Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)
九龍城寨之圍城
Action, Crime, Thriller • 2h 6m
Director: Soi Cheang
Cast: Raymond Lam Fung, Louis Koo, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Richie Jen, Terrance Lau Chun-Him, Kenny Wong Tak-Ban, Philip Ng Wan-Lung, Tony Wu Tsz-Tung, German Cheung Man-Kit, Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing, Fish Liew Chi-Yu, Tommy Chu Pak-Hong, Cecilia Choi, Deon Cheung Chung-Chi, Jozev Lau, Law Wing-Cheong, Kam Loi-Kwan, Liu Chun-Hung, Lee Tse-Hei, Wong Wan-Ching, Pang Hoi-Kwan, Cheung Chung-Hang, Lai Tsz-Chun, John Ho, Leung Sze-Ching, Alex Lee Yip-Kin, Derek Lam Ling-Yuen, Mak Lok-San, Yeung Yee-Yee, Jacqueline Zhu Zhi-Ying, Bernard Fung Bun-Yu, Li Ching-Sum, Sin Tsz-Ching, Leung Cheuk-Hin, Man Noi-Tik, Gallan So Chi-Chiu, Willy Yeung Wai, Lau Shet-Ming, So Wai-Nam, Chu Kwok-Tung, Vincent Tam Yu-Hong, Jonas Cheung Yik-Wo, Ivy Pang, Sean Wong Tsz-Lok, Ma Yuen-Ching, Raymond Li Man-Young, Lam Ting-Hin, Wilson Tam Wai-Keung, Caron Che Chun Hei, Kelvin Wong Ting-Kong, Samson Tsang Chung-Yuen, Law Chi-Sing, Tong Sik-Ming, Man Kwok-Hei, Rodney Wong Long-Yin, Albert Leung, Juliana Wong Pui-Chun, Lai Wai-Sum, Jason Yip Wan-Keung, Chan Fu-Shing, Toby Wong Chun-Lam, Suen Tsz-wai, Natalie Yu Ka-Nam, Jason Li, Chan Chi-Sing, Tsang Tsz-Kit, Mak Ka-Ho, Christian Chung Wai-Kit, Andrew Chan, Cheung Lok-Man, David Yu Tat-Chi, Cheuk Yan, Frank Liu Zong-Ji, Fung King-Chung, Chau Huat-Tian, Wong Chi-Fei, Lo Sau-Chun, Tang Siu-Cheung, Ma Yuk-Lam, Zhang Wanfen, Emil Chan Cheuk-Wah, Poon Hing-Yan, Fung Chi-Ngong, Stanly Ma, Jimmy Wong, Clifford Tsang Man-Wai, Lam Wai-Nin, Benjamin Wong Chi-Kong, Johnny Lam Ming-Yiu, Martin Wong, Zhang Da, Tommy Leung Pok-Yan, Chan Kwan-Fung, Shun Yamashita, Chung Shiu-Wah, Tang Lu, Wong Sze-Yan, Lai Chai-Ming, Benjamin Sze-Ma Shing-Hei, Giselle Lam, Yeung Ching-Man, Lam Chun-Kit, May Leong
US Well Go or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray?
Best English-friendly & video release · updated 12 days ago
Overview
In 1980s Hong Kong, troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun, a mainland refugee, struggles to survive in the Kowloon Walled City by joining underground fights. Betrayed by crime boss Mr. Big while trying to buy a fake ID, he steals drugs from him and seeks refuge in the Walled City, where he encounters Cyclone, a compassionate yet authoritative crime lord.
Well Go Blu-ray
Director: Alexandre Aja
Director: David Lynch
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December
Subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110
DE Koch Media is presented in the correct 25fps and is likely better compressed than UK Dogwoof (29 vs 14 Mbps), but it doesn’t have English subtitles.
US Drafthouse is in 24fps for Region A compatibility, and is encoded at around 30 Mbps.
(Although bitrate does not solely determine the quality of the encode, the difference is large enough here and there are no publicly available caps.)
No info on the JP VAP Blu-ray.
DE Koch Media and US Drafthouse feature a lossless 5.1 track. Dogwoof offers only AC-3.
Director: Ivan Reitman
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
> US Kino Lorber see comparison and caps
Kino Lorber has an exceedingly poor encode, only slightly improved by the DV layer.
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Universal US Blu-ray
Dolby Atmos remix: Plaion DE 4K Blu-ray
Universal's BD uses the same transfer as the old LaserDisc and sounds a bit better than Plaion's, which has worse dynamics.
Plaion's Atmos remix is tastefully done and preserves the original mix's characteristics, the 5.1 track on Kino's release is overly aggressive and unbalanced.
Director: William Wyler
> Paramount 4K Blu-ray (marginally)
Director: Adrian Lyne
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Better compression than other 4K Blu-rays
Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
German Plaion 4K Blu-ray see caps but doesn't have EN subtitles
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173
The master is heavily DNR'd.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · hd-dvd.over-blog.fr (opens in a new tab)
4K restoration: Koch Media DE 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
4K remaster is cropped 2.35:1 from the original 2.55:1 presentation, and has significantly different color grading, as is the case with most WKW supervised restorations. Due to DNR the detail is sometimes lacklustre compared to the old master. CGI scenes appear to be rerendered. A sepia tinted scene was altered to be fully black and white.
Caps: Criterion US BD vs Cannes HD-DVD, HD-DVD vs KR BD vs DVDs vs US BD
Remixed 5.1: The Jokers FR 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
The remixed track has different front panning and little LFE use compared to the original.
HD-DVD is by far the best option for the original track, as DVDs and Korean BD suffer from noise gating, limiting and duplicated surrounds. Remixed tracks are all similar, but French disc has slightly better dynamics, particularly on the LFE channel.
The 2006 HD-DVD is a promotional release made in only 100 copies, handed out to VIPs at Cannes Film Festival. See this blog post for details. The same master can be found on KR BD, though it suffers from interlacing, blended frames and a gamma bug, as well as older DVD releases.
More Action on Blu-ray
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
US Magnolia BD
UK Entertainment One release contains directors commentary track
Director: Steve De Jarnatt
2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray
UK Transmission 4K Blu-ray in January 2027
Either the 2015 Kino Lorber Blu-ray or the Arrow Blu-ray
The 2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray is botched.
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Both come from a 4K scan of a 35mm film out which was made from the original 2K DI but the Lionsgate release has visible dust and damage marks while the Universal release is cleaned up more thoroughly. Both releases suffer from DNR which seems to have been baked into the DI. The colour grade is basically the same for both releases but the Lionsgate has Dolby Vision whereas the Universal is HDR10 only. The compression on the Lionsgate UHD base layer is apparently fine so the FEL doesn't make much of a difference.
The Lionsgate UHD has Dolby Atmos whereas the Universal UHD has DTS:X. Kick-ass was originally released with a 5.1 track which may be on the Universal Blu-ray.
The Lionsgate UHD is on a BD-100, the Universal UHD is on a BD-66.
The Universal UHD has no extras.
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)
> Germany Wicked Vision Blu-ray > US Flicker Alley Blu-ray see DVDBeaver caps
Director: Simon Wincer
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
4K is defective with color space issues and poor encoding, UHD replacement disc is also defective with worse encode. The UHD has visible artifacts from the bad encoding. The HDR is overdone and the Paramount 4K master has grain management.
The new Kino Blu-ray has none of the UHD's problems and is superior to the UHD in every way though it still uses the same Paramount master.
DVD 5.1 or LaserDisc 5.1 AC3, LD PCM 2.0 for the matrix stereo version. The LD and DVD seem to be the theatrical audio mix untouched with plenty of low end. This low end like a number of 90's Paramount titles was mixed out or tamed on subsequent releases.
The Lionsgate BD and Paramount BD share the same lackluster HD master with DNR and image distortion. The Lionsgate is much better encoded but has a 7.1 remix which messed up the original mix design by lessening all the great Foley work in favor of the score. The Paramount BD had a 5.1 lossless version of the original mix but it's a new version where the bass has been tamed so the track has lost its punch. The Kino Lorber UHD and Blu-ray recycle this same lesser 5.1 mastering. The original mix can still be heard on LD and DVD. The 2.0 stereo on the Kino is matrixed but also does not sound as good as the 2.0 matrix audio on DVD or LD.
Kino has a replacement program for the defective UHD to fix the color space issue. The new disc is not marked, has a worse encode AND DOES NOT FIX THE COLOR SPACE! Thus it is a worse defective disc version of the original defective disc.
The Billy Zane interview on the Kino BD has technical issues in the editing and clip quality used.
Director: Iain Softley
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Both 88 Films and Germany Capelight are superior to the Shout! Factory in HDR10 but their FEL layer may even things out. Objectively, the Capelight looks best as they avoided the chroma blocking that’s visible in 88’s disc but they in turn included an Atmos mix. I have the Shout! Factory, love how it looks and the 4K transfer is spectacular. https://slow.pics/c/vPmFQSAH
Shout! Factory has the exclusive The Beauty of the Baud and the You Can't Stop Us All featurettes.
Director: John Woo
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
review: Disk Kino
Both have better encoding than Disk Kino, some shots are better on Shout! Factory, others on Arrow
Shout Factory still has the best video while Arrow did a questionable regrade. Arrow definitely has less grain in most shots, has a worse encode and is cm v2.9 compared to Shout’s cm v4.0.
Shout! Factory/Arrow 4K Blu-ray has the original mono
Edit history
Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.