Audio/Video. Both of these elements are very good. The colors are nicely defined and the fast action is captured smoothly. The 5.1 audio also is very good, so long as you stay away from the English dub, which is particularly distracting.
Extras. Not much to speak of on this end.
- Deleted Scene. A single scene is here. It is of Huo saving a young boy who made a mistake and was being beaten. I think this would have been fine had it remained in the film. I know there is other deleted footage that hasn't been used anywhere, including a part by Michelle Yeoh, hopefully one day this will come out.
- A Fearless Journey. This is a 16 minute behind the scenes on the making of the film. It includes footage on the making of the fights and interview footage with Jet concerning his retirement from wushu films.
- Unrated. This disk contains the theatrical version as well as an unrated cut. I did not notice much different, except maybe a little more blood in the fights. There is less than a minute difference between the two.
Bottomline. If you are a Jet Li or a martial arts fan, this is definitely a film to see. It does not stray into the wire-fu fantasy of Hero or House of Flying Daggers, nor is it quite as visually breathaking as those films, but it definitely has a flavor all of its own. It also features one of Jet Li's most complete acting performances. This is one of the best.
Highly Recommended.
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