Fortune Star

Region 3 - NTSC

Region 'A' - Blu-ray

2.31:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 8.42 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.45 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Fortune Star (Ultimate Collection)

Hong Kong Legends (Special Collector's Edition)

Blu-ray

Blu-ray

5.1 Dolby Digital Cantonese / 5.1 Dolby Digital English Dub

Edition Details:
• Commentary by Bey Logan and co-star Jon Benn.
• Interview with Andre Morgan (14:21)
• Interview with Jon Benn (4:26)
• Interview with Anders Nielsen (7:21)
• Reflections on the little dragon - Interviews (13:26)
• Trailers (Orginal Chinese and UK + HKL).
• 2 UK TV spots.
• 2 photo galleries (production, stills, posters, lobby cards..)
• Way of the Dragon - A Retrospective (text)
• Info of other HKL titles
 

Chapters 30

Release Information:
Studio: Kam & Ronson

In comparison to the Kam & Ronson Asian Blu-ray - this is a little different than the what we saw with The Big Boss and Fist Of Fury, in that Shout! Factory's The Way of the Dragon has a significantly more robust bitrate (is dual-layered) but is similar in that the US 1080P has cooler, and I feel more authentic, skin tones. I feel the higher bitrate manifests itself in the contrast which is marginally more layered and supports the detail a notch higher. Actually this appears more pronounced in-motion than in the static stills. Bottom line is that this Shout! Factory Blu-ray is superior visually and the best transfer of the film to date despite the sources inconsistencies

Shout! Factory go whole hog again with the audio options:

The surround bump on this sounds decent if not exhibiting modern-level crispness or range. Purists will appreciate the, original, mono tracks although it would have been preferential to have them lossless (LPCM.) There is a lot of fighting effects in The Way of the Dragon and they sounds very punchy (no pun) via the Mandarin DTS-HD Master. It was my choice when viewing and, although imperfections arise, I was reasonably pleased with the results.

We get yet another commentary by Hong Kong film expert Mike Leeder, plus (similar to the other Blus) Trailers, a lone US TV Spot, an alternate 'Title Sequence' (running 5-minutes) and a Stills Gallery. A video piece of celebrity interviews, same as found on the Kam & Ronson, includes Sammo Hung, Simon Yam and Wong Jing but runs a scant 4.5 minutes. New (I think) is a 21-minute piece entitled Kung Fu? Jon Benn Remembers the Shooting of the Film. The highlight is Leeder's commentary but there is value in the other bits and pieces - especially Jon Benn's.

Once again the Shout! Factory eclipses the other 1080P in every area - image, audio and extras.

***

ADDED: Kam & Ronson Blu-ray - January 2010: Well, it does look better - colors are richer, detail up a small notch, more grain (or what appears to be grain) and certainly darker and more film-like - whether the screen caps bear that out or not. Skin tones are slightly warmer. It's even more 'Asian' blue-green than the HK Legends. I have no reason to support or doubt that this is not more theatrically accurate representation. It looks the best I have seen the film anyhow - despite the modest Blu-ray single-layered transfer.

Audio is a step up too with a DTS-Master and TrueHD lossless track - respectively in original Cantonese and dubbed Mandarin - a shade sync-off on the English parts. Bruce Lee's kicks and punches crack a little crisper. There is minor separations to the rear speakers. There are also optional subtitles - English seems précised a bit - and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked (playable on North American machines).

Extras don't consist of much - the same 9-minutes of 'celebrity' interviews (really just sound-bytes) about Bruce Lee as found on the Fortune Star Bruce Lee boxset. There is also a photo gallery.

So, who should buy? Bruce Lee hardcore fans and those that haven't seen the film. Those who own the HK Legend DVD will have to have a pretty decent-to-discerning system to warrant the upgrade - although it is easily noticeable for the audio.

Gary W. Tooze

***

ON the DVDs: The image of Hong Kong Legend is slightly squeezed horizontally, about 1.5%, giving it 2.35:1 in AR.

This time around, Hong Kong Legend has the "eastern" greenish look, while Fortune Star is "western", almost the exact opposite of "Enter the Dragon". As both are almost identical in detail, Hong Kong Legends just looks a bit better.

Fortune Star has the original mono track, which is the one to chose. The 5.1 tracks have the added rear speaker sounds, which, at least on the Fortune Star, sound inserted.

In terms of extra, HK Legends wins again. A commentary by Bey Logan, three interviews and a bio. This is the DVD to go for.

 - Henrik Sylow