Haruschi - Das blanke Schwert der Rache

So begins the dialogue in BLOOD OF THE DRAGON, which is probably the least important element of this almost-nonstop action martial arts movie. Starring Wang Yu (from the amazing ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN series), BLOOD OF THE DRAGON is an above-average movie with a pretty cool protagonist and enough blood and gore to satisfy any fan of violence.

Wang Yu plays Lung Ti, also known as the mercenary White Dragon. This is the "Dragon" referenced in the title, so you know to look out for his blood in this movie...lots of it. You see, about a quarter of the way through the movie, White Dragon sustains a backstabbing (what a guy!) and STILL manages to kick butt throughout the rest of the movie. It's a tough job saving China, but somebody's gotta do it. White Dragon gets caught up in a revolution against the evil Mongol government, and the movie gets quite a few patriotic sentiments in it; the Mongols are portrayed as hairy louts, and White Dragon and the prince who fights alongside him are cool, honorable dudes. :)

Right off the bat, BLOOD OF THE DRAGON gets into heavy action with rapid camera-cutting and frenetic editing. White Dragon wields a huge iron spear throughout the movie, and he goes against everything from a broadsword (a so-called "magic sword," but I never really saw why it was so special), a three-piece staff, throwing stars, and one of those nifty sword/whip things (used by intimidating bad guy Red Wolf). There are several unintentionally funny moments in the battles, when it is obvious that the editing is a bit sub-par, but this is to be expected from a thirty-minute fight scene with over sixty guys (yes, that IS the finale of the movie!).

White Dragon, with his fairly easy-going attitude and honorable heart, may remind viewers of Jubei from NINJA SCROLL or Gatsu from "Berserk." Either way, the dubbing on Dragon's voice (and the rest of the cast) is above average, with all the lines understandable and at times emotional; much of this could also be attributed to Wang Yu's actual ability to act. :) Also, be sure not to miss out on the horribly inappropriate music by the band Flood! All in all, a fun movie with great weapons sequences. My rating: 8/10

There is little in this low-budget Chinese kung fu drama that we haven't seen before, aside from a few nifty weapons. It's a predictable story of one man versus an empire, the bad guys this time around being the big, greasy bearded Mongols whose dominance spells trouble for good-guy fighter White Dragon. Eventually Dragon ends up taking on an entire Mongol army alone, but not before he has mildly romanced an attractive barmaid, made friends with a not-too-annoying young Chinese kid, and chopped off a guy's finger! The film is pretty bloody for a kung fu movie. I'm not talking Chang Cheh kinda bloody, as in a bloodbath or slaughterhouse film (see CRIPPLED AVENGERS or SUPER NINJAS) but the blood does flow fairly steadily.

Bolstering the film is one-time action legend Jimmy Wang Yu (THE ONE-ARMED BOXER), a film star whose career was already on the wane in the late '70s after his box-office gold of a decade previously. Wang Yu would slug on in a plethora of low-budget, sometimes interesting movies in the '80s and '90s (FANTASY MISSION FORCE being a good sample of his later work) but he would never reach the early heights of his career, which saw him equal popularity with Bruce Lee. Here, he doesn't have a lot to do as the noble, heroic White Dragon, other than swing his spear around and jump into the air a lot. Still, Wang Yu is cool in my book, his acting a little better than most of his contemporaries, so kudos to him for his appearance here.

Unfortunately, the American distributor saw fit to tinker with this movie for its US release. Thus we get dubbed in American voices (rather than the usual English dubbing); a hilarious US cast list showing up at the end (the names are either made up or those of the dubbers) and worst of all, cheesy rock music inserted over the soundtrack. Speaking of sounds, the sound effects in this movie are hilariously over the top, whether it be a spear swinging, a ball-and-chain spinning or a horse clip-clopping down a road (they do that a lot in this film). It's pretty funny to watch and listen to. Although far from a classic, BLOOD OF THE DRAGON has plenty of goofy flying, clichéd dialogue, and silly action to recommend it, cheesy effects and a high body count. Kung fu fans might enjoy it, providing they find a good copy (Brentwood DVD's is typically poor).

In 1971 Jimmy Wang Yu broke his contract with Shaw Brothers. Shaw Brothers business model considered all actors as replaceable commodities totally under their control. Jimmy avoided the legal problems by making movies in Taiwan and he started fast by starring in seven movies in his first year.

Lisa Chiao Chiao also left Shaw Brothers at the same time and continued to act in Taiwan. I believe her contract simply expired. In Jimmy's most famous movie "One-Armed Swordsman" she played his rescuer when conveniently he fell into her boat. Were they a couple in real life? If I ever meet either of them I will ask. Jimmy had another role at Shaw Brothers as a fighter with a silver spear. Since he had both arms in this movie he was also able to fight with the spear but used the sword more. There is a good mix of fights here with different weapons, all normal and no absurd movie creations, and hand fighting. Most sequences are brawls versus many opponents. Jimmy's brawl sequences are among the best ever filmed. This is simply because he avoids the cheap, overdone fight moves. These include - a circular wave of the sword and stunt men fly away in every direction, too many close ups instead of long shots, shaky camera sequences, and sudden leaps to escape that land the fighter in the next county. Jimmy's moves always show power so even if he sometimes misses by an armslength it can be overlooked. Sometimes you can even see a pure finesse move if you look closely.

There is a child in this movie. If you must include a child in a movie instead of a prop then rule number one is the child must not be annoying. Pure gold is if the child is actually good and adds something. Here the eleven year old Yau Lung is pure gold.

Overall this is not Jimmy's best of 1971 and not his worst either. There were parts that simply dragged so I can only rate this as average for the year and genre.

White Dragon is an anti-hero in the truest form. A former fighter who only lived to wreak havoc and fight another day finds that the lifestyle he had once embraced is now hollow and only seeks to live a quiet life of wandering. When a young beggar runs afoul of Mongol warriors he steps in to save the young man and becomes embroiled in a plot of royal intrigue. I love the interplay between White Dragon and his protégé' as he strives to teach him in all too short a time the true meaning of heroism. The burgeoning feelings he has for the innkeeper who looks out for the boy is meaningful without getting in the way of the plot or the great martial arts action. While his enemies are somewhat uninspired the sheer amount of them will keep you at the edge of your seat to see what the ultimate outcome of this battle will be.

Considering the absurd plot (what little there is of it) and the really cheesy special FX she had to work with, director Kao Pao Shu deploys very good camera work and superior acting from her leads to produce a surprisingly strong action film. Wang Yu, in one of his last really good roles, comes across exactly as he should, a killer finally finding something worth dying for; anything less from him, and the film would probably collapse; but he pulls it off. He is well supported by one of the few successful "non-combatants" in martial-arts films (she did appear fighting in a couple films, but not many) Chiao Chiao (a frequent co-star from Wang Yu's shaw Bros. period). Most of the other actors turn in competent but stereotyped performances, but never mind. The film belongs to Kao Pao Shu and Wang Yu, and they deliver.

I have read that this is an inferior remake of a previous Wang Yu film, Beach of the War God, which I have not seen. But lacking comparison, this film stands well on its own, despite all the drawbacks one expects from an American release of a 1970s Hong Kong action film. It moves along so well, one is quite happy to forgive such obvious flaws. A true gem in the rough.