In the end The Stool Pigeon is a wonderfully entertaining film. It starts out a little slow, but once Ghost and Lee get together the plot rockets forward to a dark, inevitable conclusion. If you're a fan of Asian cinema, or simply love crime movies, you'll want to check this one out for sure!
The Stool Pigeon is presented on Blu-ray with its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The film comes with a full 1080p high definition transfer with MPEG-4 AVC encoding. The film looks gorgeous with sharp details, rich black levels, and fine contrast in the dangerous streets of Hong Kong. The film has a certain amount of grit that permeates the experience and coupled with muted colors that push strong symbolism, the picture really comes to life. This isn't the most outstanding high definition transfer we've ever seen, but it's a finely crafted experience that leaves one satisfied.
The audio package included here comes with 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio to call its own. The film is presented in original Cantonese with English subtitles. There's an English dub included as well, but the Cantonese is by far the way to go. Details are solid and the sound is crystal clear. There's a dynamic presence on the soundstage and all around the audio quality goes toe to toe with the video.
For bonus features there is a selection of trailers as well as a nearly 47 minute "Behind the Scenes" production featurette. This includes all the expected backstage shots, on set clips, and interviews. It's worth checking out, but not the most in depth feature of its kind. Likewise there's a "Making of" video that's smaller in focus by comparison, and a collection of "Deleted Scenes" that extend the experience somewhat but don't necessarily round out the film.
The Stool Pigeon is a fine release by Well Go USA Entertainment. The Blu-ray is sharp in quality and presentation, and the film itself is entertaining and riveting all at the same time. The characters of Ghost and Lee are wonderfully developed over the course of the story and the action finds a nice balance amidst the delicate plot. This release comes strongly recommended!
Article comments