Ojos de dragón

This review is for those that are not hard-core Martial-Arts Movie fans. They have another perspective, more closely associated with the popular genre. It is for those that drop in occasionally to see what all the fuss is about or to check out the "new kid on the block".

In this one it is a real life fighter of some sort or another and has made his way to the screen via his physical abilities and was the best at what he does. Cung Le makes Jet Li look like a great talent in the acting department. But as these things go, no one much cares.

The film looks, again, like a sepia-tone, washed out, colorless, "style" that is supposed to say this is hard-boiled stuff, nothing pretty here, only dudes allowed. All it really does is look pretentious and lifeless.

The fight scenes are very good and are shot with a focus and not quickly edited so you can actually see what's going on and there are a lot of them and are quite convincing and brutal. The plot is confusing and way over written. Van Damme is a secondary mentor type, but Peter Weller makes an impression as a cartoon cop. Worth a view for fans but there is really nothing here for outsiders slumming it.

This movie is actually better than rated by audiences here. Cung Le is good in this quasi-western martial arts film. JCVD is very good in a Miyagi like role. Peter Weller is good as a crooked cop. Some good elements. Some good fights. Doesn't all tie together to make a great movie but good for streaming. If you know Cung Le's UFC career you'll recognize a lot of his signature moves here.

i'd save 1 star for the some good fighting scenes and van dame's flashing lethal legs kicking. van dame, old but not weak yet, his kicking technique is still one of the best. but this clueless fantasy is one of the worst nightmare any movie wants not to be. a very funny movie also, with crazy sound track effects, sometimes with siren, the alarm that only when earthquake and tsunami hit the coastline or atomic bomb drops and detonates in certain city. this movie is also an ultimate insult to the law enforcement and the legal system. more like a doomsday display. a movie utterly pointless with latino gangbangers, black street gangs, Russian mafia and a police captain playing the last don of the whatever. there are moments also quite funny with camera close-up shots. this is a very ridiculous action movie since i've never seen any movie with such spacious prisoner cell where two prisoners could practice and martial arts training. st. jude? where the hell is it? no guns allowed...yeah, right.

Sigh. Where to begin?

A bad film with a hell of a lot of stupid moments, a stock caricature villain, awful rap music... At least the Western-style cinematography is new - not particularly well done, but new. There's also the annoying and cliché freeze-frame with each character's name as they appear on-screen for the first time. Yes, just five minutes in you'll know that this film will suck... but will the fight scenes redeem it?

Unfortunately, I'd have to say no.

Cung Le is pretty good as the stoic, kick-arse lead and, given some better material, I'd give him a second chance, but the film is forgettable at best and painful at worst.

Yes, van Damme's in it (the reason I recorded it when it came on TV), but don't expect too much from him, as he somehow manages to train the lead in prison from sorry loser to ninja, in such a short period of time that his student's hair doesn't even grow!

Credits to the man for that - now where do I sign up for my martial arts lessons?

Given van Damme's massive library of content though, I'd have to advise that a fan looked elsewhere to get his kicks... a joke that falls about as flat as this dreadful feature.

Fan or not, there is no denying Jean-Claude Van Damme's action star status throughout the 90's. Over the years he has made a name for himself in the straight to video market, but unlike some out there his movies have held a sense of quality on some level. His latest film Dragon Eyes brings along MMA fighter Cung Le, but takes Van Damme in a different role than we are used to seeing him in.

Dragon Eyes follows a man who moves into neighborhood living in fear thanks to the rival gangs at war. Slowly he begins playing them against each other using his martial arts skills he learned from his mentor while serving time in prison. Just as he starts gaining control in the neighborhood he is thrust into a war with a corrupt police chief as well as the gangs to try and defend the scared people of this desperate neighborhood. While the story here isn't anything all that original it still gives it that old school feel. It kind of goes all over the place at times and seems to suffer a bit due to editing, but not enough to hurt the overall film. This film is very much like most martial arts films of the 80's and 90's. Cung Le takes the lead and does a decent job. His acting skills are slowly but surely getting better, but this is his first time out carrying one on his own shoulders and he does a fine job. Van Damme takes a back seat approach playing more of a Mr. Miyagi to Cung Le with very little dialogue, but still delivering an effective character through action. This film is clearly more about the martial arts and there is no shortage. Le does a great job with the fights delivering some well-choreographed entertaining fights.

This is an old school martial arts film that fans of the genre will have fun with. Cung Le has made numerous films, but his turn as the lead here showcases a new generation of action star that he could easily fill. Van Damme serves his purpose here very effectively and gives you just enough of what he does best to tide you over until he steps it up as the villain in The Expendables 2.

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