7
Assassins (2013/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Film: B
7
Assassins is a thrilling Chinese film that has breathtaking
cinematography and production design and is a must if you are fans of
films like Hero and other films by director Hung Yan-yan. The
film has a very classical film to it much of the Golden Age of
filmmaking and is very similar to Akira Kurosawa's The Seven
Samurai. It's funny that once you look at the America cover
because it looks a lot like a Sin City knockoff in terms of
design where the film inside is quite different.
Boss
Cat (Eric Tsang) is a warrior who had participated in the Boxer
Rebellion. Cat is responsible for guarding Huang Jin Xia town, which
have gathered many revolutionaries around China. There, they do not
discuss about revolution nor care about politics and lead peaceful
lives there. Sai Lim (Gigi Leung), a woman who was rescued by Cat,
is oblivious that years ago, Cat not only rescued her and her child,
he also rescued her heart.
Revolutionary
Tit Wan (Felix Wong) and his like-minded comrades raid a dessert and
smuggle gold there, preparing to purchase firearms for another
uprising. During their way, they were ambushed by Moon Tin Hung (Ni
Hong Jie), the Prince of Pok Yee Kak. During the critical moment,
they were fortunately rescued by the sincere official Prefect Cheuk
(Ti Lung).
Cheuk
is visionary and believes that fate the country lies on Tit. Cheuk
arranges Tit to Huang Jin Xia to meet the heroic Boss Cat, but with
the arrival of Tit, Huang Jin Xia's peaceful environment was broken,
and the retired revolutionaries once again display their heroism and
fight for the dignity of the country. The film also boasts an
incredible cast featuring Eric Tsang, Guo Tao, Felix Wong, Well Lee,
Yu Oh-seong, Song Xiao Bao, and Gigi Leung to name a few.
Sound
and Picture on the disc look great for the standard DVD format,
however, the film could considerably benefit from a viewing on
Blu-ray disc. The anamorphic widescreen transfer features an aspect
ratio of 2.40:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track. No extras on
the disc except for previews of other Lionsgate releases,
unfortunately.
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James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
