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Comparison between the edited export cut and the uncut original version, both included on the US Blu-ray release of Error4444
Fatal Termination is wonderfully gritty B-action cinema from Hong Kong, produced by the unfortunately short-lived production company Regent Film Limited, which was active only from 1989 to 1993. Genre enthusiasts will recognize plenty of familiar faces in the film, including Moon Lee, Simon Yam, Robin Shou, Philip Ko, and Mike Abbott. The movie is infamous for a stunt that would be unthinkable in Hollywood, involving a young girl being held by her hair outside a moving car. In September 2023, the US label Error 4444 released the worldwide HD premiere in a new 4K scan. Just like Centipede Horror and Red Spell Spells Red, the limited Blu-ray editions sold out quickly. Unfortunately, it should be noted that for the 4K scan the image is not fully stabilized, resulting in a slight wobble throughout. There are also some image defects, likely due to the use of at least one additional source to fill in the incomplete 4K scan. As a hidden bonus, one can find presumably the second source, in 720p with burnt-in subtitles, taking up only approximately 3.3 GB on the disc. In this comparison, we've also examined this version since there are minor gaps around reel changes. However, the main reason for this comparison report is the "official" bonus export version, which runs approximately 7 minutes shorter. Everything missing in the export version has been incorporated from this bonus version into the main feature on the disc, slightly remastered and heavily zoomed in to conceal the burnt-in subtitles of the original version. In addition to using an English opening and ending credits sequence, the export version is mainly characterized by some minor trimming of the plot for English-speaking audiences. This naturally affects somewhat humorously toned scenes with the police officers and sentimental moments within the family. Since this version is essentially sourced from the same HD master, and there's no significant zooming in on the added dialogue moments, it's likely a nice alternative for many viewers. It's a bit unfortunate that the unzoomed original source with burnt-in subtitles is only included as a highly compressed bonus rather than in HD, but that's essentially just nitpicking at a high level. Runtime indications are arranged according to the following format: 00:13-01:04 / 00:13-01:21
After the identical Error 4444 logo, there's a completely different opening credits sequence. The export version lacks the introductory reference to D&B as the distributor and a closing caption (unfortunately without subtitles) after the director's credit. According to translation tools, it is pointed out here that the following story is fictional, and any resemblance to real persons or events would be purely coincidental. Original version 16.9 seconds longer
07:09 / 07:26-08:28 The introductory scene with Simon Yam is completely missing. He casually prepares his coffee in a large industry jar and sits down with it in his office, where he also reaches for a cigarette. Meanwhile, colleague Dan Lau flirts with Cindy in the adjacent office, and Simon asks her to bring him the current newspaper. She says he can get it himself. Simon then walks through the room, which is included again in the export cut. 62 seconds (= 1 minute 2 seconds)
23:44 / 25:03-25:56 Before the discovery of weapons in the container, there's another scene with Simon and Dan Lau on patrol. Simon critically observes the suspicious Michael Miu, who is walking with Ray Liu. Michael wants to confront him, but Ray holds him back. Ray emphasizes to Simon that he would be wrong to suspect Michael. As Simon gets back into the car, Dan casually eats something. Simon suggests that they should take a closer look at the family. Dan isn't really interested, but Simon drives off. 52.8 seconds
30:00 / 32:11-32:52 Introduced with another nighttime shot, a scene is missing in Moon's household. Moon and Ray say goodbye to their daughter (Yan Yan) as they are going out to eat with their uncle. Meanwhile, the uncle calls from the car. Yan Yan runs to the door, but her parents are already gone. Michael bids her farewell. 41.1 seconds
35:00 / 37:52-42:30 Another scene with Simon sitting in his office with his coffee in an industry jar. It's apparently late at night, and Dan asks what he has found out about the family. Simon says they all work at the airport and sticks to his suspicion, although he realizes that Dan is skeptical. He wants to go follow Michael again. Dan insists that Simon should eat first. They set off. Then it continues with Moon's family. Ray is desperate, and Moon tries to get him to sleep. After all, Michael's funeral will be later today. Moon persistently asks what's bothering him and whether he knows who killed her brother. Ray stands up and names Ko Mok Fu as the killer. He used to be a drug dealer when Ray was still with the CID, so Ray considers it a revenge act. Or maybe Michael was smuggling weapons for Ko after all? Moon emphasizes that her brother was always honest. They could go to the police. Ray says they would need evidence for that. However, he promises to take care of Ko. Then Yan Yan comes downstairs crying. Moon takes her in her arms and tearfully points out that she doesn't want to lose him as well after her brother's death. Ray remains pensive. 278 seconds (= 4 minutes 38 seconds)
84:05-85:00 / 91:36-92:27 The end credits also differ, of course. After that, the Error 4444 logo appears again, identical to the beginning. Export version 3.9 seconds longer
Finally, let's take a look at the bonus version stored as an Easter Egg (jump to the label logo in the bonus menu in the upper right corner). This version is obviously from a different film reel scan, showing plenty of the usual wear and tear and is a few seconds shorter - which can be explained by minor gaps around reel changes. First, here are some comparison images from the film. The bonus version is slightly cropped, especially noticeable in the opening credits. However, the brighter image benefits some scenes. The black matting occasionally shifts during the film.
Another drawback: During all the previously mentioned gaps in the export version, the image suddenly zooms in significantly in the main version. The quality is still good though, clearly better than on the separate 720p presentation of the original scan and also restored a little bit. Presumably, all of this was missing in the scan used for the main version, and the material had to be incorporated from the bonus scan. Since there are burnt-in subtitles in this part, the bottom part was apparently concealed accordingly.
Additional logo at the beginning of the main version. 12 seconds
After the opening credits, the black screen in the bonus version is 1 second longer. 21:32 / 21:44-21:45 Around the first reel change, the film damages become significant, and the usual marks are visible in the image. A few frames are predictably lost. 1.3 seconds
42:18 / 42:30-42:31 As hinted earlier, the next reel change occurs at the end of a long dialogue scene, which was entirely inserted from the bonus film reel into the main film and is zoomed in accordingly. The last shot of it no longer has any dialogue with subtitles, so at least the aspect ratio is correct again. In direct comparison, it's clear that some defects have been "restored" (or likely cleaned up by a filter), but by no means have all defects been corrected - and around reel changes, more than usual occur. The subsequent shot of the building, which is now from the main source, starts a moment earlier. 0.8 seconds
61:13 / 61:26-61:28 During the transition from the bridge scene to Moon with Yan-Yan (just before the infamous car ride), a reel change in both shots causes a few frames to go missing. 1.3 seconds
82:32 / 82:47-82:48 And the final reel change. 1 second
After the end credits, the Error 4444 logo appears once again, adding another 14 seconds. Slipcase, cover and reverse cover of the US Blu-ray - variant #2:
Packshot for variant #1 of the US Blu-ray:
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