Butterfly & Sword (1993)
Director - Kevin Chu
DVD Released by : Mei Ah
Player reviewed with : Sony S3000
Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925
Features:
Menu
Trailer
Cantonese and Mandarin Soundtracks
Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital 5.1 remix
English and Chinese Subtitles
Running Time : 87 mins
BUTTERFLY & SWORD is a fast-paced movie that will thrill fans of Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung. Michelle is Lady Kao, the leader of "Happy Wood" and accepts a mission to intercept a letter that will prove a conspiracy. She is aided by Tony Leung and Donnie Yen to complete her mission. The film is both and action movie and love story. The love story part doesn't slow up the action and it makes the film very interesting.

This Universe release features a surprisingly good picture. The source print contains some specks here and there but overall this is one of the better transfers in recent memory. The ending is slightly cut. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie.

The sound options give you the choice between Dolby Digital and the 5.1 remix. I watched it without the re-mix first. The sound started off being very tinny and there was some pops during the opening sequence. After the credits, the sound was fine. I haven't watched the movie with the re-mix yet.

I watched the movie in Cantonese with the English subtitles. The subtitles appear to start a little late. There is a voice over in the beginning that is not translated. After the voice over, the subtitles kick in.

BUTTERFLY & SWORD is a must for fans of Michelle Yeoh. The fight scenes are excellent and show some great creativity in choice of weapons (i.e. Using a sword with a bow instead of an arrow). There are also some genuine funny scenes that fit well with the movie. They don't distract you from the story but make you feel closer to the characters.

This movie can be watched over and over again and will be a great addition to your collection. This DVD is highly recommended.