Hard Boiled (UK)
As a cop, he has brains, brawn, and an instinct to kill
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 122 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
From John Woo, the Director of `Face Off` and `Broken Arrow`, comes this high-octane rollercoaster ride though the violent criminal underworld of Hong Kong.
Inspector Yuen, nicknamed `Tequila`, is a courageous cop who shoots from both hips, never reloads and never misses. A tough guy with a soft spot and infinite charm, Tequila is the only man for the job of cleaning up the city, and when his partner is killed in a spectacular shoot-out, he decides to take the investigation into his own lethal hands.
With a body count well into three figures, more firepower than you can shake an Uzi at, stylised adrenalin-pumping action sequences which make Hollywood blockbusters look like Bambi, this is Woo`s most outrageous flick to date.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Interview with Director John Woo
Original Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
Star Filmographies
Chow Yun Fat article
Film Reviews
Video Tracks:
Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 English
Directed By:
John Woo
Written By:
John Woo
Barry Wong
Starring:
Philip Chan
Tony Leung Chiu Wai
Philip Kwok
Teresa Mo
Yun-Fat Chow
Soundtrack By:
Michael Gibbs
Director of Photography:
Wing-Heng Wang
Editor:
David Wu
John Woo
Costume Designer:
Janet Chan
Production Designer:
James Leung
Producer:
Linda Kuk
Terence Chang
Amy Chin
Distributor:
Tartan Video
Your Opinions and Comments
Woo`s style is immediately noticeable in the film, and the film gets going straight away with a big.. well i`ll let you find out :-)
The DVD itself (at least the R2 version - i`m not sure about the R1) is a big disappointment however. It`s sad for such a brilliant film, that it`s presented in just Dolby Stereo, and full-frame pan`n`scan (ick!) format. The English dubbed audio track is awful, and about half a second off the action - but what makes it worse is that the original Cantonese soundtrack is not included.
Sadly, these shortcommings makes it a better idea to get the VHS version of this film, with it`s original soundtrack. There`s just no reason to justify buying the DVD version.
Why did Tartan feel it necessary to butcher such a great film, leaving DVD fans with such an appalling version?
This is not a film for the faint-hearted - I can`t remember seeing a film with such a high body-count - but the storyline with good cops, undercover cops, bad guys, double crosses and non-stop action is well executed (as are many of the characters!) and directed by a master of his genre.
Most of the action is fantastically stylised and it is immediately obvious where some latter-day western directors have got their inspiration from, not to mention some of the action sequences from Woo`s American offerings - Broken Arrow, Face/Off etc. As an action film, it`s non-stop from almost the first frame. Chow Yun Fat turns in an excellent performance as Tequila (a cop on the edge?) going after an arms smuggler. Things take a turn for the worse when his partner gets shot during a raid on a tea house used as a meeting place by the smugglers and the situation rapidly deteriorates from there.
According to an article included with the Criterion version of this DVD, this was Woo`s last film made in Hong Kong before he emigrated to America in 1992. He left behind the uncertainty of the hand-over of Hong Kong from Britain to the Chinese in 1997 and it would seem that the story played out by the main characters mirrors the feelings of the Hong Kong citizens of that time. Tequila, being the hero and defiantly representing the Hong Kong people and the gun-runners, making their own rules, representing the incoming Chinese.
Anyway, back to Tartan. Without exaggeration, this transfer is appalling. Pan-scan is bad, but the dubbed-only soundtrack is unforgivable considering the versatility of D"V"D. It`s disks like this that make people feel ripped-off when paying £15-£20 for a copy.
If you want to see this fim, there are two better ways than buying this DVD:
i Buy the Criterion Collection video (easily availible from HMV,Virgin etc). It is widescreen, original language and subtitled.
ii The more expensive, but ultimately more satisfying way is to get hold of a copy of the Criterion disk. However, this is not particularly simple. You have to find one of the disks - and they are now out-of-print (I would suggest ebay - that`s where I got mine). As they have been deleted, prepare to pay over the odds - anywhere from $50-$100 plus shipping - BUT IT IS WORTH IT. The print is clean and well-transferred, the sound is the original mono soundtrack with either subtitles, no subtitles or dubbed voice track and special features include an audio commentary by John Woo and Terence Chang (producer) and 11 trailers for Woo`s other Hong Kong films (some with the most amazing subtitles you`ve ever seen). One very major bonus though is that, (as with the Criterion edition of Life Of Brian) Hard Boiled is REGION FREE (or 0) - yup, plays on all players - so those with Region 2 players don`t have to miss out!! Thank Criterion for that.
PS: If you thought that $50-$100 was steep for a DVD, check out what copies of Woo`s The Killer now go for. Criterion again, deleted again - last seen going for $200-$250.
Now, where`s that visa card . . . . .