6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Action comedy in which 'Martial Law' star Sammo Hung invokes the spirit of Bruce Lee in his role as dragon-obsessed kung-fu cop Fatty who, with the help of his crime-fighting partner Skinny (Karl Maka), is intent on busting a drug trafficking ring. When their single-minded pursuit of the drug dealers ruins their boss's wedding, they lose their jobs and go off on holiday with their girlfriends - but the drug dealer, who thinks they are still a threat, goes after them...
Foreign | 100% |
Martial arts | 41% |
Action | 15% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Lau Kar-Wing’s "Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary with Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng and martial artist/actor Robert "Bobby" Samuels; exclusive new audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; archival program with action choreographer/director Ridley Tsui; and more. In Cantonese or English, with optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".
Fatty
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fatty Tiger and Skinny Dragon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release is sourced from a new 2K master that provides the entire film with a very healthy organic appearance. Frankly, aside from a few small color inconsistencies that I found a bit puzzling, I think that the visuals look as good as they can in 1080p. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent. There are a few sequences where small highlights could have been balanced slightly better, but I still think that everything looks very convincing. Darker footage that reveals different ranges of nuances looks solid as well. The color inconsistencies appear during the trip to Singapore. There is supposed to be plenty of sunlight there, but some visuals look a bit cooler than I think they need to be primarily because the blues are toned down a bit. As a result, it looks like it is a cloudy day, when it should be a sunny one. However, it appears that this is pretty much how this entire segment was graded. Image stability is excellent. A few white specks can be seen, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, blemishes, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese LPCM 1.0, English LPCM 1.0, and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Three sets of English subtitles are provided -- one for the Cantonese track, and two for the English dub tracks.
I started viewing the film with the original Cantonese LPCM 1.0 track, then switched to the English LPCM 1.0, and eventually came back to the former. Both tracks can be quite uneven at times, but it is very clear that all fluctuations are inherited. Dynamic balance is good, but you need to keep in mind that on the Cantonese track in particular there are plenty of enhancements. The music has a supporting role, so do not expect to hear any memorable contrasts. The English translation is very nice. Also, I specifically would like to mention that I really like the size of the subtitles. Hopefully, this will be standard size for all Eureka Entertainment releases. (For reference, the size of the subtitles on Kino Lorber's releases is a bit too small).
BLU-RAY DISC ONE
You will quickly realize that most of the time Sammo Hung's character, Fatty, does a pretty good job of imitating Bruce Lee's fighting style. You should also be able to recognize that Lau Kar-Wing's direction borrows plenty from the classic buddy-cop blueprint that so many different American films used during the '70s and '80s. However, Fatty Tiger and Skinny Dragon still has a distinct Hong Kong-esque personality, which is defined by its total immunity to political correctness. Simply put, it is one of those completely loose late '80s/early '90s Hong Kong action films that can no longer be made today. I think that this looseness is its greatest strength. Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from a very solid recent 2K master and features a nice selection of new and archival bonus features. RECOMMENDED.
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