I realize I might have been vague with the information I provided above.
- I didn't get Hard Target - Director's Cut from EBay... I went to the Pir8 Bay and I simply dlded the torrent.
- You're right : the copy I have is actually a Workprint the way Woo delivered it to the studio. There is a warning from Universal right before the beginning of the movie stating it is a rough unfinished cut. It runs 116 minutes, there are no end titles just fade out to black in the end. The print in itself has a few scratches and stains but is pretty nice looking. Some of the music is temp tracked from Aliens and the Lethal Weapon series (I'm sure there are other sources as well...).
- The torrent came in the form of VOB files making it a transfer from a VHS source that I think is at least a 5th Gen copy. Every frame is timecoded twice (on the upper left and the lower left corner of the visible image). The image format is close to Pan&scan but could indeed be a bit below 1.77 in ratio as the black bars are thin but present. Overall it is completely watchable AND enjoyable as it is. I really recommend it in its current form.
- I'm definitely interested in the Japanese Cut you have if it has been transferred to DVD yet (PM on the way....).
The information you just provided is only an additional proof that THERE IS a hidden gem waiting to be worked out into a GREAT fan preservation project.
Side Question for you Boomstick :
I purchased an original French DVD of The Killer from Woo that has the Extended Taiwanese version as a supplement (great by the way !!) but it is unfortunately plagued with horrendous superimposed subtitles over a grey square... I'm trying to find a non-tainted version, so if you can help... But here again folks, using the current cleaned print and some of the OCP magic described above, we could restore another masterpiece from Woo !!!!!!
Some days I wish I had the time to get on these myself....