative Disney rodent on the screen. Jackie Chan films are often admittedly (and unapologetically) gonzo, but Railroad Tigers is almost exhausting in its nonstop array of weird little vignettes, many of which seem designed to do nothing other than confuse the audience. In fact, it wasn’t until near the end of the first sequence in the film that I figured out that there was a conflict between Chinese and Japanese characters. Even that supposedly major plot element is only alluded to in some brief dialogue (at least in this opening sequence), and instead the film trots out a huge array of characters, kind of like successive shiny objects, and almost all of them with freeze frame animations introducing them (and in some cases kind of annoyingly also providing the character’s “catchphrase”, as if that’s some kind of requirement). Railroad Tigers has a lot of schtick, but it’s often curiously short of something that many Chan films have in abundance, namely heart.

Railroad Tigers may very well have played more securely to its native audience than it will for at least some Western viewers, since the basic storyline has at least tenuous tethers to the long simmering rivalry between Japan and China both before and during the World War II era. If the incredibly busy screenplay had simply taken a few moments to properly set up the situation, things might have been clearer from the outset, but as it stands, the opening scene and even subsequent moments once things have at least partially settled down seem like fragments of some heretofore unknown version of Robin Hood filtered through an Asian sensibility, all replete with vintage trains instead of “men in tights”. At least by the time the chaotic first sequence has ended, it’s become at least partially clear that Ma Yuan (Jackie Chan) is some kind of underground freedom fighter who has a coterie of “merry men” (and maybe even a merry woman) who are helping him raid Japanese trains in order to provide things like potatoes to hungry Chinese. It’s a suitably decent setup, but it’s handled in such a haphazard, frenetic way that too much effort is required to understand exactly what’s going on, thereby counteracting any momentum that’s generated by a cascading series of interchanges between various passengers on the train.

In all of the cartwheeling that ensues, Railroad Tigers tries mightily to give Chan some kind of action adventure comeback vehicle (no pun intended, given the prevalence of trains), and while the actor is certainly spry enough for his age, there’s a certain realization that he’s simply not as nimble as he used to be, something that may account for the nonstop quick edits and general noisiness of this enterprise, as if enough misdirection will help audiences forget what they thought they were coming to see. The film’s plot ends up being a weird kind of mashup between The Train and The Bridge on the River Kwai, and the fact that those two movies are such viscerally intense dramas may give at least one indication as to why quite a bit of the comedy in Railroad Tigers simply fails to resonate very strongly.

This would seem to be surefire material for Chan to exploit, and if as seems to be the case at least some elements of the story are based on historical fact, there might have been a better outcome had the film simply played it straight, or at least straighter. The relentlessly breathless editing, interstitial “announcements” of characters and catchphrases, as well as unclear context and even basic story elements mean this is one train ride you may want to forego.

Railroad Tigers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Railroad Tigers is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.47:1. Once again technical information on the shoot is in short supply, but this apparently digitally captured feature has a really sharp and precise looking image virtually all of the time, though elements like whip pans and what feel like nanoseconds for various shots due to the frenetic pace of the editing means actually being able to notice detail levels can be a bit of a challenge at times. As is documented in one of the supplements included on the Blu-ray, there are quite a few VFX shots, and some of the compositing can lend a slightly soft ambience at times. While there are moments of typical grading toward either blue or yellow, the transfer's detail levels remain almost uniformly high, and the many scenic outdoor environments offer superb depth of field. The interstitial title cards introducing characters are quite fanciful and feature sharp line detail (see screenshots 5 and 15).

Railroad Tigers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Railroad Tigers features a great sounding DTS:X mix in Mandarin, though one's tolerance for the soundtrack is going depend on just how much supposedly whimsical Danny Elfman Desperate Housewives-esque pizzicatto string cues you can handle. As mentioned above in the main body of the review, the underscore here is about as relentless as the editing techniques, and potentially about as distracting. The music continually seems to be referencing invisible action on the screen, and the fact that it just keeps continuing is ultimately kind of odd. That said, the film does provide Chan with a chance to sing, and there's no question that the DTS:X track provides able support throughout the surround channels for not just the ubiquitous score, but for a glut of fun sound effects, including some nice hovering panning noises when trains pass through the frame. Despite the nonstop noisiness of much of the film, prioritization of dialogue is never problematic.

Railroad Tigers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Directors Featurette (1080p; 2:53)


• The Dangers of Shooting (1080i; 2:37)


• The Making of (1080i; 21:21)


• VFX Featurette (1080i; 3:55)


• The Characters (1080i; 3:11)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:17)


• International Trailer (1080p; 1:06)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA releases, the supplements are authored to follow each other automatically. The disc is then authored to move on to the trailers for other Well Go USA releases that are also included on the disc.

Railroad Tigers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The journey here has its ups and downs, but the scenery is often inviting, at least when the film's editing proclivities allow the viewer to actually see it. This should have been a lot more fun than it is, and that's probably the saddest thing about Railroad Tigers. Technical merits are strong for those considering a purchase.