Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Bells of Death Blu-ray Movie Review

The Bells of Death is an intense and ambitious martial arts epic with a huge sense of scale. Fans of classic martial arts gems will find a lot to appreciate with the film. Produced by Run Run Shaw, The Bells of Death is a fantastic swordplay epic with an abundance of energy. Starring Yi Chang. Co-starring Ping Chin, Hsin-Yen Chao, Kau Lam, Shun Tien, Feng Ku, Chih-Ching Yang, Yunzhong Li, Wu Ma, Liu Hung, Lao Shen, and Wei-Lieh Lan.

Chang Wei Fu (Yi Chang) is a woodcutter who is also a talented swordsman who wants to set forth on a journey to master the art and skill of the sword. Wei Fu wishes to hone his craft as a swordsman and succeed where others have failed. Yet things become personal when Wei Fu loses his entire family – murdered by three dangerous men who decided to kill his family and kidnap his sister as well. The circumstances cause Wei Fu to fight harder than ever before and find and take out the villainous murderers who robbed him of his beloved family Can Wei Fu find the vengeance he seeks?

Yi Chang delivers a strong performance in the lead role. Chang is often stoic and determined in the role. The performance provides plenty of opportunity to showcase the acting ability of Chang alongside the epic swordplay and stunts. The effort is commendable and the actor adds a lot to the production.

The score composed by Fu-Ling Wang (The Big Boss, The Singing Killer) is a majestic highlight of the film. The score provides a sweeping backdrop to the action sequences. The sense of adventure inherent in the soundtrack is exhilarating. There is plenty of energy to lift audiences off their feet. The score energizes the action scenes tenfold and enhances the entire experience.

The cinematography by Hsueh-Li Pao (Golden Swallow, The Twelve Gold Medallions) is one of the best things about the production. The visuals add a great sense of sophistication to the production. With stunning vistas, the cinematography helps the world to expand – the cinematography providing a wondrous magic to the experience. Pao is a brilliant cinematographer and the efforts here are enormously majestic.

Edited by Hsing-Lung Chiang (The Avenging Eagle, Sons of the Good Earth), the pace and rhythm of the filmmaking is impressive. Chiang capably helps the narrative to unfold. The action scenes are well cut. The editing works well with the storytelling.

The production also showcases superb art direction by Chi-Jui Chen (Five Fingers of Death, The Flying Dagger). The art direction is fantastic and there is plenty to appreciate about the art style. Chen is a creative individual and the art direction for the film makes things all the more special. Stunning.

The costumes by Kamber Huang (The Singing Killer, The Lady Hermit) are creative and stylistic, too. The costuming is certainly a high-art. The costumes feel essential to the filmmaking. There is a fine craft involved in costuming and Huang understands the essentials.

Written by Kang-Chien Chiu (Boat People, Nomad), The Bells of Death is entertaining and the script has plenty of great moments. The script does a good job balancing the action and the drama. The stakes of the storytelling are impressive. Chiu is a talented scriptwriter and the story here is one that will keep audiences engaged.

Directed by Feng Yueh (The Dragon Creek, Madame White Snake), The Bells of Death is another great showcase as a martial arts epic. The swordplay and stunts are often riveting and the style of directing exceptional. The Bells of Death is well worth seeing for any martial arts fans wanting a fun film with plenty of style. Don’t miss it.

The Bells of Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Bells of Death is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The presentation quality on the release is a bit uneven and mixed. The film looks a little less impressive compared to some of the presentations provided on other Shaw Brothers titles. In my estimation, this one shows a bit extra processing. I have noticed some processing on other titles, too. However, the processing done with this title exceeds other titles.

The image looks a bit less crisp and refined here than desired and it is also a lot more noticeable on this presentation. This is unfortunate because the film could clearly look better than it does. Even so, color reproduction looks impressive and the film is still free from any egregious print damage or wear. The presentation simply has too much digital processing for my enjoyment. The presentation could have looked better with a more natural grain structure and the processing looks more egregious here than expected.

The Bells of Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles). The audio quality on the release is enjoyable. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The score and soundstage are well reproduced. The sound effects are especially impressive and are well showcased here with a solid encode.

The Bells of Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Film Critic James Mudge

Celestial Trailer

The Bells of Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Bells of Death is an entertaining and often exhilarating swordplay epic. Yi Chang is impressive in the lead role. The production merits are outstanding. Shaw Brothers fans will find the film to be another entertaining watch. The Blu-ray release features a somewhat disappointing transfer with more processing than expected. The lossless audio is engaging and worthwhile. Despite some of my reservations, the release is recommended.