Man on the Brink – Kani (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1981
Director: Alex Cheung
Writer: Alex Cheung
Cast: Eddie Chen, Ga Lun, Kam Hing Yin, Ada Fung, Ng Man-Tat

Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 101 Minutes 14 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $41.98

"Impatient with low-level police work, rookie cop Chui (Eddie Chen) recklessly accepts his superior’s offer to go undercover. With few ties and an ambiguous moral compass that soon starts to spin out of control, his life outside the underworld begins to crumble." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Man on the Brink comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 25.6 GB

There is no information provided about this transfer’s source. The source is in great shape. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is very good, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The Mandarin language track is the most robust of these three audio tracks, while the English language track lacks the range that the other two audio tracks have. That said, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced on all three tracks. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include 8mm shorts directed by Alex Cheung: Young Teddy & Alex Cheung from 1973 (1 minutes 17 seconds, DTS-HD mono with music, no dialog), Come Together music video from 1973 (5 minutes 21 seconds, no sound), C.I.D. Making Of, behind the scenes footage from a TV series that Alex Cheung worked on (1 minute 21 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Man on the Brink Making Of (14 minutes 8 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a 2019 Q&A post screening Talk with director Alex Cheung, Teddy Robin and filmmakers Teddy Chan, Gordon Chan, and Joe Cheung Tung-cho, and the real life undercover officer that inspired Ah Chui (65 minutes 13 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with Alex Cheung (40 minutes 122 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Alex Cheung and assistant director Teddy Chan, an audio commentary with film historian Frank Djeng, a spot gloss and embossed slipcover (limited to 2,000 units), and a 28-page booklet with an essay titled Cops and Robbers on the Brink: Alex Cheung, New Wave Crime Stylist written by John Charles, and archival photos.

Summary:

Directed by Alex Cheung, whose other notable films are Cops and Robbers and Chatter Street Killer.

The narrative revolves around an undercover cop who infiltrates the triads.

When one thinks of Hong Kong crime films, some of the first that come to mind are A Better Tomorrow and City on Fire. These films would push the boundaries of on-screen carnage with a hellfire of bullets. Then there are films that predate A Better Tomorrow and City on Fire, for example, Man on the Brink, that are more focused on the characters than operatic, violent set pieces. Also, aesthetically, Man on the Brink goes for a documentary vibe, where Hong Kong crime films that would dominate the latter half of the 1980s are known for their hyperrealism.

As mentioned, Man on the Brink is a character-driven film, with the main element that drives its narrative being its protagonist's conflicted feelings about his undercover assignment. And though his superiors have given him the green light to do whatever it takes to get the job done, including committing crimes, The longer he is undercover, the mental and psychic toll of his assignment starts to weigh him down like an albatross.

Going for a documentary vibe greatly suits the story at hand. It adds to the realism by fully engulfing you in the world being depicted. And though Man on the Brink does not have as much carnage as one has come to expect from Hong Kong crime films, when there are moments of violence, they are very effective.

Even when it comes to the performance, they are grounded in reality, and the entire cast is great in their roles. The standout performance is Eddie Chen (Devil Fetus) in the role of Ah Chui, a rule-breaking rookie cop who sees his only way of making a living is by going undercover. He delivers a rock-solid performance that perfectly captures his character's deteriorating state of mind as his life spirals out of control. The most memorable performance is Ng Man-Tat (A Moment of Romance) in the role of a psychopath triad gangster.

Something that seems all too common when watching Hong Kong films in this era is hearing music cues that were lifted from other films. In this case, there are music cues from Carrie and Rocky, and the soundtrack even features a few recognizable 1970s songs: On the Radio and Get Down Tonight.

If there is one area that is problematic about Man on the Brink, that would be its narrative, which has many instances where things start to drag. Fortunately, there are enough intense moments that these lulls are easy to look past, and everything culminates with a gut punch ending that puts an exclamation mark on the events that preceded. Ultimately, Man on the Brink is a must-see film if you're a fan of Hong Kong crime films.

Man on the Brink gets an exceptional release from Kani that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer