Confession of Pain Blu-ray

Confession of Pain

 (2006)

Confession of Pain Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
A detective helps a friend investigate the mysterious death of his father.

For more about Confession of Pain and the Confession of Pain Blu-ray release, see the Confession of Pain Blu-ray Review

Confession of Pain Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, February 23, 2010

Winner of the Best Cinematography award at the Hong Kong Film Awards as well as the Film of Merit award granted by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, Alan Mak and Lau Wai-keung's "Seung sing" a.k.a "Confession of Pain" (2006) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors MegaStar. The only supplemental features on the disc are a making of featurette and three theatrical trailers. With optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles. Region-Free.

Why me?

Here's a film that gets most everything right, looks good, yet it does not work all that well. It is about two Hong Kong cops struggling to come to terms with their past. During the course of the film, the cops also lose the women they love but under vastly different circumstances.

Bong (Takeshi Kaneshiro, House of Flying Daggers) is in a relationship with a woman, Rachel (Emme Wong), who he is convinced he does not deserve. He loves her so much that a part of him wants to let her go, give her a chance to love another man; someone that would be as good to her as she is with him. A part of Bong, however, wants to keep Rachel - no matter what - because if she leaves, his life would become meaningless.

Chief Hei (Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Happy Together) is a lucky man. Everything he ever wanted in life, he got - a beautiful wife (Xu Jinglei, Letter from an Unknown Woman), solid career, plenty of respect. He is a good cop, and his colleagues know it, but every once in awhile he would do things his way. Hei respects the law; he simply does not think that it is always as effective as it should be.

After an exhausting night at work, Bong heads home. He is so tired, he could barely think. He has just seen Hei beat up a serial rapist who had managed to evade the Police a number of times. Hei should not have touched the man, but Bong does not blame him. The rapist deserves everything he got.

At his apartment, Bong looks at Rachel lying in his bed. Perhaps, it is time that he talked to her and let her know how he feels. He gently kisses her - and freezes. Rachel has cut her wrists.

Fast-forward. Bong has become an alcoholic. He has a new friend (Shu Qi, If You Are The One), who sells beer in a local bar and likes teasing him when he is drunk. Occasionally, the girl would also let Bong spend the night at her place; all he needs to do is pay her. It is a strange relationship, but it works for both of them.

Hei is in a different universe - where he is madly in love with his wife. The two understand perfectly well why Bong drinks but still feel bad about him. After meeting Bong in a chic night club, Hei's wife asks him to help her find her father's killer. Bong agrees and things get messy.

I figured out where Confession of Pain was heading very early, but kept hoping for a major twist that would have proved me wrong. The twist never happened but to be honest with you, I did not feel cheated. On the contrary, I liked the casual tone of the film as well as the flawed main protagonists.

The acting is solid, the cinematography very strong, and the music score that compliments Confession of Pain lovely. Unfortunately, parts of the film simply do not blend together. Some would have been great for a high octane action thriller. Other would have been perfect for a moody neo-noir drama. I also felt that the beautiful Shu Qi was too happy amongst all the cheaters, killers and depressed alcoholics.

Written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong, the creative duo responsible for the award-winning Infernal Affairs, Confession of Pain looks to me a like a film made to please the masses rather than impress the serious film connoisseurs. It does not quite live up to its potential but it does not disappoint either. Give it a chance if you thought that the dark overtones in Infernal Affairs were too strong. This may just be the film you wanted to see.

In 2007, Confession of Pain won the Best Cinematography award (Lau Wai-keung and Lai Yiu-Fai) at the Hong Kong Film Awards as well as the Film of Merit award granted by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.

Confession of Pain Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alan Mak and Lau Wai-keung's Confession of Pain arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors MegaStar.

I liked the high-definition transfer a lot. It is not without a few minor flaws, but overall it looks quite good. Fine object detail is pleasing, clarity very good contrast levels consistent throughout the entire films. A few of the nighttime scenes reveal some mild digital noise, but I was certainly not distracted by it. Generally speaking, the color-scheme is excellent. Blues, greens, yellows, browns, blacks and whites look rich but never oversaturated. On the other hand, on two different occasions I noticed mild edge-enhancement creeping into the image. Still, the overall quality of the presentation is very good. For the record, I did not spot any disturbing flecks, scratches, cuts, debris, or stains to report in this review. (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).

Confession of Pain Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, Mega Star have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 is convincing. The surround channels are used intelligently, the bass is strong and the high-frequencies not overdone. Chan Kwong Wing's melancholic music score, in particular, benefits greatly from the loseless treatment. The dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks or hissings to report in this review. There are no serious balance issues either.

The Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 track feels rather flat. I tested four different scenes where Chan Kwong Wing's soundtrack is very prominent, and suffice to say, my experience with it was not at all comparable to the one I had with the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track. Indeed, the dynamic amplitude of the Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 track is substantially weaker.

Confession of Pain Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

Making of - a standard featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film and interviews with the cast and crew. Unfortunately, English subtitles are not provided for it. (15 min, 480/60i).

Trailers - three different trailers for the film. In Cantonese, with optional Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and English subtitles (only for the third trailer). (1080p).

Confession of Pain Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

I enjoyed Alan Mak and Lau Wai-keung's Confession of Pain. It is not a particularly original film, but the acting is very strong and the cinematography excellent. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors MegaStar, looks and sounds good. RECOMMENDED.

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