Review by Gary Tooze

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• 12-page liner notes booklet with photos and an essay by Aseem Chhabra

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Blu-ray Disc two / Part two

 

 

Description: Presented by Adi Shankar, producer of A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES, DREDD, LONE SURVIVOR, KILLING THEM SOFTLY and THE GREY.

From Guneet Monga, the producer of THE LUNCHBOX, the most successful foreign-language movie of 2014 to date in the U.S., GANGS OF WASSEYPUR is director/writer/producer Anurag Kashyap's ambitious and extraordinary blood-and-bullets fueled crime saga that charts seventy years in the lives and spectacular deaths of two mafia-like families fighting for control of the coal-mining town of Wasseypur, India. Inspired by the real-life exploits of local gangs and beginning with the bandit-like career of Shahid Khan (Jaideep Ahlawat) in the 1940s, the film follows the ruthless rise of his son Sardar (a brilliant Mano Bajpayee) and his offspring, the surreally-named Danish, Perpendicular and Definitive Khans and their numerous wives and girlfriends.

GANGS OF WASSEYPUR mirrors the tumultuous and explosive growth of modern India with ferocious cinematic intensity. As with Al Pacino's Michael Corleone in THE GODFATHER, it's the least likely of Sardar's children - the perpetually stoned Faizal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui)- who rises to the top ranks of the Khan crime family, vowing brutal revenge on their longtime nemesis, the wily and seemingly unstoppable Ramadhir Singh (Tigmanshu Dhulia). Composer Sneha Khanwalkar's stunning soundtrack ranks with legends like R.D. Burman, but don't expect Bollywood-style dance numbers: this is a movie that up-ends every expectation of what great Indian cinema should look (and sound) like.

Anurag Kashyap is known for his prolific and award-winning career in cinema, both as a director, screenwriter and as a producer. Among his noted directing credits are terrorist thriller BLACK FRIDAY, cult classic DEV D, and UGLY, which screened at Director's Fortnight at Cannes 2013 where he also received the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. His highly anticipated neo noir drama BOMBAY VELVET is set for worldwide release in 2015 via 20th Century Fox. Widely regarded as the driving force of India's new wave of filmmakers, Anurag also recently produced Michael Winterbottom's TRISHNA and Ritesh Batra's THE LUNCHBOX.

 

 

 

The Films:

Excerpt from Slant Magazine located HERE

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

Gangs of Wasseypur (parts 1 + 2) come to a package of 2 dual-layered Blu-rays from CineliciousPics. The image quality looks quite impressive via the 1080P resolution. Colors are bright and detail is at the high-end. Contrast shows some nice layering. Depth is frequently apparent. It looked amazing in-motion on my largest system. The visuals are often hypnotic - with a tinge of blue/teal-leaning. This Blu-ray image compliments the epic film and provides a flawless presentation. A beautiful, if occasionally brutal, film experience.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cinelicious use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at a healthy 4135 kbps in the original Hindi (slightly less robust on the second Blu-ray) with the option of a linear PCM 2.0 channel. The film has everything in terms of effects and aggressive action all sounding very rich in the lossless. There is separation in the surround and it, overall, sounds superior to the stereo. There is intense gunfire, rain, yelling - all with depth... and the film has plenty of narration. There may be a slight post sync issue or for all I know some of the actors are DUB'ed. I didn't find it bothersome in the least. The wonderful score is by Sneha Khanwalkar with beautiful, atmospheric, pieces like Jiya Tu, Keh ke lunga and plenty of traditional Indian songs (and instruments - it wouldn't be an Indian film without some musical numbers!) performed by Piyush Mishra, Sujeet (Gaya,) The Mushahar of Sundarpur etc. This is another positive for the presentation. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked disc as confirmed by the back cover.

Extras :

 

Blu-ray Disc one

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Wow. Gangs of Wasseypur is as good as you may have heard. A crime epic comparable to The Godfather trilogy, but with a culture that many may not have been exposed to. I intended to watch a one part and save the second for the next night, but I got caught-up and watched the entire 5+hours in one evening. The CineliciousPics Blu-ray package is solid - and what a fresh film to offer consumers. This isn't something you are likely to forget soon - and, like myself, you probably be surprised at how involved you get with the film. What a formidable experience! - one we can very strongly recommend! 

Gary Tooze

July 9th, 2015