R E V I E W :    The Mission  

Reviewed 10/10/00 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

1999 / 88 minutes
Directed by Johnnie To

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

I hesitate to say much about the plot of The Mission. Saying too much ruins some of the pleasure of seeing this film for the first time. I'm glad I came to my first-time experience as a plot virgin, beyond the fact that five tough guys are hired to protect a crime boss after an assassination attempt.

I watched it twice today, basically back-to-back, which I rarely do. I loved Anthony Wong and Francis Ng as two of the tough guys, who develop a point-counterpoint relationship. I loved the way that director Johnnie To constructs scenes, and the overall pacing, and the dialogue, and that great understated shopping mall shootout. And the incongruously chirpy theme music. And the subtlety of the storytelling. And the editing, and the way the camera moves. I loved how every scene turned out to be important (which reminded me of Chinatown). A wonderful, tough-minded and memorable film.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

I just hate that a film from 1999 looks so shoddy on DVD. Why is that? Is the budget so low that they can't afford to put aside a master print? Why must we see speckles and shimmering and imperfect colors and that blasted burned-in image in the background of one of the great films of the last few years? (If you don't know, an image appears to be burned in on the master of the DVD and is readily apparent a number of times during the film, especially in the, for want of a better word, the lighter scenes. This is extremely frustrating.)

Four audio tracks are provided: Cantonese and Mandarin DD 5.1 and DD 2.0. The sound is good for 2.0, but the surrounds are used sparingly. The gunshots jump out like rocket blasts on the Cantonese tracks. The Mandarin tracks, however, seem somewhat muted. Subtitles include traditional and simplified Chinese as well as English. The English sub-titles are fair: the white lettering is clear and distinct, but there are the usual misspellings and typographical errors.

Also has "data bank" (just a brief synopsis -- that tells too much about the plot -- and listing of main cast & crew), trailer (which interestingly includes sequences which were sped up for the trailer) and "best buy" (terrific trailer for Ringo Lam's Victim).

Buy, rent, or pass?

Despite my severe disappointment with the DVD's video quality, I very much enjoyed this vital, well-told movie. Rent first if you want to be sure about the visual presentation.

 

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