The Rebel: Two Disc
Ultimate Edition (Dragon Dynasty DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B+ Film:
B+
Dragon
Dynasty studios has issued the biggest box office hit in Vietnamese history in The Rebel and has brought the title to
DVD in a stunning 2-disc ultimate edition with loads of extras! The film is set in the 1920’s during the
French occupation of Vietnam where an elite double agent (Johnny Nguyen) is
charged with the task of taking down his own countries freedom fighters. This all changes though when he meets a rebel
beauty (Thanh Van Ngo) and must inwardly battle his instincts to protect, but
also stay loyal to his country, especially against the oppressive French
regime.
The film
is entertaining as it weaves a bit of history together with a great blend of
action and martial arts, but never confuses the viewer on the two and the
results are positive because of that fact.
The film is presented on disc one with a competent 1.85 X 1 anamorphic
transfer that demonstrates some of the best that DVD can offer. Color, definition, and clarity are all good
even with DVD’s limitations. The film
comes with a variety of sound mixes as well including 2 English tracks: Dolby
5.1 and Dolby 2.0 Stereo, but also features three Vietnamese options: Dolby 5.1,
Dolby 2.0 Stereo, and finally the premier choice in a DTS 5.1 mix. The English dub tracks are horrible and
should be avoided at all costs, the Vietnamese tracks are the likely choice and
the DTS mix is far superior as it offers the film with the best fidelity and
depth.
Extras
are on disc two and include several in-depth interviews with the films stars,
plus a martial arts demonstration, deleted scenes, the original making-of
featurette, and a behind-the-scenes gallery, which all combined make for great
coverage on the film and are nice to have here.
- Nate Goss
