Heroes Shed No Tears

Summary

Film Movement has released some really interesting films since the niche label started releasing Blu-rays a few years ago. They definitely know their obscure and foreign cinema. I first discovered the label because of their releases of Takeshi Kitano films. With their releases of both The Quiet Earth and The Great Silence, I knew that I would need to stay abreast of what the label released. Recently they have released the film Heroes Shed No Tears from the beloved Chinese film director John Woo. The film was released in 1986 (the same year as A Better Tomorrow) and it finds the director still defining his style.

The plot of the film revolves around Chan Chung (Eddy Ko,) the leader of an elite Chinese commando force enlisted by the Thai government to capture General Samton, a powerful drug lord. Crossing the border into Vietnam, Chan and his team encounter an evil colonel. When their team’s attack costs the colonel his eye, he makes it his mission in life to destroy the commandos. Meanwhile, when Samton’s forces attack Chan’s family home, Chan is forced to bring his wife and infant son with him every step of the way. Action and mayhem ensue.

Heroes Shed No Tears is not best viewed through the prism of whether or not the film is “good.” The plot for the film in all honesty only makes a little bit of sense. How many commandos would endanger their child and wife by bringing them with them while escorting a dangerous drug lord through enemy lines? Was there not a single friend he could have hidden his family with? These types of lapses in judgement will either ruin the film for a viewer or enhance the bizarre nature of the film. For myself, I enjoyed watching the film because I felt like I was watching an artist hone their craft. A lot of John Woo’s best qualities were being developed in this film. Some of the standoff scenes have a similar quality to Broken Arrow and the combat scenes are reminiscent of his later war film Windtalkers. At the same time there are numerous elements here that are largely missing from his later films. For example, this film has some sex scenes and nudity. Also, the film has far more blood than most of his later works. 

In evaluating this film, it is worth pointing out that it is not in the same realm as the amazing films he made with Chow Yun-Fat. Hard Boiled and The Killer are two of the most influential action films ever made and in my opinion are legitimately pieces of art. Those films for the most part have aged well. Heroes Shed No Tears is a bonkers action film that has not aged nearly as well as those. That said, for fans of John Woo it will be a lot of fun seeing how his style developed. For that reason, I give the film my endorsement with a warning of what to expect. I enjoyed watching the film and found numerous elements really fun.

Video

Film Movement have provided a brand new 2K HD digital restoration that was remastered specifically for this release in 2018 using an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The video transfer is pretty fantastic. The film does have some coloring disparities but the outdoors scenes are lush and filled with robust green colors. The skin tones look a little faded like other films from that time. The fine detail is overall pretty excellent. I can’t imagine a single fan of the film being anything but extremely pleased with the hard work that Film Movement has put into this release.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround. The film can be presented in English, Cantonese, or Mandarin. I chose the original Cantonese presentation and was happy with my choice. The dialogue in the film is presented clearly. The surround effects are not that robust but you can expect to hear a lot of explosions and gunfire in this film. The score by Tang Siu Lam is cheesy and enjoyable. This is a good presentation.

Supplements:

Interview with star Eddy Ko – in this enjoyable interview, Eddy KO recalls his days working as a martial artist and how he came to be an actor. He also talks about some of the dangers of working on the film caused by the live ammunition and blanks they used. This is a fun and enjoyable interview.

The film also comes with a nicely appointed essay by Grady Hendrix.

Overall scores

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 2/5

Overall – 3.5/5

Heroes Shed No Tears finds director John Woo still learning his craft. It is a fun film and thoroughly bonkers thanks to the inclusion of the commando’s family in all the violent set pieces in the film. Just wait until you see a group of mercenaries attempt to kill the young boy by setting a field on fire around him which he miraculously digs his way out of. If that doesn’t bring a smile to your face, this film will probably not appeal to you. For myself, I consider even lesser films by major artists worth merit in evaluating their later work. Film Movement has provided an excellent 2K restoration of the film and a nice interview with star Eddy Ko.