Fireworks (1997)
HANA-BI
Crime, Drama • 1h 43m
Overview
Detective Nishi is relieved from a stakeout to visit his sick wife in hospital. He is informed that she is terminally ill, and is advised to take her home. During his visit, a suspect shoots one detective dead and leaves Nishi's partner, Horibe, paralyzed. Nishi leaves the police force to spend time with his wife at home, and must find a way to pay off his debts to the yakuza.
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi, Susumu Terajima, Tetsu Watanabe, Hakuryu, Yasuei Yakushiji, Tarô Itsumi, Kenichi Yajima, Makoto Ashikawa, Yuko Daike, Tsumami Edamame, Yûrei Yanagi, Sujitarô Tamabukuro, Motoharu Tamura, Hitoshi Nishizawa, Hiromi Kikai, Shoko Kitano, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Junichiro Asano, Kazuhiro Osada, Manzo Shinra, Tetsu Sakuma, Riba Matsumi, Miki Fujitani, Keiko Yamamoto, Kiyoko Kitazawa, Ai Kishina, Banri Nakamura, Masahiro Naya, Takayuki Konishi, Yûzô Yada, Kanji Tsuda, Yôichi Nagai, Kôsuke Ôta, Muhômatsu, Omiya no Matsu, Shiyô Kosuga, Gambino Kobayashi, Al Kitago, Yûji Aikawa, Hiroshi Umeda, Kenji Yamagami, Tomoya Naitô, Katsuya Takamatsu, Yasufumi Sakamaki, Atsushi Ito, Mitsuyo Ishigaki, Ayako Masuya, Sumiko Takai, Mariko Chiba, Miho Kitahara, Yoshiko Andô, Kaoru Sugiyama, Kikuo Itô, Shûji Ôtsuki, Hidetoshi Kawaya, Koichiro Hama, Masaru Takahashi, Ritsuyo Ono, Yôko Imamoto, Kiyoko Negishi, Saki Kaneko, Kaoru Tomoe, Ayu Nakagawa, Maiko Watanabe, Kazue Fujita, Yuki Iida, Rieko Motohashi, Ryôta Koyama, Takao Toji, Matsumi Fuku, Tokio Seki
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Ken Hughes
MGM Blu-ray's stereo track.
MGM's 7.1 track is a remix with a few flaws and much worse fidelity. Capelight's stereo and 7.1 track are both from the remix.
The movie was originally premiered as a roadshow release, with a a 70mm 6-Track Stereo mix. This mix, unfortunately has not been released on home video.
The closest thing to that mix, is the stereo track included on the 2010 Blu-ray. It sounds great, with high fidelity and little filtering. It's lossy, but that doesn't matter very much.
Both the DVD 5.1 and the Blu-ray 7.1 tracks (identical on both discs) are a new remix, rather than a repackaging of the original mix. The 7.1 track sounds quite muffled, though not evenly so. The Capelight Blu-ray's lossless stereo track uses the same remix, but with higher fidelity than the surround tracks, sounding significantly less muffled. Compared to the original, this remix sounds wider and more "cleaned up". The remix contains a handful of errors, for example the intermission cue fades out, rather than ending correctly.
Comparison samples
Director: Ken Hughes
MGM Blu-ray's stereo track.
MGM's 7.1 track is a remix with a few flaws and much worse fidelity. Capelight's stereo and 7.1 track are both from the remix.
The movie was originally premiered as a roadshow release, with a a 70mm 6-Track Stereo mix. This mix, unfortunately has not been released on home video.
The closest thing to that mix, is the stereo track included on the 2010 Blu-ray. It sounds great, with high fidelity and little filtering. It's lossy, but that doesn't matter very much.
Both the DVD 5.1 and the Blu-ray 7.1 tracks (identical on both discs) are a new remix, rather than a repackaging of the original mix. The 7.1 track sounds quite muffled, though not evenly so. The Capelight Blu-ray's lossless stereo track uses the same remix, but with higher fidelity than the surround tracks, sounding significantly less muffled. Compared to the original, this remix sounds wider and more "cleaned up". The remix contains a handful of errors, for example the intermission cue fades out, rather than ending correctly.
Comparison samples
Director: Newt Arnold
France ESC 4K Blu-ray, better than Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray.
Capelight 4K Blu-ray (the ESC 4K Blu-ray have no original 2.0 and a different Atmos mix. More about the ESC mix in this review)
Director: Newt Arnold
France ESC 4K Blu-ray, better than Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray.
Capelight 4K Blu-ray (the ESC 4K Blu-ray have no original 2.0 and a different Atmos mix. More about the ESC mix in this review)
Director: John Frankenheimer
Director: John Frankenheimer
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: John Badham
Director: John Badham
Director: James Cameron
2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix
The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.
Director: James Cameron
2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix
The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.
Director: Joe Johnston
Director: Joe Johnston
Directors: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
4K Streaming
The Capelight 4K Blu-ray has both German and English audio, defaulting to the former, but only has German subtitles
Directors: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
4K Streaming
The Capelight 4K Blu-ray has both German and English audio, defaulting to the former, but only has German subtitles
More Crime on Blu-ray
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: Moritz Mohr
Italy Plaion has Dolby Vision, but the metadata is static: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=22742198&postcount=92
Director: Moritz Mohr
Italy Plaion has Dolby Vision, but the metadata is static: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=22742198&postcount=92
Director: John Woo
Director: John Woo
Director: John Woo
Director: John Woo
Director: John Woo
Director: John Woo
Edit History
12/22/2025
Best English-Friendly Release
From
Film Movement Blu-ray Vinegar Syndrome Third Window Blu-ray?
From
Film Movement Blu-ray Vinegar Syndrome Third Window Blu-ray?
12/12/2024
Best Video Release
From
Not sure about US Film movement BD The DE Capelight and UK Third Window releases both use the same transfer. The JP Bandai Visual release appears to be the same transfer but has more information on the sides. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=16038&d2=7573&s1=170548&s2=71994&i=0&l=0
To
Not sure about US Film Movement Blu-ray The Germany Capelight and UK Third Window releases both use the same transfer. The Japan Bandai Visual release appears to be the same transfer but has more information on the sides. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=16038&d2=7573&s1=170548&s2=71994&i=0&l=0
From
Not sure about US Film movement BD The DE Capelight and UK Third Window releases both use the same transfer. The JP Bandai Visual release appears to be the same transfer but has more information on the sides. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=16038&d2=7573&s1=170548&s2=71994&i=0&l=0
To
Not sure about US Film Movement Blu-ray The Germany Capelight and UK Third Window releases both use the same transfer. The Japan Bandai Visual release appears to be the same transfer but has more information on the sides. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=16038&d2=7573&s1=170548&s2=71994&i=0&l=0
