NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Radiance Blu-ray (July 2023): Radiance have transferred Benny Chan's A Moment of Romance to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative". While looking accurate the film rarely achieves a stellar appearance. The 1080P is clean with moments of dullness but occasional depth is showcased. There are decent black levels and consistent texture. Hopefully the screen captures below will give you an idea of the HD presentation.

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On their Blu-ray, Radiance use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original Cantonese (I think) language. There are a few sync issues. A Moment of Romance has many aggressive sequences from car/motorcycle chases, gratuitous gunfire and loud yelling. There is notable depth - sometime hollow - but impactful. The film's traditional-leaning score was by Ta-Yu Lo (Johnnie To's Election) including the theme "If the World Had Romance" sung by Shirley Yuen and "As If Heaven Has Love" performed by Fung-Ying Yuen. Audio may have some intentional vérité edges but supports the film well. Radiance offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Radiance Blu-ray offers an audio commentary by Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng. He is one of the best for this era of Hong Kong film remarking on this being Benny Chan's feature debut, Johnnie To and Ringo Lam credits as producers, Andy Lau, Jacklyn Wu Chien-lien and much more with detailed specifics of production, the film's strong reception and following. It is at his usual strong level. There is also a 2016 archival audio interview for 22-minutes with Benny Chan who discusses his start in the industry, A Moment of Romance, and his collaborators on the film. I enjoyed "In Love and Danger: HK Cinema Through A Moment of Romance", a new (2023) 26-minute visual essay by critic and Asian cinema expert David Desser on the genre tropes in A Moment of Romance and their use in Hong Kong cinema. Lastly are a trailer, the package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by 'Time Tomorrow' and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the iconic cast and crew by critic Sean Gilman; and a profile of Benny Chan by Tony Williams, co-editor of Hong Kong Neo Noir.

Benny Chan's A Moment of Romance is a lauded Hong Kong action-melodrama about a tough, cool, triad member and "good girl" rich heiress finding an inevitably doomed romance after he takes her hostage. Loving Jojo (Jacklyn Wu Chien-lien) doesn't redeem Wah (Andy Lau) soon enough but it's quite a ride. Action sequences can be brutal but effectively realized and character development is a key factor in the film's highly acclaimed status. Admittedly, I wasn't that keen on A Moment of Romance initially but the film grows on you if in exaggerated tones. The Radiance Blu-ray has introduced me to a thoroughly enjoyable film that I had only heard about, has an informative commentary, visual essay, interview, booklet in a nicely appointed package. An easy recommendation to those keen on Hong Kong films.

Gary Tooze