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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2021): Criterion have transferred the Johnnie To's Throw Down to Blu-ray. It is also described as being  a "4K digital restoration." The 1080P is pretty similar, both on dual-layered discs with max'ed out bitrates. The Criterion is slightly darker and the colors may be a bit richer and deeper (see the red noodle bowl and the balloon.) Still looks fabulous with the negligible upgrade.

Okay, with the audio transfer there is a more significant difference. Criterion go DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround. This is very impacting on the film presentation with fight scenes, the car performances etc. I can only suspect it is accurate (surround) or Criterion wouldn't have utilized it. It is immersive with a robust rendering exporting intense bass and discrete separations. Big plus. There are also optional English subtitles (see sample below) on this Region 'A' Blu-ray.

With the supplements Criterion duplicate the 40-minute interview with director Johnnie To and the 11-minute 2004 'making of' featuring To and actors Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok, Cherrie Ying, and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Criterion has no commentary but offers new interviews (totaling 50-minutes) with co-screenwriter Yau Nai-hoi, composer Peter Kam, and film scholars David Bordwell and Caroline Guo. I found the latter two revealing. Criterion add a liner notes booklet with an essay by film critic Sean Gilman.

BOTTOM LINE: the Criterion has the best HD presentation (small uptick in video and robust surround sound) but I loved the Masters of Cinema commentaries - particularly the new (2020) one by Frank Djeng. So they both have value. I thoroughly enjoyed Throw Down and can see why it is Johnnie To's personal favorite. It's not a full-on martial arts film - which probably conflicted with some viewers expectations, but it deals more with dreams, desires, achieving goals, being trapped by your circumstances etc. There are humanist subtexts that are very much in line with Kurosawa's cinema. I also loved the full use of the 2.35:1 frame by DoP Cheng Siu Keung. There is plenty to enjoy about Throw Down which shows the director's versatility, and subtle implementation of his craft. Both Blu-rays are recommended!        

***

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (June 2020): Masters of Cinema have transferred Johnnie To's Throw Down to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K restoration" and looks very impressive on a dual-layered Blu-ray with a max'ed out bitrate. The darker scenes have well-nuanced contrast and colors (neon lights, balloon, Judo placard etc.) appear strong with consistent depth. It looks beautiful utilizing the 2.35:1 widescreen very effectively. I was extremely pleased with the image quality.

NOTE: We have added 66 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Masters of Cinema use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original Cantonese (with some Japanese and Taiwanese) and an optional English DUB. The Judo fighting sequences don't have extensive effects but what is there carries depth. There is a score by Peter Kam (Perhaps Love, Isabella), with some performance singing from Mona (Cherrie Ying). It all sounds clean and crisp. Masters of Cinema offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray offers a older (15-years?) commentary by Ric Meyers and Frank Djeng that identifies some common Johnnie To signatures like everyone being a loner. I didn't think it had a great flow as they appeared to be on different wavelengths on what to discuss. I really enjoyed the NEW commentary by Frank Djeng, alone, as he covers many facets of the lesser exposed themes and identifies specific street locations in the film as well as Throw Down being To's homage to Kurosawa, and his favorite of his own films, Sanshiro Sugata (Kurosawa's first directorial feature) theme playing in the opening and further references to him throughout the film. he discusses the other perfumers and much more. It gave me a much stronger appreciation of Johnnie To and Throw Down. There is also a 40-minute interview with director Johnnie To where he discusses his intent, style and production. Also included are a 11-minute Making of Throw Down featurette, theatrical trailer and TV spots plus the package has a reversible sleeve and a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film.

The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray is another of their complete and excellent packages and the commentaries + booklet add another layer to the appreciation. We give this a strong recommendation!

Gary Tooze