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Golgo 13 - Queen Bee
Urban Vision // Unrated // April 17, 2001
List Price: $24.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Before placing Urban Vision's recent release of "Golgo 13: Queen Bee" into my player, my sole knowledge of Golgo 13 stemmed from the old Nintendo game that I'm fairly certain I never finished. What stands out in my mind the most are the lengthy conversations other characters would have with the titular assassin, who would always respond with "...". Despite never completing the game, I did finish sitting through Togo's latest assignment to hit DVD. Although there's not really any exposition in the film to acquaint newbies like myself with the backstory, I had no problems jumping straight into "Queen Bee", a decent, if unremarkable, action flick.
I kept flashing back to Patty Hearst early on while watching "Golgo 13: Queen Bee". A presidential candidate is targeted by the second-in-command of a South American liberation army, and Golgo 13 is brought in to bring down the nymphomaniacal Queen Bee. When Duke finds himself involved on a more intimate level with his target than usual, a psychotic military leader under investigation is hired to make sure that Queen Bee is deader than disco. Golgo 13 is never one to give up, though... Despite a straightforward revenge plot and its brief running time, not even breaking the 60-minute barrier, there's plenty of sex, violence, and political intrigue to be found in "Golgo 13: Queen Bee". Although I'm not wildly enthusiastic about the film, I enjoyed it more than enough to recommend it, and I was pleased with the presentation by Urban Vision, whose work I hadn't seen before this.
Video: "Golgo 13: Queen Bee" sports a respectable full-frame transfer. Print damage and dust are non-existent, and artifacting is minimal. Duke Togo and company are animated using very thin lines, which are well-represented with the sharp image on this disc. Colors seem accurate, and black levels are solid, though one shot of soldiers trampling through the swamp appeared to be a bit muddy.
Audio: Both the English dub and the remixed Japanese track are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Although I didn't notice much in the way of directional effects, surrounds are used effectively to provide ambience, particularly with crowd noise and the jazzy soundtrack, as well as to make a couple of effects hit home a little harder. Although I only watched the film in its entirety in Japanese with English subtitles (the subtitles, by the way, are translated from the Japanese audio, not just a transcription of the dub), I did listen to the English dub for a few minutes. The dub sounds fine, but the altered dialogue doesn't work nearly as well.
Supplements: Though labeled as a special edition, the extras on "Golgo 13: Queen Bee" are pretty light. Along with a slew of trailers for other Urban Vision releases is the only extra related to the film itself, a commentary track by the director and executive producer. Despite a claim early on that there are many stories to be told, shallow character analysis and lengthy discussions about sex make up the majority of the track. The commentary itself isn't particularly interesting, but I was very pleased to see that the Japanese commentary has English subtitles, using italics to differentiate between speakers. A couple of deleted scenes are mentioned -- one involving a kiss between Hardy and Waltham and the other a more graphic follow-up to a flashback involving Waltham. Although I wasn't exactly clamoring to see either of those scenes, it's the slightest bit disappointing that for such a recent film that they weren't included.
Conclusion: Available online for under $20 shipped, "Golgo 13: Queen Bee" is a solid, if brief, action film that's accessible enough for viewers unfamiliar with anime to appreciate. Recommended.
I kept flashing back to Patty Hearst early on while watching "Golgo 13: Queen Bee". A presidential candidate is targeted by the second-in-command of a South American liberation army, and Golgo 13 is brought in to bring down the nymphomaniacal Queen Bee. When Duke finds himself involved on a more intimate level with his target than usual, a psychotic military leader under investigation is hired to make sure that Queen Bee is deader than disco. Golgo 13 is never one to give up, though... Despite a straightforward revenge plot and its brief running time, not even breaking the 60-minute barrier, there's plenty of sex, violence, and political intrigue to be found in "Golgo 13: Queen Bee". Although I'm not wildly enthusiastic about the film, I enjoyed it more than enough to recommend it, and I was pleased with the presentation by Urban Vision, whose work I hadn't seen before this.
Video: "Golgo 13: Queen Bee" sports a respectable full-frame transfer. Print damage and dust are non-existent, and artifacting is minimal. Duke Togo and company are animated using very thin lines, which are well-represented with the sharp image on this disc. Colors seem accurate, and black levels are solid, though one shot of soldiers trampling through the swamp appeared to be a bit muddy.
Audio: Both the English dub and the remixed Japanese track are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Although I didn't notice much in the way of directional effects, surrounds are used effectively to provide ambience, particularly with crowd noise and the jazzy soundtrack, as well as to make a couple of effects hit home a little harder. Although I only watched the film in its entirety in Japanese with English subtitles (the subtitles, by the way, are translated from the Japanese audio, not just a transcription of the dub), I did listen to the English dub for a few minutes. The dub sounds fine, but the altered dialogue doesn't work nearly as well.
Supplements: Though labeled as a special edition, the extras on "Golgo 13: Queen Bee" are pretty light. Along with a slew of trailers for other Urban Vision releases is the only extra related to the film itself, a commentary track by the director and executive producer. Despite a claim early on that there are many stories to be told, shallow character analysis and lengthy discussions about sex make up the majority of the track. The commentary itself isn't particularly interesting, but I was very pleased to see that the Japanese commentary has English subtitles, using italics to differentiate between speakers. A couple of deleted scenes are mentioned -- one involving a kiss between Hardy and Waltham and the other a more graphic follow-up to a flashback involving Waltham. Although I wasn't exactly clamoring to see either of those scenes, it's the slightest bit disappointing that for such a recent film that they weren't included.
Conclusion: Available online for under $20 shipped, "Golgo 13: Queen Bee" is a solid, if brief, action film that's accessible enough for viewers unfamiliar with anime to appreciate. Recommended.
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