Divergence DVD Review

Unusually for Asian movies, at least the majority of the one's I have seen, this is shot in 2.35:1 and is presented anamorphically. For the most part the transfer is great, with no colour bleed or noticeable edge enhancement. Colour wise, initially is has a green hue to it ala The Matrix, but it soon settles down to a more normal palette. Blacks are dark and deep and for the most part the detail is good, with occasional slips into exceptional. However, during one of two of the flashback scenes, the film gets particularly grainy. Now I'm not sure if it's intentional or not, but it didn't do it for every flashback, or at least to a lesser extent on some over others, but I felt that it was too inconsistent. Other than that, I'm not complaining but it does somewhat take the gild off the edge.

Coming complete with original Cantonese tracks in Dolby and DTS, as well as a dubbed Mandarin track (Why?), this disk has a reasonably engaging soundtrack, with music engaging the rear channels for the most part, although during some of the set pieces they certainly become lively. LFE gets a great workout during the aforementioned chase sequence with cars whizzing by, you get a nice deep rumble. Dialogue is nice and clear and is never drowned out during the movie. Sadly the Dolby mix, to my ears is inferior to the DTS. Ignoring the clear differences in volume, the Dolby lacks the presence and detail apparent in the DTS track - for example during the opening, the rain is clearer and more encompassing, the orchestral arrangement of the music is more natural sounding with more resonance, the LFE more engaging and finally, some of the more subtle sounds are easily heard. I even boosted the Dolby volume by 10db to give it more equal footing and these criticisms are still very much apparent, so I have to say, if you can play DTS, then choose this soundtrack.

This 2 disc set contains a plethora of extras, from a director's commentary track to trailers - you can see all the extras in the relevant section of the review. Only problem is, all of them are in Cantonese, so I can't understand anything at all. However, the making of lasts for 15 minutes and looks interesting (well, that's all I can gauge it on) as do the other features. I wouldn't have expected them to be in English in all fairness, so I have rated them for perceived content as fairly as possible. The photo/postcards included are a nice touch though.
Although you can probably work out where the movie is going two-thirds of the way through, that doesn't make this any less of a good movie. In fact it is probably in need of some padding out, such is the plot and briskness to which things play out, which isn't a bad thing at all. Entertaining, great chase scene and decent plot makes this definitely a movie worthy of your time. Hollywood - that knock at the door you are hearing is getting louder.