5 Star

From the Master John Woo.

After making his name in the Hong Kong action genre with A Better Tomorrow, A Better Tomorrow II and The Killer, John Woo (Hard Boiled, Last Hurrah For Chivalry & Hand Of Death), he brought us the semiautobiographical Bullet in the Head. He writes, produces, directs, and edits this action masterpiece. Now Arrow Video bring us the definitive three disk 4K UHD Limited edition (See details below). This release is a must for Gun-Fu, action, war, John Woo fans, and it should be in your 4K collection.

Hong Kong 1967 and three young friends spend their time eating, drinking, and fighting local gangs. These friends are Ben (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Where the Wind Blows, Hard Boiled), Paul (Waise Lee, A Better Tomorrow. The Big Heat) (Tom, in the dubbed version), and Frank (Jacky Cheung, Once Upon A Time In China, As Tears Go By), they do all this to the cheerful tune of ‘I’m a Believer’.

In-between fights Ben is in love with Jane (Fennie Yuen, THE ROYAL TRAMP, Swordsman) (Carol in the dubbed version) and as they get engaged, there must be a party, and Frank takes out a loan to pay for it, but on his way to the party he is caught by the rival gang run by Ringo (Paco Yick, Police Story, Winners and Sinners), and given a severe beating, but he manages to keep hold of the money and make it to the party. Ben notices that he is not on his usual form, Frank cannot hide the blood from his head wound. After being patched up Ben and Frank go to find and take revenge out on Ringo, the fight ends with a deceased Ringo.

They all agree that the only solution is to flee the country, they are told that Vietnam is the place to make money and a name for yourself. They are given a car and a load of contraband and told to go see Vietnamese gangster named Leong (Chung Lam, The Iceman Cometh, A Better Tomorrow II). This does not go down well with Jane, she washes her hands of her new fiancé.

We get engaged, and you kill someone on our first night.

With bags packed and a contact to meet the three ‘brothers’ set off with thoughts of a brighter future.

But wait, this is 1967 Vietnam and the Vietcong are not happy with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and the guys first impression of Vietnam is marred by a suicide bomber destroying their valuable contraband, and their handling by the army who take no prisoners when it comes to the Vietcong.

A Bullet in the Head, is all about brotherhood and how events strain and maybe break under extreme conditions. Now that it is in 4K this one heck of an experience, brought to you by John Woo and Arrow Video.

Bullet in the Head Limited Edition 4K UHD is available on Blu-ray [Region Free]

 

 

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Reversible sleeve and double-sided fold out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
Six postcard-sized reproduction artcards
Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet featuring new writing on the film by critics Priscilla Page and Sean Gilman, archival writing by critic Arnaud Bordas and an excerpt from an interview with John Woo conducted by Stéphane Moïssakis
DISC ONE – THEATRICAL CUT (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut
Original lossless Cantonese mono and Dolby Atmos audio, and lossless English mono audio
Optional newly translated English subtitles for the Cantonese audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English audio
Brand-new audio commentary by film critic and Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng
Deleted and extended scenes
Alternate boardroom ending
Alternate English opening and closing credits
Cantonese and English trailers
Image gallery
DISC TWO – FESTIVAL CUT (BLU-RAY)

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of the Festival Cut
Original Cantonese lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles
Extended Festival Cut, including footage previously exclusive to the Theatrical Cut
Option to play with the alternate boardroom ending
DISC THREE – EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

Brilliance with a Bullet, a brand-new interview with director John Woo
The Long-Suffering Siu-Chun, a brand new interview with actor Fennie Yuen
Head Case!, a brand-new interview with actor Waise Lee
Army of One, a brand-new interview with regular John Woo collaborator Terence Chang
Apocalypse Woo, a brand-new interview with editor David Wu
Tumultuous Times, a brand-new interview with associate producer Catherine Lau
Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Bullet in the Head, a brand-new interview with author and Hong Kong film expert Grady Hendrix
Apocalypse How, a brand-new interview with author and historian Dr Lars Laamann
Archival interviews with John Woo, David Wu, actors Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee, Simon Yam, stunt coordinator Lau Chi-Ho and associate producer Patrick Leung