John Woo kicked off his monumental run of 90s action crime thrillers with Bullet In The Head, a slick, frenetic slice of hyper-violent carnage, set against the brutal turmoil of the Vietnam War.
Three childhood friends from the slums of Hong Kong flee to wartime Saigon after accidentally murdering a gang leader, but their troubles only escalate. Originally written as a prequel to A Better Tomorrow, Woo reworked the story into a standalone film, responding to the Tiananmen Square massacre and largely funded the film himself.
This special release features an exclusive SteelBook with the film remastered on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from the original 35mm negative, a bonus Blu-ray featuring the 136-minute ‘festival cut’ and hours of archival interviews and featurettes, plus a 52-page Hardcover Booklet with production stills and brand NEW essays, all housed in a Lid Hardbox.
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Video Quality
Imprint Films brings Bullet in the Head to 4K UHD Blu-Ray in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 courtesy of a new 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative in 2160p with Dolby Vision/HDR. This label is based in Australia, but both the 4K UHD and Blu-Ray discs in this set will play in all 4K UHD and Blu-Ray players, including those in the United States. This particular master originated from Shout! Studios, who released their own 4K UHD Blu-Ray in the United States earlier this year. We have not viewed that particular release, but considering the Imprint release opens with the Shout! Studios logo, it presumably is pretty close in execution. This new restoration also marks the first time the film has been available on Blu-Ray in English-speaking territories, so even those who are not 4K UHD capable may want to add this to their collection to view the film in optimum quality. The new master is a beauty.
The disc comes alive with Dolby Vision, which finesses the color palette to achieve the proper depth of each shade. Far from overly garish, the transfer explores some deep hues within the jungle foliage, in some of the city lighting, and other design flourishes, such as key articles of clothing. Black levels are deep and allow the picture to provide a significant amount of depth in the shadows. Highlights are honed in and deliver stability without succumbing to blooming. This transfer preserves the natural film grain, which keeps this feature from looking overly processed or unnatural. There is exceptional facial detail, such as dirt and grime, as well as texture on clothing and within the set design. The encoding is resolute with no obvious shortcomings when it comes to compression artifacts. There is also no lingering print damage thanks to a this restoration process. This is an excellent release for fans of the Golden Princess library.
Audio Quality
Imprint Films brings us this new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with an assortment of audio options, including an LPCM 2.0 dual mono track in the original Cantonese and English, a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround sound track in Mandarin, and a DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio track in Cantonese. While we always recommend sticking with the original language track, all of the tracks that we sampled provided a strong sonic experience.
The original mono track sounds the most impressive to us, but the expansion to 7.1 is considerately implemented with none of the sounds emerging with any deficiencies. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear without being overshadowed the score or other effects. The environmental effects, such as the roar of military vehicles or an onslaught of gunfire, fill the room with each aspect effectively delineated. The score maintains a consistent mood for the odyssey, and it emanates with premier fidelity. The track does not experience any notable damage or distortion. Imprint Films has delivered a top-notch audio experience. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
The Imprint 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Bullet in the Head is provided in a SteelBook inside a Hardbox packaging. This also includes an exclusive 60-page hardcover booklet with an essay from film historians Paul Bramhall and James Guild, along with some production notes and photos. This explores the legacy of the feature, its themes, the background of the creative figures, and more, which is very illuminating. The on-disc special features are as follows:
Feature Discs
- Audio Commentary: Hong Kong film critic Frank Djeng provides a commentary track in which he speaks about how this film fits into the career of John Woo, the Hong Kong film industry of the time, the work of the performers, the legacy of the film, and more.
- New Interviews: A collection of new interviews is provided with the creative team in which they reflect on the production of the film, the uncompromising nature of John Woo’s vision, the dynamics between the performers, and much more.
- Head Case! – Interview with Actor Waise Lee (18:23)
- Army Of One – Interview with Producer Terence Chang (4:41)
- Apocalypse Woo – Interview with Editor David Wu (7:50)
- Tumultuous Times – Interview with Production Planner Catherine Lau (15:10)
- Hong Kong Confidential – Inside Bullet in the Head with Author Grady Hendrix: A 13-minute piece in which the film historian delves into the history of the film.
- Image Gallery (4:38)
- Trailers (7:38)
Supplemental Disc
- Festival Cut (2:16:20)
- Alternate Boardroom Ending: A nearly six-minute alternate ending that includes footage of lower quality edited into the theatrical HD master.
- John Woo and the War – Documentary (33:04)
- New & Archival Interviews
- Brilliance With A Bullet – Interview with Director John Woo (43:27)
- Apocalypse How? – Interview with Professor Lars Laamann (27:08)
- Baptism of Fire – Interview with Actor Jackie Cheung (15:05)
- Paradise Lost – Interview with Actor Waise Lee (14:36)
- Biting the Bullet – Interview with Actor Simon Yam (15:43)
- Tempting Fate – Interview with Writer Patrick Leung (20:21)
- A Walk on the Wild Side – Interview with Actor Lau Chi-ho (15:05)
- Natural Selection – Interview with Editor David Wu (33:54)
- Life Through a Lens – Interview with Director John Woo (13:33)
- Archival interview with Actor Waise Lee (10:05)
- Archival interview with Producer Terence Chang (6:47)
- Code of Bullets – Part 5: Guns Mean Power / Gone With the Wind: A nine-minute piece that looks at various guns from the film.
- Deleted Scenes (4:56)
Final Thoughts
Bullet in the Head finds John Woo at arguably his most ruthless, if not at least his most fiery. The film can be an emotionally taxing watch, yet Woo ensures that it never loosens its grip on your attention. The ensemble works well together to bring Woo’s vision to life, making it a compelling and seemingly undervalued entry in the career of a legendary filmmaker. Imprint Films has delivered a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that offers a superb A/V presentation and some unbelievable special features. Highly Recommended
The Imprint Films edition of Bullet in the Head is now available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Imprint Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
