The Brave Archer and His Mate Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Brave Archer and His Mate Blu-ray Movie Review

 The Brave Archer and His Mate is an entertaining entry in The Brave Archer film series. Based on the novel by Louis Cha, The Brave Archer and His Mate is an impressive Shaw Brothers martial arts classic. Produced by Mona Fong (Lifeline, The Avenging Eagle), The Brave Archer and His Mate features a great cast including Sheng Fu, Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok, Li Wang, Tien-Hsiang Lung, Gigi Suk Yee Wong, Hsueh-Erh Wen, Siu-Ho Chin, and Sheng Chiang.

Yang Kuo (Sheng Fu) returns but is now a supporting character in a new odyssey featuring a new leading hero. Kuo Tsing (Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok) is a new hero. Kuo sets out to seek revenge against the killer who took the lives of his kung fu masters – the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan.

Ouyang Feng (Li Wang) and Yang Kang (Tien-Hsiang Lung) were responsible for the murders of the kung fu leaders. Can these mastermind martial arts killers be defeated by the hero Kuo Tsing? Epic battles ensue – brawls commence.

Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok does an impressive job in one of the central roles of the feature-film. It is nice to see Sheng Fu even though the actor does not have as central a leading role. The supporting cast of characters includes Huang Yung (Gigi Suk Yee Wong), Kuo's daughter (Hsueh-Erh Wen), Wu Hsiu-wen (Siu-Ho Chin), and Prince Huo Tu (Sheng Chiang). The supporting actors also add to the production – the action and spectacle further emphasized through the actors’ roles.

The production of The Brave Archer and His Mate features compelling design elements. The production design is ambitious and well-done. The art direction and stylistic elements add to the quality of the Shaw Brothers production. These are aspects that are essential to the foundation of a well-produced martial arts feature by Shaw Brothers.

The costumes by Chi-Yu Liu (The Lady Assassin, Shaolin Temple) are fantastic and highlight the bold and invigorating aesthetic. Liu does a superb job with both the lead and supporting players. The costumes provide the subtle intricacies of a well- designed feature in the Shaw Brothers canon.

The stunts coordinated by Sheng Chiang (The Sword Stained with Royal Blood, Avenging Warriors of Shaolin), Ke Chu (The Boxer's Omen, Five Elements Ninjas), Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok (The Bride with White Hair, Legend of the Fox), and Feng Lu (Two Champions of Death, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung) are effective and add to the martial arts fun. The stunt work is one of the most important aspects of any Shaw Brothers classic. The stunt choreography helps the action take center stage and these sequences of kung-fu rivalry are essential to the filmmaking are indicative of why Shaw Brothers is such an essential production studio of classic martial arts cinema.

Composed by Eddie Wang (To Kill a Mastermind, Return of the Sentimental Swordsman), The Brave Archer and His Mate is an engaging score. The music is a perfect backdrop to the action spectacle. Outstanding fight sequences are even more engaging with the score highlighting the epic scope – providing the right ingredients for the kung-fu showdowns to impress.

Featuring cinematography by Hui-Chi Tsao (The Long Chase, The Lady Hermit), The Brave Archer and His Mate is a beautiful looking gem of kung-fu cinema. Tsao is a talent as a cinematographer and the lush visual language of the filmmaking is enchanting. There is pathos and humanity in the lensing – these incredible vistas creating an aura of intrigue.

Edited by Hsing-Lung Chiang (The Love Eterne, The Avenging Eagle) and Yen-Hai Li (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Dirty Ho), the pace and rhythm of the production is exceptional. The filmmaking is perfectly highlighted by the tight pacing. Chiang and Li did impressive work with the film.

Written by Cheh Chang and Kuang Ni (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter), the script is entertaining. The story adds to the fun of the Brave Archer film series and explores the Venoms Shaw Brothers saga, too. The script has good dialogue and characterizations

Directed by Cheh Chang (Vengeance!, The Delightful Forest), The Brave Archer and His Mate is another superb showcase for the martial arts mastery by Chang. Chang is one of the best kung-fu filmmakers. Cinema is all the greater because of the artistic contributions of Chang to the martial arts genre. The Brave Archer and His Mate features stunning fight scenes with expert choreography and all the whimsy only a master like Chang can provide.

The Brave Archer and His Mate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Brave Archer and His Mate is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The release provides an excellent high-definition presentation. The presentation provides a nicely filmic scan.

An impressive sense of depth and detail in the encoding. The scan is most notable for its filmic visual appearance. Even though the print might look even better with a newer 4K remaster, the provided transfer is still an impressive one that enthusiasts will appreciate for its good color and detail.

The Brave Archer and His Mate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. The lossless audio quality adds depth and detail to the presentation. The score is well reproduced on the release. The sound effects highlighted well by the presentation. The English subtitles are well-done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Brave Archer and His Mate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng of the NY Asian Film Festival

Trailer (SD, 1:06)

Still Gallery (HD, 2:01)

The Brave Archer and His Mate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

 The Brave Archer and His Mate is an exhilarating martial arts classic. Directed by master filmmaker Cheh Chang (Vengeance!), The Brave Archer and His Mate is a great spectacle with stunning martial arts fight sequences and expert choreography. A great installment in the Brave Archer film series. The Blu-ray release provides a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio. Recommended.