Movie:
Hand of Death, originally released in 1975, was John Woo's third directorial effort. He also wrote the script, and even has a small role in it as well, playing Scholar Chang. The film stars Jackie Chan (Tan), Sammo Hung (Officer Tu Ching), James Tien (Commander Shih), and Dorian Tan (Yun Fei).

Commander Shih, a once proud Shao Lin disciple, now schemes to kill all Shao Lin fighters. Even though he's one of the best, he protects himself with eight hand picked bodyguards whom he has trained himself in different techniques. Feared for his cruelty, Shih conquers every foe that faces him. However, the Shao Lin warriors still train in hopes of defeating him, and the best among them, Yun Fei, is assigned the task of bringing back Shih's head by his Reverend Ta. He also has to protect Chang from Shih's clutches, as he carries important information. Yun Fei sets off in search of him, and almost immediately runs into Shih, who bests him in combat quickly. Shih, however, lets him live, and Yun Fei then trains for the eventual rematch, along with Tan, who has vowed revenge on Shih for killing his brother, and Zorro, a swordsman of unmatched skill who has vowed revenge of Shih for the death a loved one. The three of them together hope to accomplish the impossible – killing Shih and his eight bodyguards.

Though Hand of Death moves a bit slow in places, plot-wise, the martial arts action in the film is quite good. Dorian Tan, nicknamed "Flash Legs," is the star of the film, and really shines in combat. Both Chan and Hung have smaller roles, but are equally impressive in their action scenes. Woo's impact on the film is also evident, especially after having recently watched Last Hurrah for Chivalry, another of his marital arts films.

Picture:
Hand of Death is presented in 2.35:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. The transfer almost constantly displays either lines, both horizontal and vertical, marks, scratches, and specks; at times, its riddled with them. There's also some noticeable shimmering and pixelation, and film grain appears throughout. Colors are often different from shot to shot in the same scene; in one shot, colors are quite good, and in the next, they're muted and drab. The image usually appears soft as well. Having mentioned all that, most of the film looks better than I expected, given the film is 26 years old, and its quite watchable, just disappointing.

Sound:
Hand of Death is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in Mandarin; though the film was originally in Mono, that track is not present. Subtitles are available in English, traditional and simplified Chinese, and Japanese. The 5.1 certainly doesn't stray far from its origins, as the back speakers have very little if any activity throughout the film with no .1 that I detected. Dialogue is mainly center channel based with the effects in the two fronts. The English subtitles are filled with grammatical errors; characters say such drivel as, "Who's you?" and "There is idiot!" Zorro's name is even misspelled Zerro once.

Extras:
Extras include profiles for Woo, Chan, and Hung, along with a plot synopsis, which is from the DVD case, and five trailers. The trailers are for Hand of Death, Legend of Wisely, I Love Maria, Swordsman, and Triads.

Summary:
Fans of Woo, Chan, or Hung might want to consider giving Hand of Death a try to see some of their early work. The marital arts action is quite good; however, the DVD fails to deliver, making it a rental rather than a purchase. Rent it.