7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death.
Starring: Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Matthew Page, Roger YuanComedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Vietnamese
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Even martial arts films with legendary stars like Bruce Lee and/or Jackie Chan would probably not be considered models of “character development”, since the people played by the actors were at least more than occasionally “types” who in fact could probably be interchanged between various films without much chaos resulting. The Paper Tigers may not completely succeed in its attempts to blend together martial arts tropes with depictions of men who are relatively realistic, but it at least tries, as it revisits the hoary cliché of practitioners of “gong fu” out to avenge the murder of their mentor. In this particular case, however, several years have intervened between the martial arts training offered by Sifu Cheung (Roger Yuan) to his once young acolytes and his subsequent mysterious death, meaning that the “kids” are now middle aged men with a number of both personal and “internecine” issues that they need to confront as they work together after years of estrangement to try to set things right.
The Paper Tigers is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The IMDb doesn't really offer any significant technical data on the shoot, but I found some online interviews with Director of Photography Shaun Mayor where he mentions having used Arri Alexa Minis, aside from the "VHS" footage which was done with an old style Sony Hi 8. I'm assuming the DI was finished at 2K. This is a mostly sharp and nicely detailed looking offering, which almost always features a natural looking palette that is actually kind of subtle, emphasizing darker tones with pops of red. Some of the interior material looks slightly skewed toward yellow, but detail levels tend to remind rather good. There are some occasional deficits, as in a restaurant scene that looks fairly murky, and some brief nighttime material where fine detail evaporates a bit.
The Paper Tigers features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that may not have the nonstop immersion of more action oriented martial arts features, but which does spring into life at various key junctures, as in the comical "showdown" between Carter and his three former nemeses. Some of the effects work offers good discrete channelization, and there is good overall engagement of the side and rear channels in the more aggressive moments of the film. This is, though, a kind of low key comedy with an emphasis on dialogue, and as such surround activity can ebb and flow. Optional subtitles in a variety of languages are available.
- A Look Behind the Film (HD; 9:56)
- Tai Tung Restaurant (HD; 1:53) is actually a very cool little piece about the oldest Chinese restaurant in Seattle.
- Production Design (HD; 1:19)
There's a kind of genial sweetness to The Paper Tigers which may make it enjoyable to some folks in particular who may feel like they're past their prime and that their youthful dreams have withered on the vine. The film could have used some improvement in pacing and maybe tried for a more visceral feeling of danger, but the character work here is often very appealing. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplemental package enjoyable. With caveats noted, Recommended.
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