Out
Of The Inferno (2013 aka Out Of Inferno/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Film: C
From
the Pang Brothers, who previous brought the Kristen Stewart-led
supernatural thriller The Messengers and Bangkok Dangerous,
comes the new Hong Kong fire-fighter thriller that essentially takes
Ron Howard's Backdraft and makes it a B-movie. Obviously shot
in 3D, many of Out Of The Inferno's (2013) key sequences are
plugged in with poor effects shots like digital fire (though some
real fire was used) and other poor digital exterior effects shots
that completely took me out of the story. Though released in China
in 2013, the film is just now seeing its way to disc in North
America.
The
film stars Ching Wan Lau (aka Sean Lau), Louis Koo, Angelica Lee,
Sicheng Chen, Natalie Tong, Sui-Fai Cheung, and Qiaqiao Jin.
Two
brothers are training to be fire fighters when one of them fails the
test. Many years later, one brother is a firefighter who never sees
his pregnant wife and the other is a successful businessman with a
huge tower he works in. On the hottest day in 50 years, a serious
fire breaks out at the bottom of the tower and the building is forced
to evacuate, each floor with its own side characters equipped with
their own inner drama and hidden motives. Its up to a group of fire
fighters, including the two brothers. to save the lives and escape
before the building crumbles.
Aside
from some bad visual effects, the film also suffers from a
predictable story and a bit too much focus away from some of the main
characters and more on the sub-characters, all of which easily fit
into standard character archetypes.
Presented
in standard definition with a widescreen anamorphic aspect ratio of
1.78:1 and a lossy Chinese Dolby Digital 5.1 track with English
subtitles, the film looks fine on the DVD format but could benefit to
high definition, though that would show the bad shots in a worse
light. A Digital Copy is also included.
Extras
include Making Out of the Inferno and a Trailer Gallery.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
