Heroes Shed No Tears: Standard Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1984
Director: John Woo
Writers: Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Leung-Chun Chiu, John Woo
Cast: Eddy Ko, Lam Ching-ying, Philippe Loffredo, Cécile Le Bailly, Yuet-Sang Chin, Kam Kong Chow, Chau Sang Lau, Hye-suk Lee

Release Date: Feburary 17th, 2020
Approximate running time: 88 Minutes 24 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Remixed Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Remixed English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"A group of mercenaries are sent into the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’ to capture a drug baron, but nabbing him is the easy bit. He’s not going to go quietly: with both by gangsters and the army on the tail, this wild bunch is going to need all the help it can get…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information given about the transfer, "New 2K Remaster from The Original 35mm Negatives in 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio."

Heroes Shed No Tears comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45 GB

Feature: 23.5 GB (88 Minute Version), 16.1 GB (International Cut)

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Color saturation, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Remixed Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 Remixed English), 4.25.5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese)

This release comes with three audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese; a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese; and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. All three audio mixes sound great. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. Another strength of these mixes is how robust the action sequences sound, especially on the 5.1 tracks. Included with this release are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a English language trailer (1 minute 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a Cantonese language trailer (4 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Eddy Ko (19 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with removable English subtitles), Asian cinema expert Brandon Bentley examines the difference between the film we know today and John Woo’s original workprint in a featurette titled A Tale of Two Cuts (14 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Heroes Shed No Tears the International cut with classic English dub (85 minutes 4 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Brandon Bentley.

Summary:

Though John Woo had been directing for over a decade by the time that he had his breakout film, A Better Tomorrow, most of his films up to that point were either comedies or martial arts films. The only exception being Heroes Shed No Tears, a film he originally completed in 1984, but was only released two years later because of the success of A Better Tomorrow. That said, Heroes Shed No Tears has many elements that would serve as the foundation for the heroic bloodshed films for which John Woo is most known.

Besides heroic bloodshed films, another influence of Heroes Shed No Tears is the Vietnam War and mercenary films that proliferated in 1980’s action cinema in the USA. The narrative revolves around mercenaries who go to the Golden Triangle to capture a drug baron, and their frantic escape from that region. Along the way, they are faced with a series of attacks from those who want to free the drug baron.

From its opening moments, Heroes Shed No Tears establishes an intense atmosphere that holds for most of its narrative. With the only break in intensity occurring about an hour in, things take a weird tonal shift towards the erotic. That said, there are also a few moments where humor comes into play, like a scene where one character plays dead after robbing corpses, and another scene where another character gambles in the middle of nowhere in a deadly game that increases his chances of death.

The performances are great, especially Eddy Ko (The Bride with White Hair) in the role of Chan Chung, the leader of the mercenaries. He does a great job of fulfilling the role of protector. His wife and son are with him on this dangerous journey on which he saves another woman’s life. Another performance of note is that of Lam Ching-ying (Mr. Vampire) in the role of a ruthless Vietnamese colonel who is hell-bent on eliminating the mercenaries and freeing the drug baron.

From a production standpoint, Heroes Shed No Tears has way more positives than negatives. Most notably when it comes to the latter, the tonal shifts. Fortunately, the narrative as a whole is strong enough to overcome this shortcoming. And when it comes to the action sequences, John Woo once again delivers explosive set pieces. Ultimately, Heroes Shed No Tears is a well-made action film that foreshadows where John Woo was heading as a filmmaker.

88 Films gives Heroes Shed No Tears its best home video release to date, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer