Hand of Death

Discuss releases from Arrow and the films on them.

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yoloswegmaster
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:57 pm

Hand of Death

#1 Post by yoloswegmaster » Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:59 am

Image

Limited Edition Contents:
  • 2K restoration from original film elements by Fortune Star
  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray transfer
  • Original lossless Mandarin and English mono, plus Cantonese stereo and 5.1 remixes in Mandarin and English
  • Optional English subtitles
  • Brand new feature commentary by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
  • From Hong Kong to Hollywood, an archive featurette on John Woo's early career, including interviews with Woo, Chow Yun-fat and Peter Lau
  • Never-before-seen archive interview with star Tan Tao-Liang, filmed by his former student Michael Worth
  • Archive interview with co-star Sammo Hung
  • Alternate credits sequence, as Countdown to Kung Fu
  • Trailer gallery
  • Image gallery
  • Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
  • Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing by film programmer William Blaik
  • Limited Edition slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch

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yoloswegmaster
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:57 pm

Re: Hand of Death

#2 Post by yoloswegmaster » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:00 am

Here is my post from last year about the film:
yoloswegmaster wrote:
Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:17 pm

However, I find 'Hand of Death' to be the weakest film from Woo that I've seen (I haven't been able to watch any of the other early non-action titles that Woo directed in the early-80s). Not that it's bad or anything but it's pretty much like every other martial arts title from the time period in that it doesn't really do much to stand itself apart in terms of the story and themes, and while the action sequences are good, they aren't anything spectacular. However, it might be worth watching once just to see some early appearances from Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung (who I believe was the fight coordinator for the film, and has a set of gnarly teeth!), and it might be worth checking out just to see the beginning of John Woo's career and see how he was able to work on his directing skills and hone his craft before he made it big with his Heroic Bloodshed titles.

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