Black Mask Blu-ray features poor video and solid audio in this poor Blu-ray release
Director Daniel Lee makes his feature film debut with this Jet Li (Lethal Weapon 4) vehicle. Li,
who made his American debut in Weapon, is an internationally renowned martial arts master
who has starred in dozens of Chinese chop-socky films. Here he plays a superhuman soldier
with the 701 Squad who goes by the name of the Black Mask. Undercover in Hong Kong, he
collaborates with the police to solve a series of murders.
The government scientists had taken away our sense of pain, our fear, our feelings, much of
what it meant to be human. Now they wanted our lives.
Black Mask is a rather silly yet oddly entertaining 1996 Hong Kong action extravaganza,
framed by a rather quirky story that takes some of its cues from the 1992 Jean-Claude Van
Damme/Dolph Lundgren American action flick Universal Solider.
Directed by Daniel Lee, Black Mask doesn't have much of a plot. It relies on some
high-flying, old-fashioned action sequences, these replete with plenty of blood, explosions, bullets,
mayhem, and, of course, the martial arts expertise of international superstar Jet Li (War). Frankly, I had
no idea what to expect from this movie as I nestled into my couch and
turned out the lights to give it a spin. While neither gripping nor meaningful, nor emotionally or
psychologically fulfilling, Black Mask does offer action
lovers a reprieve from the doldrums of American Action like Maximum Risk or 7 Seconds, or even
the aforementioned War. Black
Mask is neither decidedly superior nor inferior to any of those movies; it settles
somewhere right in the middle of the pack when it comes to everyday action flicks that gather
dust at the corner video store.
My sideburns? After this shot, I have an audition to be the first Hong Kong James T. Kirk.
Simon (Li) is a 30-year-old librarian by day and masked crusader by night. A product of a
government experiment to create a super solider impervious to pain at the height of a drug war
between China and Hong Kong, Simon was scheduled to be terminated along with his fellow
"701s"
once it became clear they were uncontrollable. Simon escaped his execution and fled to a new
life, one amidst the comfort found in the stacks at the local library, where he plugs away
alongside an eclectic group of co-workers, including
the attractive Tracy Lee (Karen Monk). Simon's friend Rock (Lau Ching Wan), a police detective,
has recently begun investigating a series of murders and bizarre attacks. When Simon surmises
that the attacks his friend is investigating may be linked to members of his former 701 unit, all of
whom he thought decommissioned, he springs into action as the super hero "Black Mask."
That's your basic plot, and it serves no other purpose than to have some frame of reference
around which to build the film's interesting yet goofy action sequences. Black Mask
features comic book violence and over the top action. It's a blast to watch but don't a expect a
life-changing experience or a film that will challenge your mental acuity. We have some
ridiculously silly sequences, like doctors removing a bomb from someone's chest with wires
mistaken for arteries. The scene still remains a bit tense and entertaining, but in a mindless,
laugh-out-loud sort of way. Violence and gore are to be found aplenty. For example, a super
solider simply chops off his own hand to escape a handcuff, and then continues on with the fight
as if nothing had happened. Simon will use compact discs against
enemies as if they were saw blades (though it just doesn't have the same effect as when John
Matrix used the real thing to scalp a bad guy in Commando). Bullets
rain down from every direction. If there is a brief lag between explosions and bedlam, it only
serves to point out an extraneous bit of plot or character development. Black Mask also
relies on
real-life stunts to wow audiences, even if it means some plainly visible wires holding up
characters. It's all in good fun and is gloriously entertaining, but it's also vapid and not worth
watching more than once, especially considering its thin plot and the fact that the film engenders
in its audience not one ounce of sympathy for the characters. They're all there to do their jobs
and nothing more, which, in a way, is kind of refreshing.
Black Mask arrives on Blu-ray with the old MPEG-2 video codec. Framed at 1.85:1 and
presented in 1080p high definition, Black Mask offers a subpar high definition experience
and will probably rank near the bottom of discs you would use to show off your home theater's
Blu-ray capabilities. Pops and speckles are seen all over the print. Black levels and flesh tones
are moderately good, but definitely lacking. The image is flat and uninspired with some shots
exhibiting a rather heavy amount of grain, while others look like there is a layer of fog over the
movie. The transfer offers just enough detail and sharpness to appear to be high definition at a
glance, but that's about it. Colors are a bit dull, but the transfer gives no hints that it could look
a whole lot better than it does here. Having never seen the film before, and barely knowing of its
existence before today, I can only surmise what's going on here, but it does look like the film is
intentionally dull and poorly lit in many shots. It doesn't look all that good next to something like
Saawariya (then
again, what does?) or even a mediocre Blu-ray transfer like The Perfect Storm,
but it has its moments and I suspect fans of the film who know the material inside and out will
not be too disappointed with this one as it still looks a bit better than your average unconverted
DVD, taking into consideration its generally dark and drab nature.
Lionsgate goes all-out with the audio, bringing Black Mask to Blu-ray with an English
DTS-HD MA 7.1 surround sound lossless audio track. Please note that this track is a dub and is
the
only audio option available. It seems a nice opportunity was missed by not including the original
language track, and limited research suggests that this track features different music as well.
Purists will probably want to avoid this one, but in any case, the full-fledged 7.1 dub offers some
tasty sonic moments sure to work your home theater system hard. This audio is dynamic and
intense. We are treated to a fantastic barrage of action sequences throughout the movie,
beginning
after the first minute or so and never relenting. The first of such scenes features loud and
powerful gun shots that come from every direction, and heavy explosions that create a low
frequency presence. Each subsequent action sequence is just as dynamic. There are times when
this one seems loud just for the
sake of being loud, sacrificing clarity and definition for volume. Discrete effects are often found in
various speakers across the soundstage, but there is a gimmicky feel to some of it. The track
does create a nice atmosphere in many scenes, with solid ambience that surrounds the viewer
with some niceties that increase the quality of the track. The dubbed dialogue is clear and
intelligible. While this may not be the best defined or more precise track of all
time, it fits the material perfectly, is a blast to listen to, and its over-the-top sound design suits
the film perfectly.
Black Mask fans will be disappointed by the miniscule quantity and low-grade
supplements found on this disc. Wushu Technique is nothing more than a text-based
paragraph describing Wushu. Wushu in Action is a series of nine clips from the movie, and
oddly enough, the sound is downgraded to Dolby Digital 2.0. Black Mask Trivia Game asks a
series of multiple-choice questions about fighting techniques. Finally, the usual assortment of
Lionsgate trailers is available, including Bangkok Dangerous, Forbidden Kingdom,
War, and that old
Lionsgate standby, Crank.
Black Mask fails to make a name for itself amidst the constant barrage of action movies
released around the world on a weekly basis, but for those who enjoy a decent, blood-soaked, and
loud movie, this one
fits the bill nicely. Jet Li is always fun to watch, and while his co-stars play second fiddle and don't
impress, they're good enough to move the story along, which is all that really seems to matter
with Black Mask. Lionsgate, a studio on the upswing of late with some top-notch Blu-ray
discs to their credit, falters on this one. Released with the old MPEG-2 video codec, the transfer is
remarkably dull and boring, offering little in the way of high definition eye candy. Likewise, while
the audio track is loud and immersive, the lack of the original language track is a major
disappointment. Rounding out a rather poor package is a set of throwaway extras. Unless you're a
diehard fan of Hong Kong action, Black Mask is a rental at best.
