6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Set in the 1941, “Railroad Tigers” is about the Chinese heroes of World War II. Chan stars as Ma Yuan, a railroad worker and unlikely hero. He uses what he knows of the train network to steal supplies for the hungry Chinese. He leads a team of fighters in ambushing enemy soldiers and stopping the Japanese.
Starring: Jackie Chan, Fan Xu, Zitao Huang, Kai Wang (II), Talu WangForeign | 100% |
Action | 95% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.47:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS:X
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Mandarin: DTS Headphone:X
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
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 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 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.
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.
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