5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Young master Cao Le chases his pregnant girlfriend away from the family castle. He does it in order to save her from vicious bandits who are going to murder his family.
Starring: Jackie Chan, Feng Hsu, Hui Lou Chen, Wen-Tai Li, Lin TungForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 47% |
Action | 35% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Cantonese: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Lo Wei's "To Kill with Intrigue" (1977) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Frank Djeng; new program with author and critic Rick Baker; vintage promotional materials; and more. In Mandarin, Cantonese, or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The one with the scar
88 Films' release of To Kill with Intrigue is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".
Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.
Screencaptures #1-20 are from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #24-32 are from the 4K Blu-ray.
The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of To Kill with Intrigue. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision. Also, I tested various areas of the 1080p presentation, which is available on a separate Blu-ray release as well.
I was enormously impressed with the quality of the 4K restoration and the quality of its native 4K presentation. In fact, I am going to mention the one and only area where I think some minor adjustments could have been made for an even better final result. In a couple of darker areas, some of the blacks become a tad too thick and begin to crush. I did not see any troubling anomalies, but in several spots just a few tweaks could have produced perfection. The rest is magnificent. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from excellent to outstanding. Some minor density fluctuations can be observed, but they are introduced by the original cinematography, not the 4K restoration work. Color balance is outstanding. In fact, what I saw on my system makes me want to declare that in native 4K this film has the most convincing color scheme of all Jackie Chan films that have been recently restored. The primaries are especially well set, though the supporting nuances look terrific, too. Image stability is excellent. There are absolutely no traces of digital tinkering. The entire film looks spotless as well.
The 1080 presentation is very, very good, too. I prefer how the film looks in native 4K because the terrific color scheme produces some genuinely stunning visuals, but if you can only play Blu-ray discs, you are still in for a special treat. Density levels are a tad better in native 4K as well, though even on a very large screen the discrepancy is quite small. The rest look outstanding in 1080p.
There are four standard audio tracks on this release: Mandarin LPCM 2.0, English LPCM 2.0, Cantonese LPCM 2.0, and Japanese/Mandarin 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
I began viewing the film with the Mandarin track, but then tested the remaining tracks. I spent the most time with the English track, hoping that it would make the film a bit more entertaining. However, this English track is pretty good, not one of those it-it-so-bad-it-is-wild tracks that many Hong Kong films have. On the Mandarin track, clarity is very good, but balance varies a lot, which is to be expected. The Cantonese track produces greater dynamic contrasts, but it has a lot of even more uneven spots. The English translation is excellent.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
To Kill with Intrigue is a prime example of a mismanaged film that should have been a very good film. Rick Baker is correct to state that the chemistry between Lo Wei and Jackie Chan must have been quite poor because different parts of the film look pretty random. I do not think that its story is problematic, but it is not told properly, which is why it never establishes a proper identity. 88 Films' combo pack introduces a marvelous new 4K restoration that looks equally impressive in native 4K and 1080p, so Chan completists should not miss it. A separate Blu-ray release is available as well.
劍花煙雨江南 / Jiàn huā yān yǔ jiāng nán | Jackie Chan Collection
1977
劍花煙雨江南 / Jiàn huā yān yǔ jiāng nán
1977
She he ba bu | Se hok bat bo | 蛇鶴八步 | Deluxe Collector's Edition
1978
Lung kuen | Lóng quán | 龙拳 | Deluxe Limited Edition
1979
少林木人巷 / Shao Lin mu ren xiang
1976
Fēng yǔ shuāng liú xīng / 風雨雙流星
1976
龍少爺 | Dragon Strike | Limited Edition
1982
The Big Brawl | Sha shou hao | 殺手壕 | Deluxe Collector's Edition
1980
重案組 / Jackie Chan Collection
1993
城市獵人 / Sing si lip yan | Eureka Classics
1993
夏日福星 / Ha jat fuk sing | Eureka Classics
1985
新精武門 / Xn jīng wǔ mén
1976
醉拳 / Jui kuen / Masters of Cinema
1978
Zhan lang II / 战狼II
2017
皇家戰士 / Huáng jiā zhàn shì / In the Line of Duty | Eureka Classics
1986
拳精 / Quán Jīng
1978
奇謀妙計五福星 / Kei mau miu gai: Ng fok sing / 5 Lucky Stars | Eureka Classics
1983
快餐車 / Kuai can che | Eureka Classics
1984
殭屍先生 / Geung see sin sang / Eureka Classics
1985
合氣道 / He qi dao / Lady Kung Fu | Eureka Classics
1972
福星高照 / Fuk sing go jiu | Eureka Classics
1985
Seong lung wui | Shuāng lóng huì | 雙龍會 | Deluxe Collector's Edition
1992