6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Mr. Wu is kidnapped in Beijing by Zhang Hua and three accomplices, all disguised as cops and demanding a ransom of 3 million RMB. In the ensuing 20 hours, the Chinese detectives led by Chief Xing quickly form a task force and sweep the city. Time is of the essence though as Mr. Wu is ordered to be killed at 9pm regardless of whether the money is collected or not. The police eventually apprehend Hua alone and a dangerous mental showdown develops between police interrogators and Hua.
Starring: Andy Lau, Ye Liu, Ruofu Wu, Qianyuan Wang, Xiaorui ZhaoForeign | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Crime | 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, Mandarin (Simplified)
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Is there something in the air engendering films about actors kidnapped and taken hostage? The Coen Brothers took a relatively whimsical approach with this kind of odd subject matter with their recent Hail, Caesar! , a film which touched on several interesting ideas about politics and the film industry, even if it never truly explored any of them in any great detail. The Coens' odd sensibility provided their typical attention toward production design if perhaps a slight deficit in the laughs department (admittedly I was laughing helplessly at the silly but hilarious vignette featuring Frances McDormand as the film editor having an “Isadora Duncan” moment with her Steenbeck). The Coens’ fictionalized tale may have played things ostensibly for laughs, or at least gentle amusement, but Saving Mr. Wu is based on a real life event that saw Asian actor Wu Ruofo abducted in 2004, which is played in a deliberately gritty and relatively realistic style in the film. Structurally the film is fairly rote, with the abduction placed up front before the audience really has a grasp as to what exactly is going on, and then after Wu (and another victim) are “safely” ensconced as hostages, with a series of flashbacks providing context and additional information. Saving Mr. Wu may not really push the envelope in any meaningful way, but it’s well crafted and often rather tense, as Wu realizes that his captors have no real regard for the outcome other than for the bucks they may rake in as ransom.
Saving Mr. Wu is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Once again the IMDb is strangely silent on what camera was used for this shoot, but this has a typical digital look, one that tends to offer a kind of hazy miasma a lot of the time since so much of the film was shot either at night or at best in very dimly lit environments. Detail levels are still generally quite commendable, though blacks aren't "milky" so much as "pea soup-y", often tending toward a kind of green-yellow look that often sucks at least a bit of detail out of a lot of shots. Director Ding Sheng favors "jiggly cam" throughout the presentation, something else that tends to give at least the perception of softness, since the frame is so variable and it's hard to get a "lock" on fine detail as a result. On the flip side, Sheng also favors close-ups, sometimes at extreme levels, and that proclivity tends to support detail, especially when the camera calms down and remains stationary.
Perhaps because Saving Mr. Wu tends to shy away from "slam bang" action elements, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (in Mandarin) isn't quite as bombastic as some might expect (or at least hope). That said, there's quite consistent immersion at play, with urban noises dotting the surrounds when the film ventures out and about, and even the confined locales of the hostages' lair providing discrete placement of ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly and is well prioritized, though again it's frequently not in "competition" with other, noisier elements. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range reasonably wide despite the lack of over the top action sequences.
- Andy Lau (1080i; 3:08)
- Director Ding Sheng (1080i; 3:05)
- Liu Ye (1080i; 2:56)
- Wang Qianyuan (1080i; 3:01)
- 50 Grand (1080p; 00:50)
- Loyal (1080p; 00:44)
- Girlfriend (1080p; 00:25)
- Grenade (1080p; 1:06)
- Headshot (1080p; 00:41)
- Labor Camp (1080p; 00:38)
- Paparazzi (1080p; 00:52)
- Police Story (1080p; 00:30)
- Red Socks (1080p; 00:40)
For those going into Saving Mr. Wu expecting a traditional Asian action blockbuster, the film probably won't provide the requisite adrenaline rush. This is a slower building property, one that builds suspense and tension without resorting to huge action set pieces. It's a talky film, and one with a somewhat thorny structure, but it's often riveting, and Lau is excellent as an actor under duress. While the fact that Wu obviously survived his ordeal, as evidenced by the fact that he appears in this film, might imply there's nothing much to worry about in terms of the ultimate outcome, the film manages to make things surprisingly intense at times. Technical merits are generally strong, and Saving Mr. Wu comes Recommended.
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