Replacement Killers (Blu-ray)

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Video:
I don't have the standard DVD to compare this to, but the Blu-ray is pretty pristine. The 1080p picture is presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio, and the level of detail is very good. Nighttime scenes still hold plenty of detail, and bright interiors and exteriors are saturated with bright colors. Black levels are strong enough to keep dark scenes from simply looking grey or murky.

Audio:
Once again, the English PCM 5.1 uncompressed sound is awesome, and there are bullets zinging here and there and enough explosions per frame to make you appreciate all six channels. The bass is robust without vibrating too much, and the treble is rich. There's even an Italian PCM 5.1 track. Additional sound options are French, Italian, English, and Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.1, with as many subtitle options as there are rounds of ammunition: English, English SDH, Arabic, French, Korean, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Norwegian, Polish, Turkish, Hungarian, Swedish, Italian, Icelandic, Bulagarian, Slovene, Croatian, Romanian, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, and (of course) Chinese. All of which proves, maybe, that action violence has a universal appeal.

Extras:
When the extended cut came out on DVD, Eddie Feng complained that the extras weren't nearly as substantial as on the first release. That's the case here too, with only a routine making-of documentary and a short feature titled "Chow Yun-Fat Goes Hollywood." There's not much depth here, not much in the way of interesting anecdotes, and . . . well, there's just not much of anything. It's all fluff, all promo stuff.

Bottom Line:
Tonal inconsistency and a straightforward, familiar plot are the two major criticisms I have of this otherwise engaging film. But those negatives are offset by non-stop action, while the cinematography by Peter Lyons Collister and music by Harry Gregson-Williams are positively dripping with style. Add Sorvino's likeable character and decent chemistry between the stars, and it's hard not to be entertained by Chow's first Hollywood effort. Or maybe it just looks and sounds so darned good on Blu-ray that it´s hard to resist.