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Click above to purchase "Time and Tide" at amazon.com
Time and Tide
review by Zach B.
Rated R
Studio: Columbia/Tri-Star
Running Time: 113 minutes
Starring Nicholas Tse, Wu Bai, Anthony Wong, Jventino
Couto Remotgue, Candy Lo, Cathy Chui
Written by Koan Hui & Tsui Hark
Directed by Tsui Hark
Retail Price: $24.95
Features: Audio Commentary with
Director/Producer/Co-Writer Tsui Hark, Filmographies,
Theatrical Trailers
Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Cantonese Dolby
Digital 5.1, Cantonese Dolby Surround, English Dolby Digital
5.1, English Dolby Surround, English Closed Captions,
English Subtitles, French Subtitles, Scene Selections (28
Chapters)
Released: August 7th, 2001
Probably not a lot of people have heard of this film, but
hopefully now with the DVD format it can get the audience it
deserves. "Time and Tide" opened in the year 2000 in it's
native China and has been a favorite at a few film festivals
during the past few months. The movie eventually opened in
the United States during May 2001 with limited release
courtesy of Tri-Star. I read some really good reviews, saw
some clips of the movie and saw the trailer. Thoughts in my
mind began to form as it really looked like one cool movie
that I really wanted to see. Unfourtantly, I didn't get a
chance to see it in theaters, which was why I was really
eager to check out its debut on DVD. So within three months
of the U.S. debut in cinemas, Columbia/Tri-Star brings it
home which I found really impressive. The sooner the better,
right? I think so... but what is this movie about and what
makes it what it is? Let's see, shall we?
"Time and Tide" follows Tyler (Nicholas Tse), a young man
who is facing fatherhood and needs some money... fast. So he
becomes a bodyguard. However, soon Tyler is faced in an
impending battle when he meets someone as their lives do
parallel in certain ways. Why they have to work together to
stop an assination, they are slowly put against each other
leading to an incredible confrontation.
The movie is a bit... interesting. I personally found the
story a bit confusing and murky in a few areas, but what you
have in this plot may seem like an obvious excuse for some
incredible action sequences, stunts and marvelous visual
style. That's not true, to my surprise. Despite the
well-recieved reviews I read, this movie actually has a
really good plot that's developed nicely (even though at
times I had a little trouble following it), moves along at a
good pace and is really, really developed well for an action
movie. Some of the stuff here may seem a bit far fetched,
but the way things are pulled off I found it to be pretty
believable. There is some really good character development
here and really tight and intense conflicts that make things
work so well. If you think you're going to see this movie
just for a stupid plot and a load of great action, you won't
get that. Yes you'll get that great action which can be
really amazing at times, but you'll get a pretty well made
story with great lines, great dialogue and a lot of thought
behind it that makes it like nothing you've ever seen
before. Director Tsui Hark and writer Koan Hui really hone a
good story and good characters in all of this, and it's
really worth it to watch this movie a few times to get
everything and the whole story... as I said, I was a little
confused at times with what was exactly going on, and it
really seems a movie like this was made for repeat viewings.
But not just for the story, but for the action as well.
If you love great action, violence and stunts then you'll
want to relive some of these sequences over and over,
they're pretty damn incredible. They're some of the best
I've seen in a long time in cinema, and all of them work are
the perfect lengths. This movie is cool and definently
enjoyable at that level, and some of the stuff pulled off
here is pretty amazing. The gunfights, the chases... just a
whole lot of stuff (and the 5.1 to make it even better! more
on that later). Action is a big part of this movie, and
unlike some movies where high production values tend to
overshadow the story, they go perfect hand-in-hand.
The acting in this movie is also very good, and makes it
all the more believable as well.The actors do a very good
job with their roles, and always seem to take them to the
next level which is always a great thing. Nicholas Tse does
stand out here and does a great job with Tyler.
Still, I felt the real star of the movie was Tsui Hark's
incredible direction, it's really impressive. His style is
really remarkable as he captures so many great angles, great
close-ups and nice wide shots that stream with creativity.
The way he moves and manipulates the camera gives this movie
a great edge, it reminded me a bit of a music video. You
just have to see his style to really understand what I'm
talking about. He sets the film at a great pace and all of
his "experementation" works wonderfully. Top this off with
great editing, quick cuts and a great flow and you got
yourself a true visionary. With an interesting premise good
acting, fun action and as I mentioned, great directing,
"Time and Tide" is worth your time. Check it out!
"Time and Tide" looks pretty stunning and but the amount
of really noticeable grain on the image is distracting and
annoying. The movie is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic
widescreen and it really captures the movie's unique editing
style and wonderful visuals. The variety of dark and bright
colors are well saturated. My complaints are minimal: it can
be a bit grainy as I mentioned which I found really tedious
and an annoyance. Blemishes and pieces of dirt pop up here
and there, but it's never really distracting. Despite this,
it is one fantastic transfer and I was really, really
pleased how it came out. One of Columbia/Tri-Star's better
transfers out there.
There are quite a few options with the audio. The film
can be heard in an English dub that is in two channel sound
or a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, or the original Cantonese track
in Dolby Digital 5.1 or two channel sound as well. There are
English and French subtitles, not to mention English closed
captioning. The subtitles represent what's being heard on
the Cantonese tracks. The 5.1 mixes are very strng and
pretty intense, as it is one of the most action packed mixes
I've heard in a long while. This movie is an action movie,
and as you might have guessed, there are a plentiful of
surrounds to experience. The loud music, large amount of
gunfire and explosions really immerse you in the film's
sound field. There's so much action going on it's like a
non-stop party. It's loud, it's booming and all of it is
creatively mixed together to make you feel like you're there
watching all of it. I at times thought I was getting shot at
directly. Bullets flying by and everything... it's just
insane. The action also comes in wild car rides, scream and
rain... yes, rain. I felt like the rain was coming down on
me at times. Fidelity is very good and there is no
distortion to be found in sounds. Thankfully, dialogue is
clear on both tracks and easy to hear, and the variety of
sounds don't interfere with what is going on. Little sounds
like doors closing, clapping, wind blowing and footsteps are
very good too. Reference quality, if you ask me. I was
surprised how good the Dolby Surround tracks sounded too!
Some of you may also be wondering how the dub track is in
case you're not a fan of reading subtitles. The voices
aren't corny or cheesy at all, as they fit well with the
characters and usually sound natural. The English script
stays true to the Cantonese script, while words match the
mouths decently. It looks pretty good most of the time
actually, as it has a nice flow, but there are times where
it doesn't match up exactly. So, a surprisingly good dub for
those interested.
The DVD isn't loaded, but I was very glad to find a
Audio Commentary with Director/Producer/Co-Writer Tsui
Hark included on the disc, especially in the short time
this went from a few theaters to the home video market. This
is a really nice track, and while his English is not the
best, it's still pretty easy to understand. Hark talks about
creating the movie, its themes and what he was exactly going
for. He's pretty enthusiastic and really talkative. Though
he's not always screen specific, he offers a lot on how
things were accomplished, good production stories,
characters and a lot of information to absorb. I was
disappointed though to find out there were deleted and
extended scenes he cut, and that those scenes are nowhere on
this DVD. Drag. A very good track fans of the film should
listen to.
There are two Filmographies (Tsui Hark and
Nicholas Tse), while you can find four Theatrical
Trailers on the disc. "Time and Tide" is non-anamorphic
letterbox and two channel sound, "Once Upon A Time In China"
is in two channel sound as well (it's a video trailer),
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is in full frame and two
channel sound and "Miracles" is in full frame and two
channel sound, that's a video trailer as well.
"Time and Tide" is quite an original movie, and while I'm
not sure if everyone will get the plot completley, it's
worth checking out for fans of foreign cinema and action
fans. Great presentation and a commentary to top it off, be
sure to check out "Time and Tide" on DVD.
 (4/5 - NOT included in
final score)
(4/5)
 (5/5)
 (1.5/5)
 (3.5/5, NOT an average)
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