100 Yards - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

100 Yards



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
I was EXTREMELY excited to see Xu Haofeng’s 100 Yards when I saw the trailer for it. Jacky Heung? Andy On? A period piece 1920s Chinese dojo rivalry? Yeah, it has all of the earmarks of a fun action-packed martial arts film, complete with some stunning choreography and a great-looking trailer. However, when actually watching the finished product, I felt torn over what I had just seen. On one hand, the action was out of this world. Jacky Heung and Andy On are both fantastic at their jobs (with Jacky being an absolutely incredible martial artist), and the visuals were to die for—a rich tapestry of the 1920s burgeoning China with Western Imperialism sticking its ugly fingers in everything. But on the other hand, we get a plot line that meanders all over the place and squanders much of the buildup that it has for something bigger and greater. Fun, but not what I was hoping for.

The film starts out with a title card that lets everyone in on the history of early 1900s Chinese martial arts schools, complete with exclusivity, their pecking order in the new Chinese social circles, and a hint at what possibly could be a historical epic. But with Hong Kong gone back to mainland rule, and with President Xi Jinpin’s own words declaring that the Chinese film industry should “make patriotism the main theme of literary and artistic creation), we sadly have a rather hollow version of what could have been made some 20 years ago. The film starts with a dying martial arts master overseeing a final duel between his son An Shen (Jacky Heung) and his star pupil Quan Qi (Andy On) as they duke it out for leadership of the dojo. Quan Qi ends up besting the young master, leaving An Shen to go get a bank job like his father ordered him so many years ago.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, this isn’t the end of the rivalry. An Shen desires to have a rematch with his mentor, but the rules and regulations of the “circle” (the super enigmatic grand masters of the palatial studio) keep the two at bay. But with great anger comes great opportunity, as the two young men dance and weave around each other in hopes of finally earning the right to duel each other once more. But once that does happen, their rivalry bubbles over, leaving the grand masters no choice but to expel the loser.

As I said, I really wanted to love (or at least like a lot) 100 Yards. It has some stunning choreography and a GREAT final 30-minute fight scene that will satisfy even the most picky of Kung Fu fanatics. BUUUUUUUUUUUT, the plot is the real culprit here for what could have been a fun action drama. Haoefeng sets up a myriad of plot points that seem to be going somewhere, only for every one of them to just slip by the wayside as the two martial artists focus entirely on their upcoming battle. I mean, I wouldn’t be that annoyed if it was advertised or set up for a straight simple fighting movie, but the movie’s script keeps trying to draw our attention toward subplots that for some strange reason just peter out over time. Motivations (outside of “I wanna be the best!”) are murky even on the best of times, and a whole sub-plot dealing with not one, but TWO murders directly impact the story is just shuttered for a “wink and a nod” moment that doesn’t wrap anything up.

Any On and Jacky Heung are fantastic in their roles, despite the awkward script machinations. The two make for some incredible fights throughout the film, giving us that high-octane chop-socky action that we’re all here for. The same goes for Jacky Heung’s real-life wife Bea Hayden Kuo) playing An Shen’s love interest. She’s stunningly gorgeous, has a quick wit about her dialog, and her chemistry with her husband is quite palpable. But as I said, I’m torn here. There’s a lot of good in this movie, but a huge glaring writing issue is hard to overcome. I mean, the fights are cool and all, but it all boils down to a gigantic Dragonball Z “I’m gonna get better and more powerful!” quest that ends with more questions than it answers.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

The film is presented in the standard 2.39:1 AVC encoding on Blu-ray for us today, using an unknown resolution master for the home video release (most likely 2K considering it was a straight to streaming release even in China). That being said, everything looks FANTASTIC, with a wide array of color gradings going on here. Interior shots tend to push a little blue, while the ashy grays of the outdoor shots combine with a fairly neutral grading done to the surroundings. There’s a cool “red dye” fight scene near the end that is obviously CGI (as is the blood from the cut marks on bodies), but overall this is a strongly done practical effects movie. Set pieces are lavish for the most part, though you could tell they were digging deep into spare costumes for the 1920s flapper-era clothing in the dance club scene. Fine details are superb all the way around, and I actually noticed VERY little banding going on here. Which is shocking, to say the least considering that banding is kind of par for the course with most Well Go USA encodes. Simply put, this is a very solid-looking disc.









Audio:

Yuuuuum. 100 Yards features a stellar Mandarin DTS-HD MA 5.1 track for us to enjoy, and this one doesn’t like to keep things quiet. There are plenty of dialog-centric bits that quiet it down for a while, but those fights are just vicious and brutal in the sound department. Vocals are crisp and cleanly located up front, with the fights opening up the sound stage with great use of impact noises, as well as the score. While we were focusing on the score, I noticed that this felt very different from your typical period piece Chinese film. The 1920s-era brass horns were pretty typical for the vibe, but the film shifts off into “Spaghetti Western” twanginess, as well as the final act getting a heavy, crunchy, electric guitar riff going for the final confrontation battle. It adds a texture to the film that is unique, and one of the most appealing aspects of it. Last but not least, let us not forget about the bass. This particular mix is HOT with the LFE, adding sporadic bursts here and there, as well as amping up the martial arts blows to full-on shotgun blasts. I’m a huge fan of balanced mixing here, but having a hot LFE channel for a chop-socky film is a guilty pleasure of mine, and certainly put a grin on my face.











Extras:

• Behind the Scenes
• Well Go USA Previews
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score:
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100 Yards is a fun movie if you go in understanding that you really need to just go with the flow and ignore a lot of the plot points. The best way to view it is simply to accept that this is a martial arts rivalry film with a lot of window trappings. Much like the late 80s and 90s Cynthia Rothrock films, just grin and go with the flow. The rest is just a distraction. The action scenes are definitely worth it, and the Tai Chi battle with Yuan Li is something that everyone needs to see. The Blu-ray looks and sounds REALLY good, but we still have the typical anemic almost nonexistent) extras as usual. Fun “Saturday morning” watch for martial arts film fans.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jacky Heung, Any On, Bea Hayden Kuo, Xu Changchu
Directed by: Hapfeng Xu
Written by: Hapfeng Xu
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Mandarin DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, French
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 109 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: February 18th, 2025

Recommendation: Fun Watch