Meltdown (High Risk) – Sony Pictures (DVD)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1995
Director: Wong Jing
Writer: Wong Jing
Cast: Jet Li, Chingmy Yau, Charlie Yeung, Yang Chung-hsien, Jacky Cheung, Wu Ma, Valerie Chow

Release Date: May 13th, 2001
Approximate Running Time: 100 Minutes 56 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen & 4:3 Aspect Ratio
Rating: R
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Stereo English, Dolby Digital Stereo French
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: OOP

“After failing to save his wife the evil ‘Doctor’, Kit Li (Jet Li: Romeo Must Die, The Black Mask) takes a job working as a bodyguard for the world famous actor Frankie Lane. But history repeats itself and Kit is forced to confront his past when The Doctor and his gang take over a luxury hotel in an attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of Russia on exhibition there. Surrounded by the ruthless gangsters and with only his bare hands to protect him and the hostages, Kit must seek his own brand of vengeance." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 2/5

Meltdown (High Risk) comes of a single layer DVD.

Disc Size: 4 GB

Though a lot of DVDs look poor by today's standards, this DVD transfer was mediocre when it was released. There is mild print debris, image clarity is generally strong, and there are compression-related issues.

Audio: 2.5/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Stereo English)

This release comes with three audio options, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English, and a Dolby Digital stereo mix in French. For this review, I only listened to the English language tracks. The 5.1 audio track sounds too spread out when compared to the stereo audio track, and both tracks leave room for improvement when it comes to range. Fortunately, dialog comes through clearly enough to follow. Included are removable English SDH and Spanish subtitles, and there are burnt-in English subtitles for Cantonese text.

Extras:

Extras for this release include talent files for Wong Jing, Jet Li, Jacky Cheung, and Charlie Yeung, a photo gallery with Jet Li trivia, and a trailer (1 minute 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include trailers for Once Upon a Time in China, Red Dragon, Gorgeous, and The Prisoner.

Summary:

Directed by Wong Jing, a prolific producer and director who is now into his fifth decade of making cinema in Hong Kong. Anyone who's familiar with Hong Kong's heyday of the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s is sure to have seen one of his films. And though he often takes on the role of producer, most films he is associated with have his distinctive bombastic style.

A former police officer who worked in the bomb squad now works as a bodyguard and stunt double for an action movie star. The man responsible for his wife's tragic death crossed paths with him, thrusting him into the spotlight despite his efforts to stay in the background.

Meltdown (High Risk) is a sendup of Hollywood films like Speed and Die Hard through the lens of Hong Kong cinema. Reportedly, Meltdown (High Risk) is Wong Jing’s negative response to working with Jackie Chan on City Hunter. The character Frankie Lone in Meltdown (High Risk) is a mix of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee.

Meltdown (High Risk) is all about action, with most exposure thrown in as an afterthought. The narrative is a bare bones good versus evil scenario that features stereotype villains that are over the top and then some. Despite an anemic narrative, pacing is never an issue as things move at breakneck momentum with each action sequence topping the next.

When it comes to the action sequences and stunts, Meltdown (High Risk) does not disappoint. And though there are moments where Jet Li gets to show off his martial arts prowess, most of the action set pieces are shoutouts. In the most ridiculous action sequences, the protagonist enters a hotel lobby, gets in a car, drives in a circle shooting an AK-47 at the bad guys, and then takes the car up an elevator.

When it comes to the performances, they work well within the story that unfolds. The most memorable performance is Kelvin Wong’s (Supercop) portrayal of The Doctor, the leader and mastermind behind a criminal gang responsible for the protagonist's wife's death. He delivers a deliriously over-the-top performance that perfectly captures his character's megalomania. Unfortunately, Chingmy Yau (Naked Killer) is not given much to work with in her role as an investigative reporter.

Though Jet Li is the main draw of Meltdown (High Risk), it is really Wong Jing’s show. Throughout Meltdown (High Risk), it's filled with elements that are synonymous with the films of Wong Jing. His use of subversive humor, including pop culture references, and his favoring of styles of substance are on full display. Ultimately, Meltdown (High Risk) is a highly entertaining film that does a superb job mixing action and humor.

Meltdown (High Risk) is begging for an HD upgrade over this ancient audio/video presentation.

Written by Michael Den Boer