DTS-HD Master Audio English 2326 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2326 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Chinese 2218 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2218 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)

Extras:

• 117 Days: Production Journal (35:23) DD 2.0 @ 480i

• 20 Deleted Scenes (Mandarin) with optional subtitled commentary in Chinese & English (30:00) DD5.1 @ 480i

• Director's Feature Film Commentary

• 15 Making-of The Warlords Featurettes (38:40)
• The Warlords 117 Days: Production Journal (35:15)
• The Warlords: Behind the Scenes (17:40)
• 18 Deleted & Extended Scenes (27:15 + 29:25)
• HDNet: (3:36)

Megastar - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP vs. Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

The Film: 8  
The time is the middle nineteenth century during what is known as the Taiping Rebellion ­ a period of catastrophic loss of life from war and famine. Three men on different paths come together as blood brothers, sworn to protect each other, even from each other, in their mission to right the wrongs presented by their government.

The first of these is General Pang (Jet Li), whose army has just been obliterated in a single battle ­ he, by feigning death, the only survivor. Pang wanders aimlessly for a time until he is found and nursed back to health and life by Lian (Xu Jing Lei), a woman who happens upon him when he collapses.

Pang wakens to find Lian gone. He continues his wanderings until he finds himself in the company of bandits, led by Er-Hu (Andy Lau) and his second, Wu-Yang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Lian, it turns out, is Er-Hu's wife, and has attempted several times to leave the life, but always returns. It is not that she is mistreated in any way ­ far from it ­ but that she feels homeless, as do most all the people under Er-Hu's protection and, for that matter, everyone in China.

With the arrival of Pang, their bandit village is imbued with a fresh sense of dedication, courage and strength. The men of the village, now led by Pang, go off to join the army to fight the good fight, where they score victories while facing overwhelming odds. Such success comes at a cost, however ­ among them, the heartbreaking massacre of POWs at Suzhou. While the powers that be plot to use Pang and Er-Hu for their nefarious ends, betrayal lies in wait from an unexpected source.

Like Peter Chan's Perhaps Love before it, The Warlords is filled with passion and wisdom, but the narrative does not always support them ­ at least I felt not. This said, the power of the images and story and the performances by all the principals, especially Jet Li in a non martial arts role that will have you scratching your skin, are totally worth of the price of admission.

The Movie: 7
The Magnolia release is cut by some 13 minutes as compared to the MegaStar. It deletes some of the more aggressive violence, including flashes where child soldiers fall victim, and reorders a couple of the early scenes. Also cut from the original version is brief material that allows for more emotional reactions by the protagonists. Perhaps the American distributor felt this was a drag on the movie and wanted to get on with the action. My feeling is that these fragments help us feel the inner struggle of the characters.

The first large battle set piece (at about 30 minutes into the movie) is of particular interest: The death of a minor character is entirely excised from the action in the Magnolia, as are the reactions by the “warlords” during the battle. In this version, the battle moves quickly from the attack by foot soldiers, to the charge on horse, to the response by floods of arrows and canon. In the MegaStar version, many of the deaths are registered more intensely. In some cases, where in the American cut we see a lance only enter the body, in the original cut we might also see it come out the other side. Soldiers catch their breath before the next charge and react to the deaths of others more poignantly. Violence and death spurs on more of the same. We see how this unfolds in the MegaStar while the Magnolia contents itself with a rush of images, only their repeated shock affects the viewer.

Image: 8/9  NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
The first number indicates a relative level of excellence compared to other Blu-rays on a ten-point scale. The second number places this image along the full range of DVDs, including SD 480i.

With its desaturated color of alternating hues and foggy sharpness, Arthur Wong's cinematography suggests the antique look of musty nineteenth century photographs. Close-ups, on the other hand, have a reach out and touch it translucence to complexions. It's as if the director wants us to be involved in the act of bringing his characters to life in these close-ups after so many dreary-looking, though intensely dramatic action shots. For all its emphasis on war and brutality, if we fail to make a connection to the characters, all is lost. This is probably why the riveting (and relatively unknown to Western audiences) Xu Jinglei - a face that seems to express all of China's sadness, determination and checked passion - is always in sharp focus, as her character is intended to be the fulcrum between the three male leads.

Megastar - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP vs. Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

Megastar - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP vs. Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

Megastar - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP vs. Magnolia - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

Audio & Music: 9/8
Noise and more noise, then reflective dialogue, wandering, marching, imploring, and more noise: the noise of battle in every conceivable dimension that the nineteenth century could muster. Surrounds are used to good effect in some of the interiors, as when the three brothers meet with the elders and during the archery attack in one of the later battle scenes, though I can't say that I heard nearly the difference between DTS-HD & Dolby True as I did with the new reissue of Ghost in the Shell: Innocence. Bass is very powerful. Watch your LFE levels. Dialogue is clear in the uncompressed audio, which once again declares why I prefer the expressive musicality of Mandarin to the clipped rhythms of Cantonese.

Bottom line: 9
As usual for Peter Chan, this is a movie with all stops wide open. It's awesome to look at, magnificently scored, and compellingly acted. The Blu-ray is first rate, given its desaturated look.