A Man Called Hero – Vinegar Syndrome Archive (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1999
Director: Andrew Lau
Writer: Manfred Wong
Cast: Ekin Cheng, Shu Qi, Kristy Yang, Nicholas Tse, Yuen Biao, Jerry Lamb, Dion Lam, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, Ken Lo, Francis Ng, Elvis Tsui

Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 116 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, DTS-HD Stereo English, Dolby Digital Stereo Mandarin
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $44.98

"Hero is a gifted martial artist who is honored to be chosen for training by his mentor, Pride. Upon arriving home to tell his family about this achievement, Hero discovers that his parents have been murdered by a group of foreign gangsters. Hero then uses his family's mystical red sword to exact revenge on his parents' killers. Now a wanted man, Hero is forced to leave behind his lover Jade and his best friend Sheng in order to start a new life in America. 16 years later, Sheng and Hero's now grown son, Sword, travel to 1930s New York City in search of him. Sword learns of his father's time in America through a series of stories told by those that knew Hero best. However, now in this new land, Sword undergoes some of the same treatment as his father and is forced to face many new enemies, such as violent gangsters and racist mine workers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly restored by Vinegar Syndrome from an existing studio master".

A Man Called Hero comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.9 GB

Feature: 34.7 GB

This transfer's source is in excellent shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels are strong. Also, there do not appear to be any issues related to digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Stereo English), 3.75/5 (Dolby Digital Stereo Mandarin)

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English, and a Dolby Digital stereo mix in Mandarin. The Cantonese language is the strongest of the three audio tracks; it offers the most dynamic audio experience, range-wise. The English language track sounds great range-wise, while the Mandarin language track is easily the weakest of these three audio tracks. That said, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track, removable English SDH for the Cantonese language track, removable English SDH for the English language track, and a removable English subtitle for Cantonese dialog when the English language version.

Extras:

Extras for this release a video essay by Justin Decloux titled A Blood Sword in the Road: A Man Called Hero’s Place in Hong Kong Cinema’s Action Movie Landscape (17 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Frank Djeng, reversible cover art, a bottom loading VHS inspired slipcase, and a double-sided poster.

Summary:

Directed by Andrew Lau, whose other notable films are The Storm Riders, the Young and Dangerous Films series, and the Infernal Affairs trilogy. A Man Called Hero was adapted from the Wuxia Manhua series Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword, created by Ma Wing-shing.

The narrative revolves around a gifted martial artist who flees Hong Kong after he kills the man who murdered his parents.

The premise follows the familiar comic hero backstory of a traumatic event that transforms the protagonist into the hero they become; in this case, the event was the killing of his parents. And when it comes to backstory, A Man Called Hero scores high marks across the board as several key characters beside the protagonist have their backstory fleshed out.

Though the narrative follows a predictable story arch for its protagonist, The result is a narrative that ultimately succeeds because of how effectively it balances action and exposition moments. Also, when it comes to the action sequences, the bulk of them are great, especially a scene that introduces Yuen Biao’s (The Prodigal Son) character Boss of China House. That said, the action sequences rely heavily on CGI, and they do not have the look that one comes to expect from Hong Kong martial arts cinema of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

A Man Called Hero has a solid cast, and they are all great in their roles, especially Ekin Cheng (Tokyo Raiders), who portrays the protagonist, Hero Hua. Not only does he deliver when it comes to the action sequences, he more than holds his own in the more dramatic moments. Another standout performance is Shu Qi (So Close), who portrays a ninja assassin. Other notable cast members are Nicholas Tse (Beast Stalker) in the role of the protagonist's son, Sword Hua, and Anthony Wong Chau-sang (Taxi Hunter) in the role of the protagonist's mentor, Pride.

From a production standpoint, the positives far outweigh any of the negatives. A Man Called Hero was made during a transitional time for Hong Kong cinema, and though it embraces things like CGI, this is one area where those who do not enjoy A Man Called Hero had the biggest issue with this film. That said, A Man Called Hero is a beautifully photographed film that takes full advantage of the 2.35:1 scope frame, and Andrew Lau’s solid direction ensures that there is never a dull moment. Ultimately, A Man Called Hero is a very satisfying mix of fantasy, action, and melodrama that fans of Wuxia films should thoroughly enjoy.

A Man Called Hero gets a first-rate release from Vinegar Syndrome Archive that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer