Divergence - Angelica Lee

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Divergence" or "Saam cha hau" )

directed by Benny Chan
Hong Kong 200

Cop Suen (Aaron Kwok) has been unable to get over the disappearance of his girlfriend (Anjelica Lee, THE EYE). When the witness he is escorting back from Canada is assassinated by Coke (Daniel Wu), Suen suspects businessman Yiu (Lo Ka-leung) whose accounts were frozen pending the witness testimony and who needs the money to pay off a debt to the triad (who may be behind the kidnap of Yiu's celebrity son) although lawyer To (Ekin Cheng) is always one step ahead of Suen's investigation. Suen is also distracted by the resemblance of To's wife (also Anjelica Lee) to his missing girlfriend. Director Benny Chan is in his element here; deftly balancing tense character scenes and energetic action scenes (and even switching gear during an emotionally wrenching slow-motion, tragically-scored multi-car pile up late in the film). CGI is well-utilized here and there is a great on-foot chase scene in the middle of the film. The plot itself is a bit convoluted (rather than complex) as it skips back and forth between the male principals but it does try to give context to their choices. The film suffers in its similarity (emphasized by the advertising) to the INFERNAL AFFAIRS trilogy but should be entertaining nonetheless for Chan fans (more so than his high-profile Jackie Chan collaboration ROBIN-B-HOOD).

Eric Cotenas

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Theatrical Release: 28 April 2005 (Hong Kong)

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DVD Review: Tartan Video (Tartan Asia Extreme) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Tartan Video Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:40:39
Video	2.30:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.74 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	Cantonese DTS 5.1; Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1; Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
Subtitles	English, Spanish, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.30:1 Edition Details: • DISC ONE: • Audio commentary by Producer/Director Benny Chan, and actors Aaron Kwok, Daniel Wu and Ekin Cheng (w • DISC TWO: • Making of DIVERGENCE (4:3; 15:19 - optional English or Spanish subtitles) • Trailer (4:3; 2:07; optional English or Spanish subtitles) • Gala Premiere (4:3; 2:07 - no subtitles) • Stills Gallery • Trailers for OLDBOY, SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, ANOTHER PUBLIC ENEMY, HEROIC DUO, and H DVD Release Date: January 30, 2007 Amaray Chapters 16

Comments

Tartan's 2 disc edition features an interlaced, anamorphic, dual-layer transfer with Cantonese DTS, Dobly Digital 5.1 and stereo downmixes as well as an English-subtitled commentary (English and Spanish subtitles are provided for the feature). The DTS track is highly recommended here (usually the Tartan DTS and Dolby 5.1 tracks sound very similar but the DTS track seems to have more presence here). Edge enhancement is present but the combing and ghosting are more distracting. Disc 2 is a DVD5 with 1.96 GB of content. The making-of, trailer (mislabeled "Original Korean Trailers" plural), and teaser have both English and Spanish subtitles selectable from the main menu.

The Gala Premiere footage is not subtitled. A stills gallery and trailers for other Tartan releases are also included. The HK 2 disc alternative has English subtitles for the feature and the commentary but reviews suggest the commentary subtitles are awkwardly translated although it may possess a superior image (the HK disc does have a DTS track). The UK disc also features the DTS track but lacks the commentary and is also an NTSC-PAL transfer. The Thai 2 disc sets feature the commentary, extras and DTS track but likely only subtitles the feature.

Some subtitles late in the film seem poorly synched and I thought it was an issue with the fast-paced dialogue but apparently Tartan were offering replacements of Disc 1 (I do not know if Palisades Tartan's stock is modified).

- Eric Cotenas

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