The Adventurers - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Adventurers



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
When I initially saw the email show up in my inbox that Well Go USA was releasing The Adventurers on Blu-ray and DVD my jaw hit the floor. “Could it really be”? Could we REALLY be getting the 1970s train wreck by Lewis Gilbert? This was a film for AGES in its horribleness, and yes, I wanted every single second of that hilarious nightmare. Well, I hate to let you down (or make you sigh with relief depending), this is NOT the 1970s film that was based off of the VERY vulgar Harold Robbins novel of the same named. Instead this is something much more in line with Well Go USAs’ regular fare, as it is a fun little Hong Kong heist movie starring the legendary Andy Lau, and none other than French actor Jean Reno. This modern action flick is your typical heist film, with elements of John Woo, James Bond, and even some Ocean’s 11 as well, and while it’s not a masterpiece, The Adventurers is a fun little jaunt that kept me more than entertained.

The world of international heist films is actually pretty simplistic now that we’ve seen them replicated time and time again. Any Lau is international jewel thief Dan Zhang. A man who has just been released from a 5 year prison stint after his nemesis, French inspector Pierre Bisette, put him away for stealing a legendary piece of jewelry. Even though Zhang has paid for his crime, inspector Bisette is SURE that the thief is going back to his old ways, and he would be correct. Zhang is back one again for one more major heist. To find the other piece of jewelry to match the one he was put away for 5 years ago. Together with the two pieces that were stolen they create a massive necklace known as GAIA, the largest and most expensive in the entire world. However, this is not just simply a paycheck or an ego boost. Zhang has another motive for doing the job. The last piece that he stole was taken from him (and also ended up incarcerating him) by someone who betrayed the master thief, and by stealing this final piece, Zhang hopes to lure him out into the open.

Backed by his mentor Kong (legendary Hong Kong actor, Eric Tsang), and with the help of two junior thieves, Zhang attempts the heist of his life, as the final piece is owned by an incredibly rich entrepreneur with an incredible security system. At the same time, Inspector Bisette has enlisted the aid of Zhang’s ex fiance Amber (Jingchu Zhang) in order to track the man down, and with the help of a few backstabbing friends, very well may take Zhang down before he has a chance to complete his final mission.

The Adventurers is a fun little romp, and seems to incorporate a few different flavors of heist films into the plot. The film never takes itself too seriously, and even though there’s never any overt jokes or gags, the film is airy and light enough to feel like an old 60s caper at times. In fact, I got a strange The Pink Panther vibe coming from the movie for several reasons (one of which includes a theme that is vaguely Henry Mancini like in nature), as well as little bits of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, and some Ocean’s 11 charisma in there as well. Andy Lau is always impeccable as the well dressed master thief, while Qi Shu adds her own adorkable flair to whatever she touches (she always reminds me of that overly nerdy hot girl in class that you couldn’t help but love).

The inclusion of Jean Reno was the wildcard in the whole setup. I wasn’t sure how it would play out with the French actor making his appearance, and I have to say I kind of like his inclusion. The film plays out with a decidedly Chinese flair, but Jean Reno adds a bit of a Western European slant to his character, and mixed with the oddly reminiscent The Pink Panther tone to the movie, it works out REALLY nicely. My only real complaints come from the meandering script that seems to lose itself in too many suspensions of disbelief and double backs for its good at times. The end “twist” of the movie feels just a bit TOO contrived and while it technically ties everything together, the reveal just feels a bit awkward and unbelievable. Especially since you know who the betrayer was from the first 30 minutes of the movie.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Shot on Epic Red cameras and then finished at a supposed 2K digital intermediate, The Adventurers comes to Blu-ray with a sparkling transfer that really REALLY shines. Right off the bat I had to notice the distinct lack of major color grading (with a few shots leaning towards yellow, and a handful towards blue) that leaves the picture looking very natural in the end. Colors dazzle against the brightly lit backdrops, ranging from the bright red of a lollipop, or the deep azure blues of Red Ye’s dress during her big distraction scene. Blacks are deep and inky with the ONLY flaw in the picture being some mild banding in a couple of fleeting shots. Shadow detail is exceptional when Zhang is stealing the jewels from under Charlie Law’s nose, and fine detail is exceptional.






Audio:

Once again, Well Go USA deigns to give their new release films some upgraded next gen audio, and this one gets a very hefty sounding DTS:X track. While the track is listed as Mandarin, it really should be said that it is almost 60% English with Mandarin mixed in. Due to some of the actors like Jean Reno not being able to speak Mandarin, there are quite a few moments where the actors have to speak English, and then go back to Mandarin when they are talking amongst themselves. Even Lau tends to speak quite a bit in English, and there doesn’t seem to have been any dubbing either, as the actors are each speaking both languages as best they can. Clarity is excellent throughout, with quite a bit of nuanced background noises to really liven up the sound stage. The car and motorcycle chases add some excitement and uumph to the track, while the end third of the movie is filled with gunfire, explosions, and helicopters to fill it out to one incredible sounding mix. The overheads are used WELL, but never exceptionally, with the majority of the overhead usage coming from the before mentioned helicopter and a few instances during the refinery battle. LFE is deep and powerful, adding throbbing weight to the vehicles, as well as giving more than enough power to the gunshots.





Extras:

• Making Of
- Andy Lau as Zhang Dan
- Qi Shu as Red Ye
- Yo Yang as Chen Xiao-Po
• Deleted Scenes

Final Score: ​

The Adventurers isn’t anything wildly special in the heist realm, but it’s a fun watch nonetheless. Andy Lau is probably one of the biggest gems in the Asian market right now, and the inclusion of Qi Shu and Jean Reno make for a strangely fun film that borrows from quite a few other successful franchises to make itself work. There’s some flaws, but overall it’s a fun watch with some fantastic audio and video specs to boot. Sadly there’s not much in the way of any extras beside the obligatory trailers and a few “making of” featurettes, but the high marks for audio and video more than make up for that small issue. Fun Watch for sure.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Andy Lau, Jean Reno, Qi Shu
Directed by: Stephen Fung
Written by: Stephen Fung, Chi Kwong Cheung
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 AVC
Audio: Mandarin: DTS:X (DTS-HD MA 7.1 core), Mandarin DD 2.0
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 104 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: January 2nd, 2018

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will try and catch this one.