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Released by: Well Go USA
Released on: April 27, 2010.a
Director: Chang Cheh
Cast: David Chiang, Chin Han, Ti Lung, Lily Li
Year: 1970
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The Movie:
From arguably the most famous director to work for the Shaw Brothers' studio, Chang Cheh's The Heroic Ones might not be as well known as some of his more famous martial arts pictures but it's certainly one that's well worth revisiting.
Set at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the film begins when local political heavyweight Li Ke-yung and his thirteen sons decide to squash the rebels that are making things difficult for them in the area under their rule. The youngest son, Li Tsun-hsiao (David Chiang) captures a rebel leader while his brother, Li Tsun-hsin (James Nam), leads an army straight into the thick of things by attempting to overthrow the rebels castle fortress. Unfortunately for Tsun-hsin, dad thinks that Tsun-hsiao is the better man to lead the attack and soon the two brothers are at odds with one another and eventually disagreement turns into conflict and jealousy plants the seeds of dissent and betrayal in the ranks of the thirteen sons and their forces...
Also known as The Thirteen Warlords, this is a pretty epic picture filled with grandiose fight scenes and the type of nasty bloodshed that Chang Cheh is known for. The sets constructed for the film give that otherworldly look that makes some of the Shaw Studios pictures so interesting to look at while the widescreen cinematography ensures that the film feels less like a movie than a legitimate 'event.'
A high body count keeps the action and excitement coming in heavy doses while the regal nature of the political drama that unfolds throughout the film's two hour running time provides ample opportunity for intrigue. Performances from David Chiang and Ti Kung highlight the film while supporting roles from Lily Li and James Nam add to the fun. Keep an eye open for an appearance from Bolo Yeung and for Billy Tang as well. All involved show a certain prowess for fight choreography as is made very apparent in the weapons fights and the acrobatics that are used throughout the movie.
Chang Cheh certainly made leaner and more violent hard-hitting martial arts films in his time but The Heroic Ones shows that there was a lot more to his output than just stylish bloodshed and brotherly honor. It's a multilayered and intelligent film that puts the plot before the action without having to skimp on either facet of the production. Martial arts fans will appreciate the fight scenes, history buffs will dig the attention to detail present in the sets and the costumes and anyone who just simply enjoys a good story will appreciate the script and the way in which the plot unfolds with a very deliberate pace.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Heroic Ones arrives on Blu-ray in an AVC encoded 2.35.1 high definition 1080i anamorphic widescreen presentation. This transfer won't floor you and the 1080i encoding will definitely irritate some, but it doesn't look terrible and it does offer a noticeable upgrade in quality from the standard definition version released a year or so ago. Minor combing is there if you watch for it, but detail is better and stronger as is texture while colors look a bit more natural. Black levels are fairly deep and shadow detail is respectable enough. There aren't any noticeable compression artifacts but some aliasing and shimmering is noticeable somewhat regularly. Not a reference quality transfer, but a watchable one never the less, even if it certainly leaves room for improvement.
16-bit 48 kHz LPCM 2.0 options are provided in English and Cantonese with subtitle options provided in English and Chinese. The English subtitles do show some odd phrasing and grammatical quirks but at least they get things across in an easy enough to understand manner. As to the quality of the tracks? They sound about as good as can realistically be expected without a major restoration having been done. There's some hiss in the background and some audible pops now and then but generally things are well balanced and clear enough. Neither track is particularly exciting but they sound alright for what they are.
Save for a static menu and chapter selection, the only extra feature on this release is a trio of standard definition trailers (presented in letterboxed widescreen, sadly with no English subtitles) for Two Champions Of Shaolin, Brothers Five and Heroes Shed No Tears. The trailer for the feature itself, which was included on the standard definition release, is nowhere to be found for some reason.
The Final Word:
An enjoyable and action packed period martial arts film, The Heroic Ones is given a respectful, if lean, presentation that presents the picture in a transfer that improves on its standard definition counterpart even if it isn't going to blow you away.