Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Warriors of the Nation Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 18, 2020

Warriors of the Nation has a kind of curious comment on its back cover, which mentions that star Vincent Zhao is “reprising his legendary role”, without stating what exactly that role is or where he may have played it previously. It turns out the role is that of legendary martial artist Wong Fei Hung, whom Zhao previously portrayed in two radically different films, The Unity of Heroes and Kung Fu League, both of which Well Go USA released on Blu-ray last year. What’s kind of odd about all of this is that Kung Fu League was a kind of contemporary comedy where a hapless comic book artist “invokes” the help of several martial arts legends. Warriors of the Nation may in fact offer Zhao “reprising” that role, but this film is a period piece and, while highly stylized, isn’t exactly a laugh fest and should therefore probably be understood as following in The Unity of Heroes’ wake. (For those wanting a brief recap of at least some of the many other films featuring Wong Fei Hung and some of the actors who have portrayed him, there's some information in our The Unity of Heroes Blu-ray review.)

Warriors of the Nation is, much like The Unity of Heroes, a kind of "old school" Hong Kong martial arts film, and so may feel like the cinematic equivalent of "comfort food" for some. The film is much more action oriented than The Unity of Heroes was, though for a number of reasons, some diehard fans may feel more than a bit of an echo of the Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy (note that the link points to a UK Blu-ray release). In the waning days of the Sino-Japanese War, the nefarious White Lotus Society is up to its old tricks, but they didn't plan on Wong Fei Hung getting involved. There isn't much innovative material here, but the film kind of careens madly from action set piece to action set piece, and so the film may satisfy adrenaline junkies who have a yearning for a certain kind of martial arts nostalgia.

Warriors of the Nation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warriors of the Nation is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Much as with The Unity of Heroes, I haven't been able to track down any verifiable technical data on the shoot, though I'm assuming this was digitally captured and finished at a 2K DI. This doesn't have quite the luster and detail levels that The Unity of Heroes did, though part of what affects the perception of detail in this presentation is the almost nonstop use of both "jiggly cam" as well as weird, askew framings, often with the camera tilted. That said, in more "stationary" moments and when normal lighting conditions prevail, fine detail is quite good. Some minor banding is noticeable during some quick changes in lighting or during fades.

Warriors of the Nation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Warriors of the Nation features a nicely rendered DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Mandarin (with optional English subtitles). This film's emphasis on action sequences definitely helps up the surround ante, with a number of very effectively placed effects in discrete channels. Ambient environmental effects are also routinely offered in the side and rear channels. Dialogue, effects and score are all presented cleanly and clearly, with no problems whatsoever.

Warriors of the Nation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 1:41)

As tends to be the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the disc has been authored to automatically move on to trailers for other Well Go USA releases after the trailer for this release plays. Those trailers for other Well Go USA releases also play automatically at disc boot up.

Warriors of the Nation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you got a kick (pun unavoidable) out of The Unity of Heroes, my hunch is you'll find enough in Warriors of the Nation to warrant checking it out. This doesn't quite have the narrative momentum of its progenitor, but it's much more action oriented. Technical merits are solid for those considering a purchase.