The Entertainment Factor: New on Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD: THE BLADE / DAO (1995)

The Blade 1995 New On Bluray And 4k Ultra Hd

Product Description: Among the boldest accomplishments of Hong Kong cinema’s golden age, this uniquely visceral martial-arts movie puts a gritty new spin on the story of the one-armed swordsman, an iconic figure from the moment he was introduced by the Shaw Brothers studio in 1967. Composed in a whirlwind of immersive close-ups and fractured editing, The Blade follows the young sword-maker Ding On (Vincent Zhao), who, after losing an arm in an ambush, transforms himself into a furious avenger. With its intentionally disorienting stylization and starkly brutal tone, The Blade was a rare commercial disappointment for Tsui Hark, but it has since been reclaimed as one of the director’s most radical visions—a tour de force of action expressionism, and a scathing reappraisal of the wuxia genre’s code of masculinity, that achieves a feverish intensity.

Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.

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Movie Details

Purchasing Links

Video

Audio

Subtitles

Special Features & Extras

Trailer and Clips

Pictures

MOVIE DETAILS

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Director: Tsui Hark

Starring: Xiong Xinxin, Ray Chang, Szu-Ying Chien, Hon Ping Tang, Michael Tse, Bobby Yip

Genre: Action

Runtime: 105 min

Rating: Not Rated

Language: Cantonese

Studio: Criterion

Home Video Release Date: March 31, 2026

PURCHASING LINKS:

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Blu-ray - Criterion Collection

4K Ultra HD - Criterion Collection

VIDEO

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Blu-ray

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Region: Region A/1

4K Ultra HD

Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Region: Region A/1

AUDIO

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Dubbed:

Blu-ray: None
4K Ultra HD: None

Audio Formats:

Blu-ray: LPCM Mono
4K Ultra HD: LPCM Mono

SUBTITLES

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DVD:

Blu-ray: English

4K Ultra HD: English

SPECIAL FEATURES & EXTRAS

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New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
New audio commentary featuring Hong Kong cinema expert and producer Frank Djeng
Action et vérité (2006), a documentary featuring director Tsui Hark, coscreenwriter Koan Hui, and actor Xiong Xin-xin
New video essay by filmmakers Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting)
New York Asian Film Festival Q&A with Tsui from 2011
Alternate English-dubbed track
International-version opening and end credits
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by author Lisa Morton