John Woo's ballet of blood, bullets and bodies gets the Criterion Collection treatment in this deluxe edition of the 1989 cult classic from Hong Kong. Featuring a widescreen transfer of the film, with new easy-to-read subtitles that are centered on the bottom border of the widescreen image, the film elements used for this disc are a bit worn, with some scenes severely scratched. Voyager insists they used the best film elements made available to them at the time and, all things considered, the transfer is remarkable.
Fans of Woo's style will take joy in the capability to freeze-frame every insane stunt, every gun blast, every graphic bullet hit--the disc has been mastered in the CAV standard play format. On the secondary audio track, Woo and his producer discuss details on the making of the film, as well as his various inspirations from other films and directors. The supplementary section includes what Voyager calls "a bluffer's guide to Hong Kong cinema" and it will make you an instant authority on the films of John Woo and other Hong Kong films of this genre. Also included are bios of the principal stars and trailers for 11 of Woo's films, including a featurette on Woo's 1993 American debut, 'Hard Target'. A selection of deleted scenes is presented but, disappointingly, the Woo commentary that was supposed to accompany them explaining his editing decisions is absent (an error in the disc pressing? Or perhaps the instructions telling the viewer to switch to analog audio tracks for Woo's comments were a mistake. Either way, this is the disc's only fault).
The 110-minute movie is spread across four sides, with an entire disc devoted to the supplementary section.
Vital statistics: The Criterion Collection, Widescreen (1.85:1), Digital Monaural, CAV, 6 sides, $124.95.
S. Damien Segal.
This review is copyright, and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author.
