Kung fu legend Jet Li stars in HERO (now on Blu-ray, with three other martial arts classics!) - Read our reviews by JAMES PLATH
" Along with Hero, Miramax also debuts Blu-ray editions of Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman, The Legend of Drunken Master and Iron Monkey.
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How far would you go to become a hero?
One man will challenge an empire... This land doesn't know a real hero. Yet.
4 Martial Arts classics now available on Blu-ray!
HERO, IRON MONKEY, ZATOICHI: The Blind Swordsman, THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER
(available individually or in a boxed set)
Buena Vista's Miramax recently released four martial arts classic films on Blu-ray (Sept 15). Suggested retail price is $39.99 each ($44.99 for Hero), or $109.99 for the combined box set. The set includes various bonus features for each (see individual listings below for details).
For HERO, Miramax offers a new remastered transfer, and in addition to the Blu-ray edition, the studio also released the film separately in a new "Special Edition" DVD. HERO includes a bonus Digital Copy of the film (both on the single disc BD edition, and the 4-film BD collection).
Read the Synopsis of each film further below.
Review Links (all by JAMES PLATH):
• HERO —> Blu-ray »
• HERO —> DVD Special Edition »
• IRON MONKEY —> Blu-ray »
• ZATOICHI: The Blind Swordsman —> Blu-ray »
• THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER —> Blu-ray »
Film Synopsis: HERO
How far would you go to become a hero?
One man will challenge an empire... This land doesn't know a real hero. Yet.
In ancient times China was divided into seven kingdoms. Qin, the king of the northern province, is under permanent threat of assassination attempts. His greatest fears are the warriors "Broken Sword", "Flying Snow," and "Sky." One day one of the magistrates of his kingdom enters the palace, claims that he defeated all three of the emperor's adversaries, and tells his story; how he beat "Sky" in a duel and used the love between "Broken Sword" and "Flying Snow" to subdue them.
Master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino presents HERO (Ying xiong from China) - starring martial arts legend Jet Li in a visually stunning martial arts epic where a fearless warrior rises up to defy an empire and unite a nation! With supernatural skill, and no fear, a nameless soldier (Jet Li) embarks on a mission of revenge against the fearsome army that massacred his people. Now, to achieve the justice he seeks, he must take on the empire's most ruthless assassins and reach the enemy he has sworn to defeat! Acclaimed by critics and honored with numerous awards, Hero was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe!
Film Synopsis:
THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER
The action legend himself — Jackie Chan (Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour) — explodes across the screen in a power-packed adventure that critics agree captures some of the most incredible action stunts ever! When the British government is discovered smuggling precious Chinese artifacts out of the country, folklore hero Wong Fei Hong (Chan) uses his uniquely outlandish style of martial arts... Drunken Boxing... to fight the conspirators and salvage the valuables before it's too late! And the more Hong drinks, the more agile he becomes — able to fend off numerous attacks with unbelievable moves! With Chinese treasures and family pride on the line, Hong steps up to every challenge in this fun and unstoppable entertaining hit!
Film Synopsis:
IRON MONKEY
With sensational, nonstop martial arts excitement supplied by the acclaimed choreographer of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, IRON MONKEY is the spirited tale of a mysterious and mythical Chinese legend! In a desperate and unjust land, where government corruption rules the day, only one man - known as the Iron Monkey - has the courage to challenge the system and fight back. Under the shadow of night, in the silence before dawn, he fights to give hope to the poor and the oppressed. Although no one knows his name or where he comes from, his heroism makes him a living legend to the people... and a wanted man to the powers that be! Presented by Quentin Tarantino - don't miss the exhilarating action adventure that critics everywhere have called one of the greatest martial arts films of all time!
Film Synopsis:
ZATOICHI: The Blind Swordsman
Inventive and bold, this film shines with pristine picture and theater-quality sound on Blu-ray Disc. In an empire ruled by fear, the people's only hope is the ultimate weapon: Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano) -- a blind, nomadic samurai whose sword has made him a hero and whose courage has made him a legend. Determined to help the desperate residents of a village, Zatoichi seeks justice through revenge. It's a wildly entertaining film that's even more brilliant in Blu-ray High Definition.
Please Note - More details:
Be sure to check out the full details under related releases.
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Tacoloft
October 2007
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View profile »posters5
March 2002
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View profile »Love Hendrix!
June 2006
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View profile »Fans obviously dislike editing (of course!), and although these will be in high-definition (with Hero even receiving a new remastered transfer, for both BD and DVD), their sales success may depend on whether fans will get to own the uncut versions - ?
-JOE- (Love Hendrix!)
posters5
March 2002
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View profile »i reviewed all four movies (sd dvd) for dvdtown. i'm sure i mentioned some of the gripes in my reviews.
john and i wrote a joint review of "hero", and we're both hoping for the best with regards to the video transfer. having seen some asian dvds of "hero", it's quite obvious that the current miramax release has the brightness and colors all wrong.
Love Hendrix!
June 2006
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View profile »I told John recently, that when I rented the domestic DVD of Hero a few years back, what impressed me (in addition to the overall story presentation) was the outstanding DTS Surround soundtrack! It's so full and rich. Even the BOSE audio company has used portions of a brief scene in this movie as demonstration material to "show off" their stereo systems on TV infomercials (for years).
-JOE- (Love Hendrix!)
posters5
March 2002
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View profile »Love Hendrix!
June 2006
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View profile »I picked up "Flying Daggers" on BD (for $10) a few years back, and while the PCM surround audio is simply stunning, we all know the horror of the poorly mastered video! (actually requires you to increase the sharpness setting of your TV and/or BD player to compensate for the overly soft pic).
While Sony acknowledge the poor transfer, and even re-released The Fifth Element after numerous complains (for the same lousy mastering), the studio never did remaster "Flying Daggers" to my knowledge. And as you stated, it's an altered version.
From IMDB.com about the film:
--The US version has blood reduced or digitally painted out of some of the fight scenes.
--The UK version is cut by the BBFC by 18 seconds. The cuts were to remove three instances of real animal cruelty (in this case, three horsefalls) which would have fell foul of Animal Cruelty laws in the UK.
-JOE- (Love Hendrix!)