Bad Blood Blu-ray

Bad Blood

 (2010)

Bad Blood Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
When the boss of a ruling Hong Kong triad is arrested and executed in China for counterfeiting money, mayhem ensues as the mob's leading contenders circle the throne.

For more about Bad Blood and the Bad Blood Blu-ray release, see the Bad Blood Blu-ray Review

Bad Blood Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, March 22, 2010

Written and directed by Dennis Law, "Mit moon" a.k.a "Bad Blood" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. The supplemental features on this disc include two trailers and two Makig of featurettes, one for "Bad Blood" and another for "Womb Ghosts". With optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles. Region-Free.

Andy On is hurt

Greed is what drives the main protagonists in Denis Law's latest film, Bad Blood, to kill each other. For years, most of them have been loyal to a powerful triad boss, Lok Cheung On (Cheung Sui-Fai, Throwdown), who has just been executed for counterfeiting money. Now, with no one to control them, Funky (Simon Yam, Election), Audrey (Bernice Liu), Hung (Ken Lo, Little Big Soldier), Kong (Xin Xin Xuong, Once Upon A Time In China And America), Zen (Chan Wai-Man, Lost In Time), Calf (Andy On, Mad Detective) and Jason (Lai Lok-yi) are planning to shake things up. Each of them hopes to become what their late boss was - a respected leader.

All of the contenders have histories that they are not proud of. Former partners, lovers, husbands and wives, they all believe that they have become targets, which is why they begin plotting how to eliminate those who they suspect would strike first.

Funky is the one most believe would become the next leader. He is incredibly arrogant and unafraid to kill anyone who questions him. During an official meeting where the will of the late boss is read, he makes it perfectly clear that he plans to take over the triad.

Hung, an aging gangster with a drinking problem, already has doubts that he could defeat Funky, which is why he eventually teams up with him. Shortly after, the two kill Jason, who has returned to Hong Kong after years of living away from the triad.

Calf is a quiet warrior who does not fear death. His mother, a retired hooker and one of the late boss' last mistresses, begs him not to confront Funky. But Calf does exactly the opposite - and gets killed by Audrey, Funky's ambitious sister.

Audrey also has a plan of her own. She is going to convince Funky to get rid of Hung, and when the time is right, kill her brother. She knows that Zen and Kong would quickly join her once word gets out that Funky has been eliminated.

Audrey's plan works, and she takes over the triad. Immediately after she is recognized by the country's leading triad bosses, however, a mute girl, Dumby (Jiang Luxia, Coweb), Calf's best friend, appears at her mansion seeking revenge. Audrey asks her bodyguards to stay away while she personally handles Dumby.

Since 2005, film director-producer Dennis Law has been an enormously busy man. He has produced Johnnie To's Election (2005), Election II (2006) and Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and To's co-project Triangle (2007), and even managed to direct a couple of strong genre pictures, Fatal Contact (2006) and Fatal Move (2008). As you could guess from the titles of the films Law has been involved with, he is primarily interested in working on action productions where the triads are the focus of attention.

Bad Blood continues the trend. This is a film with elaborate fight scenes and plenty of faces that you would typically see in other mainstream action productions. Its story is also fairly predictable, favoring style over substance.

For the impressive fight scenes, Law sought the expertise of stunt master Li Chung-chi, who has previously worked on a number of films starring Jackie Chan, including No More Mr. Nice Guy (1997), Rush Hour (1998), New Police Story (2004), and Robin-B-Hood (2006). Most recently, Chung-chi also contributed to To's Vengeance (2009).

Bad Blood Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dennis Law's Bad Blood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.

Aside from some very mild noise reduction and edge-enhancement that are easy to spot during selected scenes, Bad Blood looks strong. Skin tones are healthy and natural, contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film, and clarity pleasing - even during the nighttime fights. Macroblocking is never an issue of concern. Ringing, banding and other compression-related issues are nowhere to be seen. There are no stability issues that to report in this review either. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing cuts, debris, dirt, or stains while viewing the film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Bad Blood Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, Kam & Ronson Enterprises have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature.

The Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very pleasing. There is a good dose of activity in the surround channels, most notably during the prolonged fight scenes. The bass is strong, though not overpowering. The high frequencies are not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. I also did not detect any pops, cracks, or hiss to report in this review.

As expected, the Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 track is inferior. I tested a couple of the fight scenes with it, and the overall quality of the dynamics does not even come close to that of the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Bad Blood Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

Trailer - the theatrical trailer for Dennis Law's latest film, "Womb Ghost". In Cantonese, with imposed Traditional Chinese and English subtitles. (2 min, 480/60i).

Making of - a making of featurette for "Womb Ghost". In Cantonese, with imposed Traditional Chinese and English subtitles. (12 min, 480/60i).

Trailer - the theatrical trailer for "Bad Blood". In Cantonese, with imposed traditional Chinese and English subtitles. (3 min, 480/60i).

Making of - a making of featurette for "Bad Blood" containing plenty of raw footage from the shooting of the film, as well as comments from the cast and crew. In Cantonese, with imposed Traditional Chinese and English subtitles. (9 min, 480/60i).

Bad Blood Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

There is definitely more style than substance in Dennis Law's Bad Blood. However, the action is actually quite strong, which is probably why most of you would want to see this film in the first place. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises, looks and sounds good. It is also Region-Free. RENT IT.

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