Young and Dangerous 3

DVD Released by : Universe

Player reviewed with : Malata DVD-N996

Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925

Features:

Trailer

Trailers for Y&D 5 and PORTLAND STREET BLUES

Star's Files

5.1 Surround Sound

Cantonese and Mandarin Soundtracks

English and Chinese Subtitles

Not enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs

Running Time : 98 mins.

YOUNG AND DANGEROUS 3 continues the story of the Hung Hing gang right were Y&D 2 left off. It's difficult to give a plot summary without giving some spoilers away so forgive me for not going into details. When a club opens next door to Nam's (Ekin Cheng) bar, Nam sees this as an infringement on his territory. The bar is opened by Tiger and Crow ( Roy Cheung), who plot to frame Nam and take over Causeway Bay.

Y&D 3 is surprisingly good for being the third in the series. The first half is a little slow moving but the second half kicks in and really delivers. There are a few "Holy S**T" moments that will take you by surprise. Karen Mok is great as the priest's machete wielding daughter. Anthony Wong is also back. This time, Roy Cheung is the bad guy. And bad, is an understatement. Of course, what holds these films together is Jordan Chan's character Chicken and Nam played by Ekin Cheng. After watching the first two movies in the series, these characters really grow on you.

Unlike the first two Y&D DVD's from Mei Ah, Universe gives a menu and lets you choose subtitles instead of having burned in ones.

The picture quality is average. The print that is used is in pretty good shape. Occasionally the colors are a little oversaturated but are fine for the most part. There were some minor compression artifacts but overall the transfer is about average for a non-anamorphic import title. In comparison to the first two Y&D movies from Mei Ah, this Universe DVD is more colorful and shows better detail.

The audio is mixed well throughout most of the movie but sometimes the center channel is just a little hot. The rear speakers are used for ambiance and are used occasionally. The quality overall is average.

The subtitles sometimes fly by very quickly. I am not sure if this is because of the Malata player or because the DVD is mastered that way. The are removable and appear on the picture so you can zoom in on widescreen TV's and not have the words cut off. There are few spelling and grammatical errors.

Extras consist of a trailer and trailers for Y&D 5 and PORTLAND STREET BLUES.

If you want to figure out the appeal of these movies, look no further than HBO and the SOPRANOS. When you have a rich mixture of characters, it pulls you into the story. It's easy to like these guys because they don't hurt people who aren't part of their lifestyle. Y&D 3 keeps the momentum going. If you are a fan of the series, this is a must see. It may not be the best of the series, but it stays true to the characters. This movie contains several "scene stealing" actors and actresses. Karen Mok is the highlight of every scene she's in and is a perfect partner for Jordan Chan's character. Anthony Wong and Simon Yam are also very good.

I would recommend watching Y&D 1 and 2 before this one.