7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Directed by Larry Yang (Adoring), the film follows Jackie Chan as a washed-up stuntman who can barely make ends meet, let alone take care of his beloved stunt horse, Red Hare. The man reluctantly seeks help from his estranged daughter and her lawyer boyfriend when notified that the horse may be auctioned off to cover his debts. Unexpectedly, the stuntman and the horse become overnight media sensations when their real-life fight with debt collectors goes viral. That earns the stuntman a second chance to choose between his movie career and his family.
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jing Wu, Haocun Liu, Rongguang Yu, Shenyang XiaoForeign | 100% |
Family | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional)
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
There are some kind of curious if admittedly "meta" parallels between this film and a film I just reviewed, The Iron-Fisted Monk, including the fact that as commentator Frank Djeng
gets into in his commentary for the Sammo Hung film, many consider Jackie Chan to have "founded" the "comedy martial arts" subgenre with Drunken Master*, when
the Hung film actually preceded that Jackie Chan film by quite a while. More importantly perhaps given this film's conceit of Chan playing
an aging stuntman, in interviews included on The Iron-Fisted Monk Hung reveals how he felt his easiest entry into the film industry was
as a stuntman, something that morphed into him becoming a celebrated fight choreographer perhaps even before his own on screen star began
to rise and he was finally granted the opportunity to direct. All of this said, and perhaps surprisingly given the fact that Jackie Chan's "co-star" in this
film is a horse, Ride On is almost more of a (no horse rendering pun intended) soap opera than a comedy.
*Note: The link points to a double feature of Chan movies from Twilight Time.
Ride On is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. I haven't been able to track down any authoritative information on the shoot, but this is a rather sharp and beautifully detailed digital capture that I wouldn't be surprised to find out had a 4K DI. Fine detail on any number of aspects ranging from Red Hare bristly coat to some of the supposed historic costumes in some of the film set material provide ample opportunities for really precise renderings of textures. The palette looks natural and is very nicely suffused, without a reliance on overt grading. There are some passing softer moments, including some of what look to me like CGI, though perhaps mixed with some practical effects, as in some of the ostensible stunt work performed by either Red Hare or Lao or both in tandem.
Ride On features nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in either Mandarin or English. I toggled between the two and really didn't notice any substantial differences in mix or amplitude other than the voice work. There's good engagement of the side and rear channels throughout many of the action elements, as should be expected, but even some of the quieter outdoor material offers some nicely placed discretely channeled ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Per Well Go USA's standard operating procedure, Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks in both languages are also offered. Optional English and Mandarin subtitles are available.
Jackie Chan very much looks his age in this film, which I actually think is a good thing, and the film itself seems to recognize that accretion of years and wrinkles, without ever having the ultimate courage to "go there" in terms of offering a dour assessment for what someone who has toiled on the crew of innumerable films may face as he (or she) gets on in years. Instead, the film tries to intersperse slapstick laden moments with the horse with more supposedly emotional scenes still involving the horse, but also offering friction between father and daughter. Chan fans may want to check this out, whatever its deficits, and for anyone considering making a purchase, this Blu-ray offers secure technical merits and some minimal but enjoyable supplements.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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