7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Twenty-four years after Once Upon a Time in China IV, Vincent Zhao steps back into the legendary role of folk hero Wong Fei Hung in The Unity of Heroes! The action star produces and stars in the throwback period martial arts film directed by Lin Zhenzhao. In this chapter of the larger-than-life hero's mission of promoting Chinese strength and unity in a time of turmoil, Wong Fei Hung meets the challenge of Master Wu (Michael Tong), a northerner who seeks to unseat Guangdong's top martial artist. Their conflict is further exacerbated by opportunistic foreigners who use Wu to test a dangerous new drug.
Starring: Wenzhuo Zhao, Bingyuan Li, Michael Tong (I)Foreign | 100% |
Action | 74% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.30:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, Mandarin (Traditional)
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Have you ever tried so-called “alternative medicine”? One of the kind of interesting things about living in the (supposedly?) hip and happening Pacific Northwest is that there is a veritable glut of such “alternatives”, and for those who think that the typically very “scientifically” minded approach of Western Medicine may not have all the answers, the fact that there’s at least a choice seems to appeal to some part of the populace, at least as evidenced by the success of various "alternatives" doing business in this neck of the woods. The interplay between “Western” and “Chinese” medicine is one of the kind of curious but potentially kind of captivating subplots of The Unity of Heroes, a film which is many ways a throwback to any number of Asian outings from years (and indeed decades) past, though in this case it seems to be entirely intentional and not some misguided effort at pastische. Vincent Zhao is on hand in The Unity of Heroes as real life martial artist and doctor Wong Fei Hung, a character he essayed years ago in a Tsui Hark produced television series named after the character. But many fans of Asian entertainment may know the character of Wong Fei Hung at least as well from either Drunken Master, which featured Jackie Chan’s memorable take on the relatively modern (late 19th to early 20th centuries) legend, or from another Tsui Hark presentation, namely Jet Li’s characterization in the Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy (note that the link points to a recent British release from Eureka, one which I’ve coincidentally just gotten check discs for and will be reviewing as soon as I can get to it). Obsessed fans with a penchant for datapoints may know that Vincent Zhao took over the role from Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China IV and Once Upon a Time in China V, neither of which are (perhaps self-evidently) included in the Eureka trilogy linked to above.
The Unity of Heroes is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.30:1. This is another Asian effort that doesn't seem to have a ton of production data available online, and the IMDb has no accounting of what camera was utilized or what resolution the DI was. That said, as can probably be gleaned from many of the screenshots accompanying this review, this is a very appealingly sharp and well detailed presentation, one that offers generally consistent fine detail levels, sometimes even in less than optimal lighting conditions. The palette here is perhaps surprisingly not overly colorful, with, for instance, our main hero always clad in white or beige, and with only isolated pops of color tending to inform the frame. There is some fairly inartful CGI at play at times (see screenshot 4), which can look soft and almost blurry at times.
The Unity of Heroes features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one which bursts to life in any of the spectacular action sequences, but which also offers consistent engagement of the surround channels in a number of other scenes, including several in various outdoor locations where relatively large groups of people assemble. Sound effects are often very artfully placed, and there is some good energetic use of LFE. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, with no problems with regard to distortion or dropouts.
While I'm giving The Unity of Heroes the same overall 3.5 score I did for Rise of the Legend, another relatively recent opus designed to "resurrect" Wong Fei Hung, but I have to say I probably actually enjoyed this film more. It has a brisk style and an unpretentious air that is inviting, and it's fun to see Zhao in this role again. I personally didn't really find much of the supposed "comedy" all that funny (or even necessary), but the story, while rote, is handled with energy and a committed attitude by the performers, and the film's visual aesthetic is often quite stylish. Technical merits are solid, and The Unity of Heroes comes Recommended.
2010
Xi Feng Lie
2010
2012
Sheng si men / 生死門
1979
少林木人巷 / Shao Lin mu ren xiang
1976
Samurai purinsesu: Gedô-hime
2009
2008-2009
Mujeogja
2010
Lang mien jeu keun sau / Leng mian ju ji shou / 冷面狙擊手
1991
Crazy Samurai Musashi / 狂武蔵 / Kyō Musashi
2020
ゴエモン
2009
Da sha si fang / 大殺四方
1980
2016
龍騰虎躍 / Lóng téng hǔ yuè
1983
逆戰
2012
黃飛鴻之四王者之風 / Wong fei hung IV: Wong je ji fung
1993
2011
黃飛鴻之五龍城殲霸 / Wong Fei Hung chi neung: Lung shing chim pa
1994
2013
Special Edition | Zeburâman: Zebura Shiti no gyakushû
2010