DVD Released by : Media Asia

Player reviewed with : Sony S3000

Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925

Features:

Interactive Menus

Scene Access

Filmogrophies and Bios

Trailer

Trailers for The Duel, Last Hurrah for Chivalry,

Magnificent Butcher, and Naked Killer

Cantonese,Mandarin or English Soundtracks

English and Chinese Subtitles

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Not enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs

Running Time : 84 mins.

HEROES SHED NO TEARS is John Woo's first experiment in the war/action genre. The movie is about a band of mercenaries who capture a drug lord to bring him back to the Drug Enforcement Agency. The apprehending of the drug lord is relatively easy, but upon escape, the group stops to help a French woman who is being attacked by border soldiers. The groups saves the woman but is then pursued relentlessly by the survivors as well as the drug lord's soldiers.

This movie offers some great glimpses into what John Woo would being doing later. Though not as polished as Woo's other films, Woo fans will want to see this. The movie clocks in at 84 minutes and never lets up the whole time.

The print of the film looks a little old but the overall transfer is average. I didn't notice any artifacts or breaking up of the picture in dark scenes. The source print is pretty much free of dirt and specks. It just looks it's age. The print is definitely watchable.

The sound quality is about average. As with most of the re-mixes, the sounds mostly came from the front speakers. The soundtrack is a little flat sounding but it isn't bad. I had watched this with the Cantonese soundtrack. The English dub isn't too bad if you like dubs.

The subtitles are pretty easy to read and are timed well with what is said. The spelling errors and grammar mistakes are minimal. The subtitles do appear on the picture so if you have a wide screen TV you will have no problems reading them.

The extras consist of a short "about the film" option as well as trailers for The Duel, Last Hurrah for Chivalry, Magnificent Butcher, and Naked Killer.

This movie is no BULLET IN THE HEAD but it is a decent action movie. If you are a Woo fan, you will like pointing out scenes that he would later use in The Killer and other movies of his. He also has a great shot of somebody getting shot through their rifle scope. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has a similar scene. If you haven't scene this movie, you may want to rent the DVD before considering purchasing it. The DVD itself isn't reference quality, but it is a good presentation of the film.