Dragon Hero

Lo Wei, director of Bruce Lee classics The Big Boss and Fist Of Fury saw potential in Jackie Chan and cast him in several kung fu flicks, including this great film, Dragon Fist. With Bruce Lee gone way too soon and martial arts movies being more popular than ever film makers from east and west scrambled to replace him. Jackie Chan is in rare form as an invincible Bruce Lee type of bad ass. He is on a mission of revenge once his teacher was killed and disgraced by a leader of a rival school. Things get complicated when Chan, his master's widow and daughter arrive at the rival school. I'm not going to give away too much of the plot, but things don't end up all that peachy and all of the violence contains consequences. During this period the market was flooded with similar kung fu films, so Chan found success later with Drunken Master and other lighthearted kung fu comedies. He did a great job here though I think. Jackie was awesome as indestructible, kung fu iron man that becomes fury incarnate at the film's conclusion. Lo Wei also made a well paced, solid chop sockey film with a good story serviced with the right amount of kung fu action. Great kung fu!

Standard kung-fu revenge fare, but the man who would soon become the clown prince of Hong Kong martial arts films gives a very credible performance as the hero who is pushed beyond all endurance while just trying to keep his head down. Chan has a solid supporting cast in this film, too: Yen Shi-kwan (who later portrayed the white-haired villain in Chan's first directorial effort "The Fearless Hyena") as the guilt-ridden fighter who vanquished the hero's sifu, plus reliable Lo Wei standbys Nora Miao and James Tien. Best of all, the choreography bears Chan's unmistakable stamp, resulting in a particularly satisfying climactic duel during which the hero uses a crutch to fend off his opponent's sharpened metal tonfas.

Entertaining fights, as well as decent sets and costumes, earn "Dragon Fist" six and a half stars.

There's a special place in my heart for old school Jackie Chan films. For some reason, when I look to my JC collection for something to watch, I tend toward the older fare.

On the surface, DRAGON FIST is pretty average. But if you're an old school fan, you can't help rooting for virutally everyone in the film. Yan Yee Kwan (sometimes Yam Sai-kun) is one of my favorite bad guys; he was also excellent in Fearless Hyena, Once Upon a Time in China, Iron Monkey, and Heroic Trio. James Tien and Nora Miao bring a lot of respectability to the cast as well.

The plot offers some nifty twists. The fights are strong. I have to agree that the film takes itself just a little too seriously. If Jackie's early work could be measured on a "stiff-o-meter," DRAGON FIST would fall squarely between TO KILL WITH INTRIGUE and FEARLESS HYENA. Not coincidentally, that's about where it falls in his chronology.

Much of the charm of these films for American viewers -- and it can't be disregarded, especially for those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s -- is the afternoon matinee "Kung Fu Theater" nostalgia factor. It imbues them with a quality that I can't ascribe to many of Jackie's later films. I love POLICE STORY, etc. -- the production values are generally much higher, the stunts are mindblowing -- but those are a different breed altogether. They occupy a different place in film history, and in my esteem.

Jackie has done another good old movie. This film has alot of action and the end is action packed too. This film is fun. This film is great for a person that doesn't know which Jackie Chan's old film to see. This film has the revenge your master's death plot. But otherwise the film is action packed with one or two funny parts. "Wei Lo" was the director again. He always makes Jackie films look good on tv. And Jackie kicks but at the end of the movie. Thats classic. So go rent or buy today.

I have to say I haven't been excited in recent years for the release of many films, but 88 Films have really got my excitement bubbling again (at time of writing, Jan 2019)! Restoring a host of Shaw Brothers classics to begin with, they have now released a number of Jackie Chan's classic Lo Wei films with 2k/4k clean-ups, original language options, and in glorious widescreen... And I couldn't be happier!

While not loaded with extras, the disc is presented beautifully - from the artwork on the slipcase, to the film itself. Stunning in colour, and as crisp as could be for a Hong Kong film from the 70's. Keep in mind, film reels in Hong Kong weren't really looked after well until the mid 90's, proving to be too late for some. Thankfully, 88 Films include the original film trailer on the disc. I urge you to watch this first (on all their releases) before getting into the film as the difference will impress you even more.

As for the film itself - I've still got the UK video tape release from the early 80's, and as like every other kung fu film from then it was presented in the square 4:3 ratio. This made us lose a lot visually of what we should have been seeing, often convincing reviewers and critics to slam Hong Kong film for poor cinematography - something 88 Films has helped prove, was not the case!

Dragon Fist, as with many other Lo Wei releases, is actually beautifully shot. The widescreen presentation provides some wonderfully colourful, well shot scenes, and allows us to take in the full glory of Jackie's brilliantly choreographed fight scenes. While not perfect, fans can see where the skill of a young master Chan was going as a fight director and actor. His battles shift from one-on-one fights to group fights, highlighting the skills of each martial artist on-screen and entertaining with some very impressive moves. Eagle-eyed viewers will catch when Jackie artfully doubles others for more intricate moves and stunt work, though it never detracts from what's going on. Pearl Lin is equally as impressive as her co-stars, and almost steals the show each time she lets loose on-screen. Kung Fu movie legend Yen Shi Kwan (Fearless Hyena; Once Upon A Time In China) is as impressive as always, although rests for a lot of the film letting his henchmen James Tien and Eagle Han Ying fight for him.

Originally shot in Mandarin and before Jackie's success with Snake In The Eagles Shadow & Drunken Master, this under-rated classic was redubbed in Cantonese and released a few years later with Chan now a massive star! 88 Films provides (both in mono and 5.1) all options for how you want to hear it, with Mandarin, Cantonese and the early 80's English dub.

Overall: Heavy on the drama with rarely a laugh to be had, Dragon Fist is a fantastic piece of kung fu cinema with some fantastic fight scenes and performances from all that is just waiting to be rediscovered.