Hand of Death: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1976
Director: John Woo
Writer: John Woo
Cast: Tan Tao-Liang, James Tien, Jackie Chan, Ching Chu, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Carter Wong

Release Date: May 9th, 2023
Approximate running time: 97 Minutes 7 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin (Remix), DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono English (Alternate Mix titled “Classic”), DTS-HD 5.1 English (DVD Dub)
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"After a traitor of the Shaolin temple, Shih Shao-Feng (James Tien, The Big Boss), has eliminated thousands of his former colleagues in exchange for power from the Manchus under the Qing dynasty, a surviving master of Shaolin, Yun Fei (Tan Tao-Liang), is tasked with the mission of bringing Shih to justice. In order to defeat Shih's overwhelmingly large army - led by the ruthless Tu Qing (Sammo Hung) - Yun Fei will need to team up with a skilled blacksmith (Jackie Chan) and a reluctant swordsman to beat the odds and avenge his fallen brothers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2K restoration from original film elements by Fortune Star."

Hand of Death comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.3 GB

Feature: 29 GB

The source for this transfer is in great shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, contrast and black levels look very good, details look crisp, and there are no issues with compression. That said, there are a few moments where the black levels are not as strong as they should be. The source used for this release's transfer is comparable to the source used for Eureka Video's Blu-ray transfer.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Stereo Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono English - Alternate Mix Titled "Classic"), 4/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin - Remix, DTS-HD 5.1 English - DVD Dub)

This release comes with five audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Mandarin, a DTS-HD stereo mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English (DVD Dub), and a DTS-HD mono mix in (an alternate mix titled "Classic"). All the audio mixes are in good shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. The sound effects and fight scenes sound robust, and range-wise, the differences between these audio mixes are minimal. Though the two DTS-HD 5.1 tracks sound good for remix tracks, at times they feel too spread out compared to the other three tracks. Included are English subtitles for the two Mandarin tracks, a second English subtitle track for the Cantonese language track, and a third English subtitle track for Mandarin text when watching the English language tracks. It should be noted that the English subtitles for the Mandarin and Cantonese language tracks can only be turned on and off via the menu and not while watching the movie.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (43 images - stills/lobby cards/posters/home video art), Mandarin language theatrical trailer (4 minutes, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate credits sequence under the title Countdown to Kung Fu (5 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), an archival with actor Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (5 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with John Woo and comments by cinematographer Peter Pau, and actor Chow Yun-Fat titled From Hong Kong to Hollywood (22 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Tan Tao-Liang with a newly filmed introduction by Michael Worth titled A Cool Conversation with Tan Tao-Liang (29 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth, reversible cover art, a double-sided fold-out poster (first pressing only), a slipcover (first pressing only), and a booklet (first pressing only) with cast & crew information, an essay written by William Blaik, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Hand of Death was written and directed by John Woo, who is most known for his heroic bloodshed films. Notable films directed by John Woo include A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II, The Killer, and Hard Boiled.

Revenge is a theme that dominates the martial arts genre. There are so many revenge-themed martial arts films that it would be impossible not to get a feeling of déjà vu watching them. That being said, Hand of Death falls into many of the same trappings that viewers of these types of films have become accustomed to. The way that John Woo handles these familiar elements is what ultimately distinguishes Hand of Death from other revenge-themed martial arts films.

When one thinks of John Woo films, they are remembered for their action set pieces. And though the action set pieces in Hand of Death are well executed, their leisurely pacing is in direct contrast with the frenetic pacing that has become synonymous with John Woo’s heroic bloodshed films. Fortunately, this contrast in style is not a deal breaker, and the result is an action-packed film that even the most die-hard John Woo fans should thoroughly enjoy.

Without a doubt, Hand of Death’s greatest asset is its superb cast. With Hand of Death’s most memorable performance being James Tien (Above the Law) in the role of this film’s main villain, a traitor named Shih Shao-Feng. Other notable performances include Jackie Chan (Police Story) in the role of a rebel fighter who joins forces with the protagonist and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (Eastern Condors) in the role of a henchman with an overbite.

Standout moments include the Shaolin massacre that opens the film and a scene where the protagonist’s impatience to get revenge puts his own life in peril. The last third of the film is wall-to-wall action where the protagonist, who’s assembled his own elite fighting crew, takes on Shih Shao-Feng and his eight bodyguards.

Though Arrow Video’s releases use a transfer that is comparable to Eureka Video’s releases, Arrow Video’s release shares three of the same audio tracks. It is in the extras department where Arrow Video’s release is noticeably stronger. Hand of Death gets an excellent release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer