John Woo's The Killer DVD

[martinb]

With the criterion dvd asking mad prices, is the fox dvd worth considering? whats the difference between the 2?

[Arch Stanton]

Save your money, Hong Kong Legends are doing a super dooper mega edition of the Killer to be released in R2 sometime next year.

[gZa]

...or maybe the year after that. :rolleyes:

I've heard that the commentary track on the Winstar one is identical as is the transfer so the only thing missing is the deleted scenes.
If you can get it cheap then get it!
Hey - a year without watching The Killer is a like a year without sunshine! :p

[Narshty]

The commentary tracks are not the same, but the Winstar one was recorded last year when John Woo had a better grasp of English than the 1992 Criterion track.

The transfer is the same, but the encoding job on the Winstar is poorer, though not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

[gZa]

Originally posted by Narshty
The commentary tracks are not the same, but the Winstar one was recorded last year when John Woo had a better grasp of English than the 1992 Criterion track.Do you know this for a fact?
I only ask as, I'd assumed that to be the case but when I MiniDisc'd the Criterion one for someone with the Winstar one they ensured me that they were IDENTICAL! (Terence Chang et al) :confused:

[Narshty]

Terrance Chang appears on WinStar's Hard Boiled track, but not on The Killer.

The Hard Boiled commentaries aren't the same either.

[Gozer]

Not having seen the Criterion disc the fox lorber one is perfectly adequate for now. Only thing that bothered me about it was the lack of a anamorphic picture. Great film though never seen it before the dvd but will definietly shell out for the HKL version when it comes out.

The menus are dodgy. For the scene selection one of the chapters has a video clip of HARD BOILED next to it?!?!?!

[Sputnik]

What I've done is got the Fox Lorber / Winstar version thingy (R0 NTSC), which is fine, then I'll get the HKL of course, and the Crit is at the top of my "to buy" list ..... but at the bottom of the "can afford" list :rolleyes:

Anyone wanting a crispy clear anamorphic picture and 5.1 sound is missing the point -- get the Winster :) The commentary is very good, no probs understandinng Woo's english (as pointed out already, it was done later than the Crit's) and it's just John Woo left alone to talk about his darling, unlike on the Crit.

[Sputnik]

Originally posted by Gozer
The menus are dodgy. For the scene selection one of the chapters has a video clip of HARD BOILED next to it?!?!?!

You sure? :eek: Just had a look ;) Do you mean the one with the bike helmet? It looks like its from HB, but is actually from The Killer :) So nyaaahhh :p

[charlie angel]

Because I kept moaning about the lack of a decent release, my girlfriend ordered me the R3 (think it's R0 actually) Universe release, just to tide me over. No extras, & soft picture, but hey, it'll do until HKL get their finger out. :)

[Gozer]

Originally posted by Sputnik


You sure? :eek: Just had a look ;) Do you mean the one with the bike helmet? It looks like its from HB, but is actually from The Killer :) So nyaaahhh :p

I'm pretty sure one of the videos on the chapter listings is from Hard Boiled. When those motorbikers attack that factory, if I remember right you even see Tequila swinging down shooting at
people.

[Morpheus2000]

I've the Winstar collection and the picture is fine but isn't great on either Hard Boiled or The Killer.

They're full of artefacts and scratches with a bit of grain but watchable! Wait for The Killer to be releases through Hong Kong Legends.

Here's the HKL Press Release (http://www.hongkonglegends.co.uk/pr/Pr07goldprin.htm)

[horseflesh]

Anything confirmed, or even rumoured about the HKL relase of The Killer and the other titles recently announced????

Horseflesh

[ColinD]

I have both the Criterion and Winstar.

unless i've gone insane the tracks are identical. I lisented to the first 90 seconds of both and they are verbatim.

They are not entirely in sync with the action, but the words coming from woo's mouth are word for word the same on both releases

so unless both commentarys start identically or my Criterion is hooky.

Actually having re-read this thread I think I know what it is. The Woo commentary is the same but the Winstar does not have the Terrance Chang contribution (I assume these were recorded at different times).



Colin

[Fat Man Hackett]

I've just got hold of a French R2 two-disc release of The Killer, with the cinema version and a longer directors cut on each disc with extras. I haven't had time to look at this yet, but this is what the eBay had to say about it...

DISC DETAILS
Disc 1 features John Woo’s Director’s Cut (HK version) in a brand new anamorphic PAL transfer.

Disc 2 contains the longer 131 minute (124 min. PAL) Taiwanese cut, transferred from the only surviving 35mm prints and is in anamorphic widescreen. The Taiwanese prints had English and Chinese subtitles burnt in, so by removing the optional French subtitles, you can view this longer cut with English subtitles that are better than most Asian translations.



This is probably the most complete version of THE KILLER available on DVD and is an interesting companion to Woo’s final cut. Almost every scene has slight differences, especially the finale, which has about 10% more action. Music and sound effects are also frequently different.

Both discs are packaged in a nice gatefold jacket with high quality art and a glossy finish.

DISC 1:
Region 2 Coding (R2) PAL format
THE KILLER Uncut Director’s Cut (110 min.)
1.85:1 16/9 anamorphic widescreen transfer, 4/3 compatible
French/Cantonese 2.0 Dolby Digital tracks
Subtitles: French (selectable)
THE KILLER Documentary (32 min.) - in English with French subtitles
3 International Trailers for THE KILLER
Exclusive Photo Gallery
Exclusive scrolling and scored Filmographies in English and French
Beautifully animated and fully scored intro menus and animated menus
Internet Link
DISC 2:
Region 2 Coding (R2) PAL format
THE KILLER Full Uncut Taiwanese Version (124 min.)
1.85:1 16/9 anamorphic widescreen transfer, 4/3 compatible
Cantonese 2.0 Dolby Digital track
Subtitles: burnt Cantonese/English
Promo trailers for other releases including Black Mask, Stormriders, ZU and Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow
Beautifully animated and fully scored intro menus and animated menus


Where would this disc stand on the "which is the best version" argument?

[Jez]

No english on it at all on the directors cut:confused:

How do you watch it then?

[Fat Man Hackett]

OK - then I don't know...:(

But... The full longer version has English subs, and there's always the extras...

[kanedaa]

The French DVD is a pretty decent version of the Killer but like has been previously said the Theatrical Version has no English
subitles (and even worse forced French Subs)....still, the picture quality is very nice and the extras are also quite decent.

dave.

[Joe91]

Originally posted by Jez
No english on it at all on the directors cut:confused:

How do you watch it then?
The longer Taiwanese cut is an early work print that was never intended for release, it is NOT a director's cut. John Woo's preferred version is the shorter theatrical cut.

This is identical to the situation with the so-called "Director's Cut" of 'Dawn Of The Dead' :(

[gZa]

Jez wasn't referring to the Taiwanese cut! He was referring to the 110min director's cut! :brickwall