| Kudos to Universe for finally bringing this out on dvd but being a low profile title, according to them, it's a quick, cheap release we've received. In all likelihood, this slightly cropped letterbox transfer, is sourced from the laserdisc and we get a soft, dull looking image that does somehow work fairly well with the mood of the film. The print remains pretty clean throughout but around certain scenes, huge print damage is visible.
EDIT: A German dvd release has surfaced that seemed to have been sourced from a more complete Hong Kong print as it features shots not on the current Universe dvd or vcd. The most notable inclusion is a scene where Cheung, after finding out his wife is having an affair, eats various snacks around town and rides the subway. The blood draining scene also has a few shots that were cut from the Hong Kong prints. The big downside to this release is that it's trimmed for violence in other places, making the Universe dvd still the best choice at the moment. For a look at the added footage on the German disc, visit Schnittberichte.com.
The original 2.0 mono Cantonese track sounds good though. Dialogue is clear as well as sound effect but overall it could be considered as slightly muffled sounding. A Mandarin 2.0 track is also available.
Having owned the vcd, I knew what to expect from the burned in Chinese/English subtitles. Grammar and spelling errors are found in numerous places but the translation doesn't hurt the film. At times, the subs go under the frame a bit and the dreaded white on white syndrome happens a few times as well.
Extras are limited to informative Stars Files for actors Kent Cheng, Simon Yam & Danny Lee plus trailers for Memento and Prison On Fire - Preacher. |
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