Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Adventurers Blu-ray Movie Review

Mission: Improbable

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 2, 2018

Mention the title The Adventurers to some kitsch and/or camp loving film fanatics, and chances are they’ll regale you with stories of a fairly infamous 1970 flop by that name which was based on a pretty steamy novel by Harold Robbins (who of course specialized in writing pretty steamy novels). This somewhat notorious film featured a large international cast which included Olivia de Havilland, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Aznavour, Leigh Taylor-Young, Rossano Brazzi, John Ireland and Candice Bergen in an overheated tale of lust and intrigue in a fictional South American country. The film was notable for featuring one of the few original scores for a feature composed by Bossa Nova master Antonio Carlos Jobim. In fact it is probably Jobim’s score which was one of the few things associated with this film which managed to emerge more or less unscathed from the debacle that the 1970 Adventurers was, and some of Jobim’s lovely underscore was later adapted into some of the composer’s most famous latter day (i.e., post Bossa Nova craze) songs, like “Double Rainbow”. More or less exactly a year ago, I joked about 20th Century Fox’s perhaps debatable decision to recycle one of the titles of one of their most notorious flops, Wilson, when I covered a Woody Harrelson outing in our Wilson Blu-ray review, and some may wonder if those associated with this 2017 Hong Kong action adventure caper outing had any inkling that the title they chose would have a certain resonance among “trivial pursuit” loving cineastes.

While perhaps not quite as international as the cast in the 1970 Robbins opus, this particular Adventurers does offer the somewhat unusual pairing of Andy Lau and Jean Reno. Lau portrays mastermind criminal Dan Zhang and Reno is his policeman nemesis, Pierre Bisette. The film basically boils down to an extended cat and mouse game between these two, though the both simplistic and overly convoluted screenplay attempts to inject a surprise or two along the way. While the title of this film may recall that long ago 1970 effort, several key plot points in this Adventurers seem awfully reminiscent of John Woo’s Once A Thief , including a trio of thieves (this time focusing on jewels rather than priceless art), including one of whom has a name which includes the word Red.

The film begins with a brief montage detailing a jewel heist gone wrong, one which ends up with Zhang ensconced in stir. The actual story begins with Zhang’s release from prison, where upon stepping out into the “free” world, he’s accosted by Bissette, who is convinced that Zhang is already planning something nefarious. While Bissette enlists some aid in tailing Zhang, of course Zhang is able to pretty easily drop off the grid, courtesy of a handy helicopter that just shows up out of nowhere and spirits him off. (The film is almost a laundry list of improbable “givens”, which include not just this kind of whimsical element, but all sorts of things like needed props being hidden away at various locations, the placement of which is never explained of course.)

Some trivia lovers who know about that long ago 1970 Adventurers may also remember that The Pink Panther’s title actually referred to a priceless gem, a name which for some reason became associated with either the thief portrayed by David Niven (who in fact went by the moniker The Phantom), or even the bumbling Inspector Clouseau memorably portrayed by the inimitable Peter Sellers. The Adventurers also offers some unusually named gems, and they are in fact the target of Zhang and his two cohorts, Po Chen (Tony Yang) and Red Ye (Shu Qi). Zhang’s exploits ultimately involve his mentor Kong (Eric Tsang), with Zhang also trying to figure out how his previous heist got revealed, which (as documented in the film’s opening vignette) ended up with Zhang getting jailed (the whole “father figure” and revenge scenario aspect again at least intermittently recalls the Woo film).

The Adventurers is resolutely predictable (down to some supposed “twists” in the endgame), but as with a number of other middling action adventure efforts from Western filmmakers that feature exotic locales and a series of unlikely but exciting set pieces, the film is breezy enough to overcome several serious lapses of logic. There’s an undeniably derivative feeling running rampant throughout The Adventurers, but the good news is many of the obvious inspirations for this film (i.e., the Mission: Impossible franchise) have provided a solid enough template that even some wobbly plotting can’t completely derail. Lau acquits himself quite well in the physical aspects of the film, and Reno is fun as a gruff predator who always seems to be one step behind the criminal team. The film may not ultimately amount to much, but for the Hong Kong equivalent of a “popcorn muncher”, it will probably suffice as well as anything.

The Adventurers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Adventurers is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The IMDb lists the Red Epic Dragon as having been utilized, with source capture resolutions of up to 6K, something that may account for this transfer's often sterling technical merits (despite a reported 2K DI). The film does a fair amount of globe trotting, even if some of the supposed travels are limited mostly to establishing shots, but there's abundant clarity and sharpness throughout both wide vistas (some of those very establishing shots) and a number of extreme close- ups, where fine detail pops quite winningly. There are a few isolated moments of grading, actually more toward the yellow side than the typical blue schemes that tend to inform caper films like this one, but detail levels tend to remain quite high. Most of the palette looks rather nicely natural. A few CGI elements have that slightly soft look that seems almost unavoidable. The only intermittent downside from a technical aspect is some minor banding, something that seems to afflict Well Go USA releases more than some other labels I reguarly cover. You'll see it in a number of the mastheads before the film even begins, but it crops up occasionally, especially when lighting regimens change.

The Adventurers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Adventurers features a fantastic sounding DTS:X mix which is listed as being in Mandarin, though it's notable that quite a bit of this film is actually in English, with both Lau and Reno speaking that language throughout (and without any apparent post-dubbing by other actors, at least to my ears). The film does venture into Mandarin on occasion, though, and there are optional English subtitles for those moments. The entire track is well rendered in any case, with some excellent overhead effects and a number of really effective panning effects in the expected car (and/or motorcycle) chases. Explosions, fights and other elements contribute to an often raucous but highly enjoyable sonic experience.

The Adventurers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of features three brief EPKs:

  Andy Lau as Zhang Dan (1080i; 2:53)

  Shu Qi as Red Ye (1080i; 2:27)

  Yo Yang as Chen Xiao-Po (1080i; 2:31)

• Trailer (1080p; 1:33)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA releases, the supplements have been authored to follow one another automatically. After the trailer for this film plays, the disc then automatically moves on to trailers for other Well Go USA releases (trailers which also play at disc boot up).

The Adventurers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My hunch is if you go in to The Adventurers without any undue expectations, wanting nothing other than a bit of escape for an hour and a half or so, you'll get your fill with this illogical but relentlessly energetic enterprise. Technical merits are (mostly) first rate, and with caveats duly noted, The Adventurers comes Recommended.