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Special ID (2013)


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OpiumKungFuCracker
It's at Walmart. Debated getting it today, but decided to hold off. Everyone's comments aren't making me feel very enthusiastic to see it.

I'll give you two frozen totino's and a gallon of ice tea in place of Special ID bluray.

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ShaOW!linDude
I'll give you two frozen totino's and a gallon of ice tea in place of Special ID bluray.

SOLD!!!!:tongue:

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ShaOW!linDude

Okay, so I watched this on Netflix tonight. I must say that other than moments of story lag, I thought it wasn't as bad as all that.

The impression I got was that it was rather campy in places with unwarranted comedy aspects. I really didn't see any of that. Yen jumping around excitedly at the end was really only 2 or 3 jumps.

Some of the dialogue was sappy, but that's gonna happen when you try to tug at the heartstrings during an action film.

I did like the fights. Some good stuff. I would have preferred a different ending to the end fight but I'll take it.

Don't know that I'll get the Blu-ray, but I will score the dvd at some point and do a proper mini-review.

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One Armed Boxer
Don't know that I'll get the Blu-ray, but I will score the dvd at some point and do a proper mini-review.

Looking forward to it!

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Secret Executioner
Don't know that I'll get the Blu-ray, but I will score the dvd at some point and do a proper mini-review.

Why not directly get the Blu and do your review based on it ? :xd:

Anyway, looking forward to reading it.

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ShaOW!linDude

Because OpiumKungFuCracker promised to give me 2 frozen Totino's pizza and a gallon of iced tea in lieu of the Blu-ray, but this way I can still score the dvd and enjoy the pizzas and tea while I watch it.:tongue:

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Heard the UK BD only has the Mandarin/English soundtrack which is the incorrect one, not sure about the subs. HK BD has both the Cantonese/Mandarin/English as well as Mandarin/English soundtracks, but the subs are terrible. US BD has the Cantonese/Mandarin/English soundtrack and the best subs.

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Heard the UK BD only has the Mandarin/English soundtrack which is the incorrect one, not sure about the subs. HK BD has both the Cantonese/Mandarin/English as well as Mandarin/English soundtracks, but the subs are terrible. US BD has the Cantonese/Mandarin/English soundtrack and the best subs.

Interesting!!

If you check the trailer on iTunes (which is a short preview of a dialogue scene) Universal seems to have put the Mandarin version for rental there too.

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I have the HK BD and can confirm that the subs are awful! Main reason being that they're programmed annoyingly fast and you can only follow the dialogues by freezing every second syllable. Recently picked up the US disc and its way better. There's an interesting, but unfortunately only five minutes long 'Making Of' feature included that's thankfully subbed. At least here they got Bruce Law talking a little about the car chase he designed for the film - and in my book that is the best chase sequence in recent memory and makes the one Law and his crew produced for THE RAID 2 almost look ordinary in comparism... BTW, if the UK Blu has only Mandarin audio it should be absolutely avoided since Cantonese and Mandarin are both spoken throughout the film (and that goes for its Hongkong and Hainan - dumbly dubbed "Nanhai" here - scenes).

And yes, contrary to most on this board I happen to think that SPECIAL ID is a film well worth picking up! :wink2:

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masterofoneinchpunch
... At least here they got Bruce Law talking a little about the car chase he designed for the film - and in my book that is the best chase sequence in recent memory and makes the one Law and his crew produced for THE RAID 2 almost look ordinary in comparism...

And yes, contrary to most on this board I happen to think that SPECIAL ID is a film well worth picking up! :wink2:

Testify! I, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I really like the chase fight action sequence in this film. Well I really like the action in this film overall. I'm still so-so on the overall plot, but some of the fight scenes are so well done they are thrilling to me to watch.

Here is a quick write-up on my notes for the extras on the US release:

Special ID R1 Well Go

Trailers at start: generic Well Go advert feat several films, (6:18m for rest; this is also Previews) Iceman, The Suspect, The Wrath of Vijra

Making of: (4.04m Mandarin with removable English subtitles)

[this is really in two parts – 1) Ultimate Combat – Criminal Underworld 2) Extreme Driving]

Donnie Yen: first added Brazillian Jujitsu and MMA to SPL, then Flash Point. Mixes styles including SWAT techniques. “I’ve never played a hoodlum before.” [well technically you are not one here]

2nd part: choreographer says they use mostly real scenes.

Trailer (1:33m)

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And yes, contrary to most on this board I happen to think that SPECIAL ID is a film well worth picking up! :wink2:

I'm not alone on this! Cool. :bigsmile:

Can't believe how critical people are of this film.

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Testify! I, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I really like the chase fight action sequence in this film. Well I really like the action in this film overall. I'm still so-so on the overall plot, but some of the fight scenes are so well done they are thrilling to me to watch.

I really rate the action segments in this as some of the most solid in a long time. I mean just compare this to other China-friendly fare like, say, THE WRATH OF VAJRA, a film that inexplicably (to me) can find mucho love here. 'Course the ending was as dumbed-down and corny as they come but, quite frankly, I didn't mind the film's tonal shifts or Jing Tien's puffed-up personality and her occasionall slides into rom-com territory all that much. Far from making a lasting impression, but in any event the most watchable Clarence Fok effort since CENTURY OF THE DRAGON.

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Secret Executioner
Testify! I, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I really like the chase fight action sequence in this film. Well I really like the action in this film overall. I'm still so-so on the overall plot, but some of the fight scenes are so well done they are thrilling to me to watch.

Here is a quick write-up on my notes for the extras on the US release:

Special ID R1 Well Go

Trailers at start: generic Well Go advert feat several films, (6:18m for rest; this is also Previews) Iceman, The Suspect, The Wrath of Vijra

Making of: (4.04m Mandarin with removable English subtitles)

[this is really in two parts – 1) Ultimate Combat – Criminal Underworld 2) Extreme Driving]

Donnie Yen: first added Brazillian Jujitsu and MMA to SPL, then Flash Point. Mixes styles including SWAT techniques. “I’ve never played a hoodlum before.” [well technically you are not one here]

2nd part: choreographer says they use mostly real scenes.

Trailer (1:33m)

Sounds like some nice and interesting features here. Are those on the DVD or on he BD (or both) ?

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I'm not alone on this! Cool. :bigsmile:

Can't believe how critical people are of this film.

Count me in as another supporter of this movie. It has it's problems, sure, but I love the action. Highly re-watchable IMO. And it's nice to know the Well Go edition has superior subs, since that's the one I got!

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masterofoneinchpunch
Sounds like some nice and interesting features here. Are those on the DVD or on he BD (or both) ?

There could have easily been more special features (as long as they are good :D). A little short for my tastes. I have the DVD, but according to Amazon the BD has the same extras. Amazon also states (which I forgot to check): French Subtitles and

Spanish Subtitles on both versions.

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I'm not alone on this! Cool. :bigsmile:

Can't believe how critical people are of this film.

I too loved it when it came out and will pick the UK blu ray up asap!

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Secret Executioner
There could have easily been more special features (as long as they are good :D). A little short for my tastes. I have the DVD, but according to Amazon the BD has the same extras. Amazon also states (which I forgot to check): French Subtitles and

Spanish Subtitles on both versions.

All that stuff sounds damn fine by me. Guess I'll get this release if I can (unless the French release turns out as good or better, but I'm not even sure it has been released over here). :bigsmile:

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One Armed Boxer
At least here they got Bruce Law talking a little about the car chase he designed for the film - and in my book that is the best chase sequence in recent memory and makes the one Law and his crew produced for THE RAID 2 almost look ordinary in comparism...

Surely I can't be the only one on here who disagrees with this statement!? Both car chases were impressive, but I think 'The Raid 2' in terms of pure scale and action intensity outshines the chase in 'Special ID' for me. Give me a movie with Iko Uwais for action and Jing Tian for eye candy though and I'll be there.:tongue:

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Surely I can't be the only one on here who disagrees with this statement!? Both car chases were impressive, but I think 'The Raid 2' in terms of pure scale and action intensity outshines the chase in 'Special ID' for me. Give me a movie with Iko Uwais for action and Jing Tian for eye candy though and I'll be there.:tongue:

I saw it exactly the other way around. As Gareth Evans himself acknowledged they did have a somewhat limited budget for the chase scene and could do only with half a dozen Sedans or so. And it shows, just check how empty Jakarta’s main roads are when the action kicks into overdrive... Then replay the chase sequence in SPECIAL ID and witness the traffic density and the sheer impact of the mayhem...

I'm with you, OAB. I don't even remember a car chase being in Special ID.

Say what? Must have taken a siesta around half-time then, Caballero.

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One Armed Boxer
I'm with you, OAB. I don't even remember a car chase being in Special ID.

Ha ha, seriously? For me the car chase was the highlight, far overshadowing all of the MMA fight scenes. It's what leads up to the final fight, check out from 1:11 in the trailer, it may jog your memory -

pZ0DIz7BFqY

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ShaOW!linDude
Say what? Must have taken a siesta around half-time then, Caballero.

Hah! I may very well have.:tongue:

Watching OAB's post, I remember it now. I still enjoyed the intensity of the chase in Raid 2 more, however.

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The car chases in this film and The Raid 2 were brilliantly pulled off so I think neither is better than one another. But I too prefer the one in the latter film just for sheer intensity and mood.

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