Plot: What’s it about?
As an underground rebellion, The Red Lotus Flower Society gains momentum in their plans, the ruling order decides it is time to crush it before it gets too powerful. The rebellion seeks to overthrow the emperor and his people, as they have become oppressive and cruel, which means the time has come to renew the power cycle and institute new leadership. The leader of this movement is Father Fong and as he leads his people ahead, he has no idea that someone has been sent to discover the members, so they can be dealt with one by one. But even so, things seem to be on the upward slant for the rebellion, as well as for Fong’s son, Fong Sai-Yuk (Jet Li). Fong Sai-Yuk has fallen in love with a beautiful young woman and seeks her companionship, but the road to romance won’t be a smooth one. He has to keep on her good side, compete in a contest to prove his worth to her father, all while trying to help his father stay alive and make the rebellion succeed.
As usual, Dimension Home Video has issued a poor disc for a terrific movie with Jet Li. The usual elements are here, such as no supplements, no anamorphic transfer, and no original language, as well as the title change. This film is usually known as Fong Sai-Yuk, but since an alternate title is The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk, I suppose this title change is a decent enough one. I’d still prefer the original of course, but at least this one makes sense. I can live without extras, but I think this disc should have included a new anamorphic transfer and the choice between English and Cantonese language tracks. This title has been released under another label and that disc includes the Cantonese track, but the video quality is not even close to this one, so that’s a toss up. This is all a shame, as The Legend is a classic Hong Kong film, with a truckload of action, adventure, and even some well done comedic pieces. I give this film a very, very high recommendation and even though this disc is less than stellar, it still warrants a rental. But we need to send Dimension/Buena Vista a message that we want anamorphic transfer and language options, so unless you have to own this one, I recommend sticking to a rental here.
If you read my reviews often, then you already know how much I like Jet Li, so I won’t go into too much detail here. In this film, Li uses his action skills more than anything, which ends up working out well. When he needs to, Li can do more dramatic works, but as we see here, his real power lies within his skills as an action star. He also works within the comedy to perfection, which helps the film’s flow a lot. If you want more Jet Li flicks and I know you do, check out My Father Is A Hero (The Enforcer), Romeo Must Die, Once Upon A Time In China, Fist of Legend, High Risk, and The Tai-Chi Master (Twin Warriors). The cast also includes Michelle Reis (Swordsman, Fallen Angels), Chen Sung Yung (Gorgeous, Dull Ice Flower), and the excellent Josephine Siao (Mahjong Dragon, The Spooky Bunch). At the helm of The Legend is Cory Yuen, who also directed films such as My Father Is A Hero (The Enforcer), The Bodyguard From Beijing (The Defender), Casino Raiders, High Risk, and Enter The Eagles.
Video: How does it look?
The Legend is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. At a time when Buena Vista gives all their titles new anamorphic transfers, I am disappointed that their Hong Kong imports end up with these basic transfers. The transfers look very good and much cleaner than other releases, but I think anamorphic enhancement is a needed element also. But aside from that problem, this transfer is a real gem and I think fans of the film will be pleased. The print looks very, very clean and the image shows no signs of compression flaws, which means this is a vast improvement over previous editions. The colors look solid and I saw minimal problems there, while the contrast is strong and shows no detail loss at all. As I said, this should have been anamorphic, but this is still a more than solid visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc includes a nice Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but only offers the English dubbed track and that is a let down. The track is an above average one and the dub isn’t that bad, but I think the original Cantonese track should have been included also. So, I am lowering the score to reflect that flaw, but the included track is very good, aside from the voice actors. The music sounds terrific, the sound effects come off in fine form, and the voices are clean and crisp. Again, this track is solid, but the lack of the original language pulls down the score in the end. This disc also includes English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc contains no bonus materials.
