* Edition Details

- "A L'Epreuve du Temps" documentary (documentary is mostly in English with French subtitles. everything else is in French, or Cantonese with French subtitles)
- Alternate Scene
- Interview with Tony Leung
- Interview with Nicolas Saada
- Photo Gallery
- Filmographies
- Theatrical Trailer
- Promotional trailers
- Web link

Addition:

The Long Shong DVD is filled with problems - ghosting, severely cropped, hazy. It does sport an intermission where a color bar flashes for an instance and then a black screen, but not a reason to get this DVD in my opinion. It is filled with artifacts and the burned in dual subtitles are the final nail in the coffin. Add to that no Extra features and an appalling low bitrate. Take a pass.

NOTE about the Long Shong version: This is the only uncut version of John Woo's classic film, Hard Boiled, available on DVD. It features approximately 5 minutes of additional footage not found in any other DVD release, including the coveted Criterion DVD. The extended scenes include an extended hospital evacuation/shootout sequence. Please note that due to the distributor using a master that came in two parts, there is a gap on the DVD containing a black screen. All you have to do is fast forward through it.

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There are many fans of this film and, because of that, three of these editions at one time or another were OOP (Out of Print). Mei Ah have re-mastered their first effort and added 5.1 sound. All editions seem to have some issues. The TF1 Video edition has by far the best image, but most unfortunately no English subtitles (only French and an option for a French DUB). The new Mei Ah has no Extras worth speaking of, comes in a nice cardboard box, has flaws in the subtitles, is the only edition, aside from the TF1, that is anamorphic and the picture is slightly cropped and very saturated. Okay, the Criterion has the best Extras, is severely over-matted (cropped) and has the original Mono sound. The Fox - Lorber release is the best of the three English subtitled releases with the 'fullest' image (still miles away from the TF1 Video), a directors commentary and the original mono sound. I've read that the Mono sound is better than the 5.1/DTS offering on the Mei Ah - so our recommendation is quite scattered. TF1 for image, Mei Ah/TF1 for audio, Criterion for Extras. As a package with English subs, I would consider the Fox/Lorber.

NOTE: The Meh AI DVD is the only DVD that has an actual English translation of the Cantonese dialog.  The FOX and Criterion DVDs are dubtitles, which means they are based off the English dub.

  - Gary W. Tooze