Ìý User Rating 
When made back in 2000, this dramatic action romance was the most expensive Korean movie ever made. Featuring beautifully choreographed swordplay and a suitably stirring storyline, this film is a must-see for fans of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and the "Once Upon a Time in China" series.
"Bichunmoo" marks the first release from the new Premier Asia label from Medusa, the people behind the Hong Kong Legends releases: DVDs that never fail to impress. As you'd expect, the quality is excellent. The interesting extra features allow anyone, even without any knowledge of Korean films, to quickly appreciate and enjoy the movie.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture Stunningly shot, the film gets a sharp picture transfer to match.
Sound This Premier Asia DVD marks a new innovation to discs from Medusa/Hong Kong Legends: the introduction of a DTS sound mix. Dolby 5.1 is also available and while good, it's not quite as tight as the DTS version, which offers thundering insanity to sweep your speakers away.
DISC ONE SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary Bey Logan's expertise lies more in Hong Kong movies, so he gets along Asian cinema guru Mike Leader to talk about the film.
What follows is an in-depth chat about the people involved in the film, their background, and the place of this film in Korean cinema. As Hong Kong movies are so popular in the East, Korean features have always been looked down upon, even in their own country. "Bichunmoo" is one of an exciting new wave of Korean movies that is changing that perception.
DISC TWO SPECIAL FEATURES
Interview Gallery In this section of disc two you'll find all-new interviews with director Young-jun Kim, leading man Hyun-joon Shin, and action choreographer Ma-yuk Sheng.
What's immediately striking about the interviewees is that they are deadly serious about their work. Each person introduces himself in quite a formal manner, before then talking about his work on the film.
The importance of being a virtuous and hard worker are themes talked about. Seasoned DVD collectors used to watching trite interviews with gushing Hollywood stars will find a distinct difference with what's on offer here.
Promotional Archive Dip in here for trailers to the film, a music video, and a trailer gallery for the extraordinary slate of films yet to come from Premier Asia, including the brutal "Ichi the Killer" uncut!
Behind the Scenes Seven short featurettes on various scenes in the film, a CGI montage with effects layers, and some quite amusing outtakes make up this section of disc two.
Information Library Biographies and film notes round off this impressive debut DVD from Premier Asia.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Region: 2
Chapters: 32
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1
Audio Tracks: Korean (in Dolby or DTS) and English dub (in Dolby)
Subtitles: English and Dutch
Captions: English
Menus: Animated, with music
Special Features Subtitles: All of the special features come with subtitles apart from the commentary and trailers. The outtakes and CGI montage are dubbed over with music so don't require subtitles.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
