7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
After his revered master is murdered by a rival dojo of Japanese imperialists, a marital arts student sets out to defend the honor of both his school and of the Chinese people.
Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, James Tien, Maria Yi, Robert Baker (I)Foreign | 100% |
Martial arts | 50% |
Drama | 36% |
Crime | 29% |
Action | 14% |
Thriller | 7% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital Mono
DTS HD-MA 5.1 mixes are 24-Bit
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
One of the funniest private messages I’ve ever received in my tenure here at Blu-ray.com came from our site administrator, who simply sent me a nice picture of a train wreck when Shout’s Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection had to be recalled and then even that recall turned out to have an audio issue on Fist of Fury (those wanting to revisit this bit of Blu-ray drama can read “updates” in the main review and the Fist of Fury review, since this is the only time in my recollection that I had to actually take original reviews offline and re- do all of them once the recall happened, and even then I wasn’t finished). In a sign that could be seen as either bravery or foolhardiness, Shout! is now revisiting two of the Lee films in that set, offering new 4K transfers culled from the original camera negatives.
The Chinese Connection is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. As I've stated repeatedly in my reviews of re-releases, I've attempted to duplicate (or at least come close to) the first ten screenshots in our original Fist of Fury Blu-ray review so that those interested can do their own compare and contrast rather than depend on my faltering descriptions. (Note that the Fist of Fury Blu-ray review also contains screenshots from the recalled version--see the video section of that review for details). In virtually all areas we discuss in our reviews this new release is a clear upgrade over the first (second?) Shout! release, with a much more natural looking palette and better suffusion all around, though there are still some relatively slight variances in densities and color space. This is especially noticeable in flesh tones, which don't have the sallow brown look they did in the older version. Grain also resolves better and both general and fine detail levels are noticeably improved. While midrange shots can still lack detail, close- ups provide much better sharpness and clarity than in the previous release.
The following audio options are available on the disc:
This release ports over the same supplements detailed in our original Fist of Fury Blu-ray review.
Bruce Lee fans may have felt that they had been body slammed when the Legacy collection encountered such a string of problems, but this new edition of The Chinese Connection may help to salve any lingering wounds. As I mentioned in our original Fist of Fury Blu-ray review, the film is predictable and more than a bit silly at times, but it's also exciting and a lot of fun. With nicely improved video, The Chinese Connection easily comes Recommended.
Jing wu men / The Chinese Connection
1972
精武門 / Jing wu men / The Chinese Connection
1972
The Big Boss | 唐山大兄 | Collector's Edition
1971
The Way of the Dragon | 猛龍過江 | Collector's Edition
1972
死亡遊戲 | Collector's Edition
1978
死亡塔 / Si wang ta / Tower of Death
1981
精武英雄
1994
東邪西毒 / Dung che sai duk / Ashes of Time Redux
1994
Sun King Chaat Gu Si
2004
新精武門 / Xīn jīng wǔ mén
1976
その男、凶暴につき
1989
殺破狼 | SPL: Kill Zone | Saat po long | Ultimate Edition
2005
Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken / 激突!殺人拳
1974
Du bi dao / Duk bei do / 獨臂刀
1967
Dou fo sin
2007
給爸爸的信 / The Enforcer
1995
用心棒 / Yôjinbô
1961
龍爭虎鬥
1973
椿三十郎 / Tsubaki Sanjûrô
1962
殺破狼2 / SPL II: A Time for Consequence / Saat Po Long 2
2015
Gyakushû! Satsujin ken / 逆襲!殺人拳 / Street Fighter Counterattacks! / Revenge! The Killing Fist
1974
Ging chaat goo si
1985