| Joy Sales presents the film in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, with anamorphic enhancement. Featuring just a few notches too much dirt considering it's a new film, the conscious drab, sometimes grainy and sedated look as intended seems replicated to a fine degree here.
Sound options are Cantonese (with some passages in Cambodian) Dolby Digital 5.1, Cantonese DTS 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 but as I'm not equipped with such a system, my assessment of this disc aspect will be left off this review.
The English subtitles are free from errors of the obvious kind and thankfully also translates written signs throughout. Traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles are also included.
Available in single and double disc editions, one aspect they share are the supplements found on the feature disc. Aside from trailers for Duel To The Death, Lethal Ninja and My Name Is Fame, we get an audio commentary (in Cantonese but with the same subtitle options as the movie) featuring director Soi Cheang, co-producer Sam Leong (also a director in his own right, most notably the recent Explosive City), the dvd supervisor known only as William as well as invited fans Ah Zip, Fayecat, Ryan and LittleSam. Presumably online names then but also not particularly big fans of the movie or its director (aside from one who has the good taste to name drop Diamond Hill towards the end). This creates a very odd and sometimes entertaining atmosphere as the director has to take on not only basic, inane questions but to honestly defend his work, something the good-spirited Soi Cheang gladly does without going bitter on us. Criticisms includes sound design, acting and the often debated ending.
Otherwise this well-flowing track covers good ground including working with the actors to get them to extreme levels, Sam Leong pointing out references to movies Soi Cheang perhaps unconsciously was channeling, working with the script across the writing team, deleted scenes, themes, character actions and one of the more highlighted items; the poor box-office reception in Hong Kong. The filmmakers show good awareness of what they were heading into, making an extreme film not suited for a general audience as well as turning down co-operation from China to avoid restrictions on their content. It's clear they are supporting local films and want support for local films but also like many other productions are looking for revenues overseas, including Japan. The subtitle translation ranges from good to barely coherent at times but overall this aspect of the track presents little problems.
The trailer for Dog Bite Dog opens the second disc and after making your subtitle choice in the set-up menu, first option Cut Lost Memories reveals a deleted scenes-reel lasting 8 minutes and 6 seconds. Largely extensions are contained in the 6 scenes at hand here though, including some superfluous events leading up to Edison Chen arriving at the restaurant, the cops detailing just how much Ti Wai cut loose on the taxi station among other things. A more mysterious introduction to the final reel plot twist was probably rightfully deleted but it's an interesting inclusion here because Cheang keeps us well in the dark despite. A documentary throwback sandwiched in between the Cambodia "romance" montage remains a mystifying concept though but as Joy Sales neglected to translate the on-screen text within this extension, its validity I'll remain open about.
Give Me Another Change (9 minutes, 9 seconds) gives a us a peek at shooting various scenes, including in the restaurant. This gives a small but interesting look into the physical strain of this particular production and the repetitious nature of filmmaking. NG Shots (1 minute, 34 seconds) follows immediately after, showcasing nothing amusing in the mistakes and flubbed lines on display.
My 2nd Language (3 minutes, 56 seconds) provides a lighthearted look at the English, Thai and Cambodian dialogue the various cast members had to learn to pronounce. Co-writer Matt Chow turns up and specifically coaches Lam Suet in preparation for his English lines. Photo Gallery (19 images) lets you have a temporary breather from the video supplements and contains the often dark, grimy movie stills that nicely set the tone for the film. The Funniest Video (17 minutes, 18 seconds) doesn't take itself too seriously but it's not just random silliness. Simply enough a pleasant look at the wait between filming and the often cheerful interaction between cast & crew.
The longest of the 2nd disc supplements is My View To The Film (66 minutes, 46 seconds). Still being less of a structured program and more like a video diary, Sam Lee does occasionally act as host while we also watch behind the scenes footage of the script being re-written on the spot, stunt work, how shooting can turn frustrating and creating the action choreography. Nice if not totally insightful stuff but some pieces are better than others. For instance we get an uninterrupted sight of Soi Cheang talking narrative with Edison Chen and the latter also sits down for a lengthy interview, talking about his career and aspirations. Chen as it turns out is a very modest, balanced guy and definitely comes off as someone wanting to improve in this field rather than being a pop star that happens to be doing movies. Short premiere footage at the end concludes the program.
The very last featurette called Battlefield (2 minutes, 56 seconds) sounds like it has a focus but is devoid of any. The crew expresses feelings of being in danger on a certain set and the finishing images concerns the opening ceremony of the shoot! In your dvd package you'll also find two postcards with stills from the movie. |