The Double Crossers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Double Crossers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 22, 2024

It turns out the ghost of Hamlet's father isn't the only spectral paternal figure giving an info dump from beyond the grave, at least insofar as some early voiceover in The Double Crossers gives focal character police detective Lung (Shin Il-ryong) some interesting if provocative news about his father's criminal history, information delivered by the father's voice, albeit from a cassette tape that Lung begins playing, so maybe less "ghostly" and more "quaintly old school" vis a vis the technology employed. It's almost immediately revealed that Lung is sitting in a room with one of those chalk outlines where a deceased body was once ensconced. Three guesses as to whose body it was, with another clue offered in the fact that this is a somewhat traditional revenge drama, albeit spiced up with some interesting location work and some fun twists and turns that may make this an unexpected Asian counterpart to American outings like The Sting.

Both of the commentaries included on this disc as well as some passing verbiage on the back cover and in the insert booklet contextualize The Double Crossers as maybe at least tangentially related to the so-called Brucespolitation phase (so aptly summed up in Severin's recent gargantuan The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1 set), at least insofar as Golden Harvest was still on the lookout for some "new, improved" (or at least possibly equivalent) star. Some may feel they may have missed the mark with South Korean star Shin, though to be fair, this film doesn't seem overly interested in providing knock down, drag out fight sequences, though they do of course pop up now and again.

Instead, the emphasis is perhaps wisely more on a serpentine narrative that lives up to the title's implications, as Lung travels to deal with an enemy who has already been identified by the voice of Lung's late father. That doesn't necessarily mean the task is easy, and it doesn't even necessarily mean that everything and everyone is ultimately what they seem to be, and it's in this aspect that The Double Crossers finds some undeniable energy. Djeng, who always like to recite box office figures, as well as the insert booklet essay, overtly detail this film's tanking at the box office, and in a way, it's not hard to see why. If Golden Harvest was at least hinting at something like Bruce Lee 2.0 (or maybe 2.5 or 3.0, by this point), what's here, while enjoyable, is really not strongly tethered to the legacy of Lee in any major way. In terms of action stars who ultimately "supplanted" Lee (if that is even possible), while Sammo Hung is prominently mentioned on the back cover of this release, he's actually in a "blink and you'll miss it" supporting role.

The Double Crossers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Double Crossers is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Aside from its standard operating procedure "viewing notes" and calibration information in the insert booklet, the only other real "technical" data is a brief "brand new 2K restoration" mention on the back cover, something that is repeated for both cuts of the film. The Hong Kong Theatrical Cut looks a good deal more consistent than the Export Cut, and most of my comments will be directed toward it. Once the credits sequence is over, a somewhat ungainly grain field and some understandably "dupey" looking visuals take a major step forward, and the bulk of this transfer is really appealingly robust from a palette standpoint, while also offering generally very secure fine detail levels on things like props and costumes. There are some passing and perhaps curious sudden changes in color temperature for brief moments (sometimes within scenes), where things suddenly have a bit more of a crimson / purple skew. On the whole, though, the palette is natural looking and the outdoor material in particular pops extremely well. The Export Cut isn't horrible by any means, but it doesn't offer the same suffusion and some of the more dimly lit interior scenes can offer noticeably less fine detail.

The Double Crossers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Hong Kong Theatrical Cut features LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in either Cantonese or English. There is surprisingly little difference in terms of overall mix and amplitude in the Hong Kong version's two tracks, though the English track can intermittently be a little less hot than the Cantonese, something that can actually ebb and flow for whatever reason (compare levels of scoring in the opening with some later uses of music, for one example). Both tracks offer a decently full midrange, something that helps give the interesting scoring choices some immediacy. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Double Crossers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Hong Kong Theatrical Cut (1:39:36) and Export Cut (1:37:44) are accessible via the Main Menu. See screenshot 10.


• Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng is available for the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut.


• Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema is available for the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut.


• Trailer (HD; 3:30)

Additionally the keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a nicely appointed insert booklet with an excellent essay by James Oliver. Packaging features a slipcover.

The Double Crossers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The fact that The Double Crossers failed at the box office and when even insert booklet essayist freely admits the film is not some undiscovered masterpiece, expectations should probably be set appropriately. That said, if you kind of divorce the film from what was frankly kind of strangely its original marketing, there's a fun set of twists and turns the story takes. Technical merits are generally solid, and both commentaries are very enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.