6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A monk turned body-builder, with the gift to see into people's lives, befriends a female cop, and uses his gift to change the force of Karma and her destiny.
Starring: Andy Lau, Cecilia Cheung, Eddie Cheung, Wong Chun, Karen TongForeign | 100% |
Drama | 28% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Mandarin (Traditional), English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay Awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards, Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai's "Running on Karma" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer and a making of featurette. In Cantonese, with optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
One buff ex-monk
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai's Running on Karma arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.
From all of the recent catalog releases I have seen Kam & Ronson Enterprises produce during the last couple of months, Running on Karma is without a doubt their very best. The transfer for this release is most definitely not without flaws, but its basics are mostly intact. Though overall looking somewhat soft, the image has pleasing detail, while contrast levels are substantially better than they are on the R3 SDVD release of the film. Color reproduction is also a lot more satisfying, especially during the darker scenes - particularly during the nighttime footage from the city and the darker footage from the cave - as well as clarity. This being said, various minor noise corrections appear to have been performed, traces of which are often easy to spot during various close-ups. Still, as mentioned earlier detail is pleasing. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern, though the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to notice that occasionally it pops up here and there. On the other hand, macroblocking does not plague the transfer at all. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues. I also did not see any large cuts, damage marks, or stains to report in this review. All in all, this is good, though not flawless, presentation of a very unique film. (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 two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and Mandarin 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 is a good enough reason to seriously consider upgrading your R3 SDVD of Running on Karma. It has a very strong dynamic amplitude and it enhances the key action scenes in the film wonderfully. The bass, in particular, is very strong, while the surround channels are surprisingly effective. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. For the record, I did not detect any pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review. Also, the English translation is good, though there are a few random syntax errors that I noticed during the second half of the film.
Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai's Running on Karma is a very strange, very atmospheric film that works on multiple levels. I dare say it is one of the most original films to come out of Milkyway Image. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises, looks and sounds good. If you decide to add the film to your library but reside in a Region-B territory, please keep in mind that this is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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