DVD Info : Optimum Asia Release DVD Release Date : 26th June 2006 Content : 2 discs Format: Widescreen Languages: Cantonese, English (dubbed) Audio: Mono Subtitles: English Region: 2 Presentation (Cover / Menus): 9/10 Picture: 9/10 Subtitles: 9/10 Special Features: 8/10 Disc Overall: 9/10

Disc Review:

This dvd release from Optimum Asia is the best release I’ve seen of this film yet. Boasting a brand-new transfer, the picture quality is excellent with no scratches or damage – although there is a small amount of graininess to the picture - this is the best the film has looked in a while. The original Cantonese soundtrack and obligatory English dub are both present and correct, and the removable subtitles are excellent. The Cantonese soundtrack is in Mono which is nice, but sadly there’s no surround mixes. The animated menus are very cool - giving us black and white montages of film clips with three-dimensional guns and bullets spinning all over the place!


Special Features:

Disc One

Audio Commentary from Hong Kong expert Bey Logan:
Bey’s commentary tracks (often previously found on Hong Kong Legends dvd releases) are always jam-packed full of interesting facts and anecdotes, and I think this is his best yet. The man does not stop talking (he must breath through his ears) and it is all good stuff, no waffle or quiet moments. Quite simply: brilliant.

Theatrical Trailer (3.48m):
Original English language trailer.

Other Releases:
Trailers for Election, Shaolin Soccer, Memories Of Murder and Azumi


Disc Two

Crossings: John Woo (47.17m):
Originally produced for the Discovery Channel, this documentary focusing on director John Woo is surprisingly in-depth and insightful. This feature provides a good background on Woo’s childhood, his ambitions to become an actor, his apprenticeship with director Chang Cheh at the Shaw Brothers Studios, his growth into a genre-crossing director, his teaming up with Tsui
Hark and then his subsequent big break into Hollywood. Woo’s story is told using interview footage with the man himself as well as interviews with people such as David Chiang, Tsui Hark, Terence Chang, Annie Woo (his wife), John Travolta and Nicholas Cage. Although the programme becomes less interesting when it moves onto Woo’s Hollywood projects (regarding ‘making it in Hollywood’ as the ‘pinnacle of his career’ – even though his projects suffered) it contains enough film clips from Woo’s sixties and seventies films, behind the scenes footage and photos to make this a seriously good documentary. It also shows that the man can cook up a mean meal!

Interview With John Woo (10.51m):
Filmed in 1993 when John Woo was trying to break the U.S. market with Hard Target, this interview features a sometimes ridiculous line of questioning (example: ‘How is it different to have guns rather than nunchuks in a Hong Kong film?’) but luckily John Woo gives some intelligent answers. A slightly re-edited version of this interview appeared on the Hong Kong Legends release of Bullet In The Head.

Interview With Chow Yun-Fat (18.14m):
Again, recorded in 1993, this interview finds a pre-Hollywood Chow Yun-Fat discussing his Hong Kong career and focuses mainly on his films with John Woo. This is a more in-depth interview and Chow gives some very honest answers, for example saying that he hated reprising the role of Mark for the A Better Tomorrow sequel / prequel and that he doesn’t like those films. The sound quality is not perfect (there's a background buzzing noise throughout)
but it doesn’t ruin the interview. A very good feature.


Screen Captures :


(Main Menu)


(Scenes Selection Menu)


(Set-Up Menu)


(Special Features Menu)






(Special Features)


(Special Features)


Conclusion

A Better Tomorrow has been released on dvd a couple of times before, neither version of which have ever done the film real justice, so it’s good to see this version attempting to remedy this injustice with some decent special features. Although this is called the ‘Ultimate Edition’ (other than the commentary track) the other special features focus on John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat themselves rather than specifically the film. The John Woo documentary is however a must-have and the interviews do tidy up the second disc nicely. It’s a shame that there’s not a retrospective documentary focusing on the film, but this is still a very good - and highly recommended - release.

*DVD courtesy of Optimum Asia