L'auberge du dragon

Large swathes of China are falling under the despotic rule of Cao Shao-qin as he and his merciless Black Flag riders slaughter Government officials and anyone who threatens his rule. When Cao captures the children of a murdered Lord, Zhou Huai-an mounts a rescue mission led by Qiu Moy-an. With the children and her men, Qiu meets Zhou at the Dragon Inn, owed by the outlaw Jin Xiangyu – who is only out for what she can make for herself. With the pass shut, some of Cao's men arrive at the inn sparking a stand-off between the two groups with the money-grabbing Jin in the middle. As the days pass, bad weather keep the groups in the inn while Cao and the Black Riders close in.

I borrowed this film from a friend with no prior knowledge of it, so I checked out the reviews on imdb to get a taste for what it would be like. I was immediately dubious when people, who had clearly only experienced this genre by seeing `Crouching Tiger' in their multiplex, were calling it the greatest HK film ever made and other such absurd claims. Also the way in which many users have compared this to `Crouching Tiger' also suggests that that is the only benchmark they have. However I settled to watch it.

For the most part I enjoyed it. The plot worked quite well in miniature and only got weak in the final 10 minutes where it just seemed to collapse into an illogical confrontation. The story is laced with humour which mostly works and has some nice touches (the teasing striptease-come-fight between Jin and Qiu was fun) but I did have a nasty taste due to some of the strong language and crudity which seemed out of place.

What didn't work as well for me were the selfsame scenes that other reviewers have been raving about – the fights. In some of the scenes there are touches of clever choreography but often it is a swirling mix of arms and legs that is lost in editing that is far too quick at times to allow us to fully appreciate the moves. The final fight (which again some users have called one of the greatest fights ever filmed!) is OK but not as acrobatic or inspiring as I'd have liked – also it's gore spoils the actual action to the point where it is laughable rather than exciting. This is not to say that the fights are without merits (most of them are pretty good) but they are quite ordinary at times and lack a real imagination. They are still exciting but don't be sucked in by the gushing praise from these pages.

The cast are all pretty good with some exceptions. Leung is quite sturdy and delivers a character without too much flair but prevents him from being too wooden. Donnie Yen was a disappointment for me. His role consisted mostly of two cameos – one at the start where he sit passively and the other at the end in an overly-gory fight scene which was so lost in a sand storm that his skills were not fully displayed. The two women really made the film for me –they both had different characters but also mixed it up and delivered the comedy. Maggie Cheung probably shaded it as she had the most interesting character but Lin was also very good.

Overall I enjoyed the film and am not suggesting that it is a bad film – only a bit too gory for my tastes. It is lightly funny and there is plenty of swordplay but it certainly never reaches the cinematic heights of ecstasy that are alluded to by some of the reviews here.

This is definitely the DVD to own...(being completely disappointed and disgusted with "Ashes of Time" by Kar-wai Wong), "Dragon Inn" a film credited to Hark Tsui has restored my faith in action/martial arts fantasy films. Stunning cinematography, interesting and engaging storyline, and something that most other movies seem to lack and that is a general depth and interest for the characters. In "Dragon Inn" we actually feel and care about the protagonist and his love, and the third pawn, the beautiful owner of the Dragon Inn.

The sword fighting scene is spectacular. Every movement is "balletic" in the sense of being graceful and streaming. The inclusion of "traditional period-piece music" in the scenes was euphonic. The special effects were dazzling. The cast is indeed talented, how many people out there can actually do both acting and being athletic. The triangular aura between Brigitte, Maggie and Tony ignites a spark all on its own whether its Brigitte and Tony or Maggie and Tony or even Brigitte with Maggie...its almost Freudian. Lots of action films lose their audience because the ending becomes all too predictable. The action in Dragon Inn does not disappoint and doesn't lose any integrity with the audience from the beginning to the finale. Furthermore, the power of the Dragon Inn is that suddenly we realize that we are connected...Wow...

One of the most beautiful of Hong Kong's 'New wave' sword-fight films, "Dragon Inn" has virtually nothing wrong to be said for it. A dark Romantic tragedy over-layered with a romantic comedy almost as dark, and filled with living breathing characters brilliantly portrayed by an excellent cast; still, the film's primary asset is its breathtaking imagery and carefully subdued (given the material) editing. You never have any doubt as to where your eye should light, nor are you ever disappointed.

After viewing any narrative film, we have the right to ask ourselves, "did I go any interesting places here? did I meet any interesting people? did I see anything I could not have seen otherwise?" The answers for this film are: "yes, yes, and again yes" Although this is not a 'magic kung fu' film, yet there is magic in virtually every frame. It takes us to another world and introduces us to interesting people, and then, when the end comes, it simply says 'adieu' and the film closes and we are home again - but far better informed on the nature of the world, and of the human heart, than we would be other wise.

True cinema magic, and certainly one of the best of its kind - perhaps one of the best of any kind.

Everybody loves "Crouching Tiger", but this movie made more than 10 years ago is a much better martial arts movie. Instead of trying to be everything like "Crouching Tiger" did, it was just designed and implemented as a martial arts movie, and nothing else. This focus made it great to begin with.

In addition to a stellar cast, great action scenes, its plot is solid and intriguing. The final fight is one of the greatest martial arts scenes ever made, especially to those who grew up reading Chinese martial arts novels.

It is interesting that those who have a problem with the imagination of Chinese martial arts movies do not have any issue with that of "Matrix". In fact, the logic is very similar. "Matrix": with hi-tech, everything is possible, including dodging bullets; Chinese martial arts movies: with kongfu, everything is possible, including running on the roof.

Having said that, I understand that those who have never read Chinese martial arts novels may have trouble with some of the scenes, especially if you are trying to find medical evidence to verify the possibility of some moves. However, this is just a movie based on a novel, so why don't you just relax and enjoy?

Even as Hong Kong wuxia movies go, this one is wild, replete with a Hotel California in the middle of the northern Chinese desert, a marauding crew of arrow wielding horsemen, the evil eunuch from Butterfly and Sword, a lovable midget barbarian, the beautiful Maggie Cheung, and the gender bending immortal Brigitte Lin. Maggie Cheung carries the movie with hilarious style. Donnie Yen sweeps into the end of the movie looking like Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The final battle scene culminates in a sudden surprise so ludicrous that I laughed out loud, even though I was alone. The film's only disappointment is the wooden love interest Tony Leung (KF, not the much better CW) - why would Maggie fall for such a stiff? Dragon Inn is simply a fun film, and comparing it to the pretentious and boring Crouching Tiger, as other reviewers do, does it a disservice.