JACKIE CHAN'S WHO AM I? (1998) (Umbrella Blu-ray Review)

JACKIE CHAN'S WHO AM I? (1998) 

Label: Umbrella Entertainment
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: PG
Duration: 108 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1 (No Subtitles) 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 
Director: Benny Chan, Jackie Chan
Cast: Jackie Chan, Michelle Ferre, Mirai Yamamoto, Ron Smerczak, Ed Nelson

Synopsis: A group of covert CIA operatives trailing a potential new energy source are double-crossed by corrupt agent Morgan (Ron Smerczak), who causes a helicopter crash in remote South Africa. The sole survivor (Jackie Chan), suffering severe amnesia, is nursed to recovery by a kindly native tribe who call him "Whoami" after the question he keeps asking. With the help of a mysterious reporter (Michelle Ferre), Whoami pieces together his past and tracks the turncoat agent and his criminal cohorts.

Jackie Chan's Who Am I? (1998) is a fun slice of martial arts action starring Jackie Chan as a member of a elite multi-national military task force who are hired to steal a energy source powered by an newly discovered extraterrestrial element found in a meteorite in Africa. During the mission the helicopter goes down and everyone dies, except for Jackie Chan, who's fall to the ground is somewhat softened by the canopy of tree branches. He ends up injured and suffering from amnesia, but he is taken in by a friendly native tribe who take to calling him "Whoami", which is what he says over and over again when asked his name. Eventually they nurse him back to health and he begins to learn their native ways, but eventually he finds his way back to civilization after he saves the life of a rally car driver and his attractive sister Yuki (Mirai Yamamoto).

After Jackie and his new friends win the road rally a reporter named Christine (Michelle Ferre) reports on the story which makes national news. While Jackie tries to sort out who he is the turncoat CIA spook who hired the mercenaries to steal the device discovers he's still alive, which could potentially spoil his lucrative plans for the energy device, so they send in a kill-team to finish the job and tie off loose ends, but killing Jackie Chan is never gonna be easy! 

As always Chan is charismatic and energetic fun, the fight choreography and action-sequences are quite good, with lots of that patented Chan parkour and thrilling fight sequences to go around, plus we get some very cool car chases that I wasn't expecting. I think that the story is only so so to be honest but the blend of action, humor and imaginative thrills makes this a fun one for sure, and the ending is an action-packed face-off with Chan facing off against the main baddies henchmen. 

Audio/Video: Who Am I? (1998) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment in 1080p HD cropped to 1.78:1 from the original 2.35:1 widescreen framing, which according to Umbrella is because the rights holder for their territory only has the cropped HD master to work with. It looks like an older master to my eyes as well, not having the clarity, sharpness or better resolved grain that you'd expect from a newer 2K or 4K scan. There's some mild print damage in spots, but nothing to awful. Colors look natural if a bit soft in spots, blacks are adequate but not strong. The new framing doesn't look to bad, at times it feels a bit tight, but Umbrella do offer a standard-def version of the film in the original 2.35:1 widescreen, that while properly framed, is also darker, softer and uglier, though I do appreciate the original aspect ration. Note, both versions of the film are of the shorter 108-min U.S. cut of the film and not the longer running Hong Kong cut. 

Audio in the disc comes by way of an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with no subtitles. The standard-definition version of the film also offers a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio. Both tracks are clean and well-balanced, no complaints about the audio. 

The only extras on the disc are a theatrical trailer for the film and the 2.35:1 framed widescreen version of the film in standard definition. The single-disc release comes housed in an over-sized Blu-ray keepcase with a sleeve of reversible artwork, both featuring the same artwork with one omitting the unsightly ratings logo. The disc features an excerpt the same artwork, which looks to be a mock-up of a pair of existing movie poster images.      

Special Features: 
- Theatrical Trailer
- Widescreen (2.35:1) Presentation in SD

Who Am I? (1998) offers up plenty of Jackie Chan charm, thrilling stunt work and loads of high-energy action with a healthy side-order of double-crossing, and while I am not all that familiar with Chan's body of work I thought this was a fun romp that fans of 80's style action should enjoy.  

CANNONBALL RUN II (1984) (Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray Review)

CANNONBALL RUN II (1984) 

Label: Umbrella Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: PG
Duration: 108 Minutes 
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles 
Video:  1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Hal Needham
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, Dom DeLuise, Frank Sinatra, Jackie Chan, Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley MacLaine

Growing up in the 80's I had a real love for the all-star formula comedies of the era, gathering together large ensemble casts for farce and larks was just good fun, from the scavenger hunt movie to the road-trip races there were plenty of formulaic farces to love and Cannoball Run was one of my youthful favorites, anytime it was airing on TV I would throw myself onto the couch and give it a spin. This sequel is a lot of fun, stuntman turned director Hal Needham (Smokey and the Bandit) got the band back together minus the considerable charms of Sir Roger Moore (Moonraker), but this is more or less a repeat of the first film, we begin with Sheik Abdul ben Falafel (Jamie Farr, Clinger from M*A*S*H) who lost the first race being forced by his by his father (Ricardo Montalban, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan) to hold another Cannonball Run, and the teams of racers assemble once again and make their way across the U.S. in hopes of winning the big prize money - there's really nothing more to it than that!

JJ Mclure (Burt Reynolds, Boogie Nights) and Victor (Dom DeLuise, Blazing Saddles) return, since the first film they've been working as part of a aerial stunt crew, including a hair-raising human missile gag we get to witness go awry just before they disguise themselves as military men and join in on the race, along the way hooking up with a pair of women disguised as nuns, Betty (Marilu Henner, TV's Taxi) and Veronica (Shirley MacLaine, Two Mules for Sister Sara), who believe the military men are about to become wealthy after overhearing a conversation out of context.

Rat Packers Blake (Dean Martin) and Fenderbaum (Sammy Davis Jr.) show up, this time on the run from mobster Don Don Canneloni (Charles Nelson Reilly, Rock-a-Doodle), who sends his enforcers after them, the enforcers include The Godfather alum Alex Rocco, Abe Vigoda and Michael V. Gazzo in addition to Henry Silvia (Probability Zero). Meanwhile Don Don is in deep with another mobster, Hymie Kaplan (Telly Savalas, Lisa and the Devil).

Other entrants in the race include "two great-looking chicks", that being Jill Rivers (Susan Anton, TV's Baywatch) and Marcie Thatcher (Catherine Bach, TV's Dukes of Hazard) the latter of whom while not wearing her signature Daisy Duke cut-off shorts is still a tall-order of sexiness. We also get Jackie Chan (Drunken Master), teamed up with 007 villain Richard Kiel (The Spy Who Loved Me) in a hi-tech Mitsubishi Starion that can levitate! Oh yeah, there's also a orangutan that loves to pretend to drive cars and flip old ladies the bird, what's not to love? 

Sure, the story is fairly rote, it's a carbon copy of the first film which was threadbare in the story department, but on the plus side we have lots 70/80's of celebrities crammed into this one in various cars making fools of themselves and clearly having a cocaine-fueled (I'm assuming) blast. 

Audio/Video: Cannonball Run II (1984) arrives on region-FREE Blu-ray from Australia's Umbrella Entertainment in 1080p HD framed at 1.78:1 widescreen, looking to be dated from an older HD master the image is somewhat soft and lacks the depth that a newer HD master might have provided, but the source looks to be in good shape with only some minor white speckling. Colors are nicely saturated and the black levels look good. The only audio option is a lossy Dolby Digital stereo track with optional English subtitles, it does the job just fine, everything comes through clean and well-balanced, I just miss the fidelity boost we could have gotten with a lossless audio option. 

The disc is barebones, there are no extras - not even a trailer for the movie - not even a start-up menu for this one. The single-disc Blu-ray release comes housed in the usual over-sized 16mm spine Blu-ray keepcase with a sleeve of reversible artwork featuring the original key-art by iconic movie poster illustrator Drew Struzan, the reverse side features a variant of the same key artwork minus the rating label. Also, good news, this release is region-free! 

If you're a fan of 80's comedies, scavenger hunt movies like Rat Race (2001) or just fun road race movies like The Gumball Rally (1969) there's a lot to enjoy about this Cannonball Run entry, it's just a fun 80's screwball comedy.