I tested the new Hard Boiled 4K Blu-ray, and this long-awaited classic is a new reference showcase for what Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos is capable of

Since I started my monthly Blu-ray Bounty column in November 2024, I’ve tested more than 100 4K Blu-rays.

In that time, as well as finding that a lot of highly anticipated discs — such as Fight Club — lived up to the hype, there have also been some pleasant surprises, including the reference-quality Speed Racer and the spectacular The Super Mario Galaxy Movie .

The latter two are now part of the selection of discs I use to test the best TVs and best soundbars .

While I haven’t managed to test every disc I’ve wanted to (and certainly not every 4K disc released), one has remained frustratingly elusive: Hard Boiled .

One of John Woo’s most iconic films, it's a cornerstone of Hong Kong action cinema, and I'd been keen to get my hands on the 4K release.

After failing to snag the Limited Edition, released in March 2026 in the UK, and every subsequent restock, I was starting to wonder if a Hard Boiled was destined to stay on my testing wishlist.

July saw the arrival of a standard edition — and it shot to the top of my July 2026 most anticipated 4K list .

After yet more courier delays, Hard Boiled finally made it into our testing lab — so, at long last, I was able to give it a spin to see whether the 4K disc is worth all the hype.

Awesome Atmos audio Hard Boiled 's numerous chaotic shootouts sound superb thanks to its engaging and immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack (Image credit: Arrow Video / Future ) There are three soundtrack options on this disc: Cantonese Mono, Cantonese Dolby Atmos, and English Mono.

I primarily used the Cantonese Dolby Atmos, to see how effective the upscaled audio track would be, although I was impressed by the clarity of the Cantonese Mono.

There're no shortage of action-packed scenes in Hard Boiled , in particular a number of gunfights, and the disc's Dolby Atmos soundtrack makes the most of them.

During testing, I used a Samsung HW-Q990C 11.1.4 channel soundbar system, and the Atmos mix really came alive.

As bullets tear through the room, ricocheting bullets can be heard bouncing off walls with impressive detail and precision.

In the opening gunfight, as sprays of bullets from sub-machine guns fly, the trajectory of these bullets was precisely mapped to the rear channels, and as the camera moved around the room, the sound of the bullets moved with it.