Gli occhi del dragone

Storywise this really aims high. Something that people might not really be into that much, but whatever the case, you have to admire the filmmakers for trying at least. There are some very fine ideas in this movie (loyalty, friendship, respect amongst them), but none get explored too much. Not to mention that the emotional connection between the viewer and the main character unfortunately isn't the strongest. And that has nothing to do with the storyline, but has more to do with the way the movie is handled.

The action scenes are decent enough (some are even spectacular), but hopefully you're not renting this to watch van Damme fight. He's playing a major part, but is a supporting player. But Cung Le knows how to fight. In the charisma department on the other hand ... One really good coup the movie made is installing Peter Weller as the main bad guy. He is terrific and shows what Charisma really is!

I was finally able to watch this and I have to say that I enjoyed it. I do agree with some others that the story did have some plot holes, which was the main flaw of the movie. It felt like a lot of the scenes were missing about 5 min that would explain why the next scene plays out how it does. Still, this didn't really affect most of the overall enjoyment factor for me. I thought Cung Le was a cool lead. He has minimal dialog, which is probably a good thing, so he comes off as the strong silent type. As we all know, JC only has a small part...probably about 10 minutes spread throughout the whole movie. His scenes and his performance are both very cool. I didn't really care for how his back story was explained though. The fights do have a lot of slow motion thrown into them but it actually works for the most part. It allows you to feel the brutality of street fighting...plus you see everything clearly, which is great. Hyams knows how to stay on a scene, which I love. As far as the side characters go, they are all clichéd but the acting is actually pretty solid. The guy who plays Beech probably delivers one of the best crack head performances I've seen in a movie. The ending is very abrupt but I felt like it actually fit the tone of the movie. Like Regeneration, I really enjoyed the subtle music score from Michael Krassner too. Overall, the movie isn't great but I thought it was a well made little indie action flick. It totally felt like a late 80's/early 90's beat em up flick like Road House or Perfect Weapon. 3.25/5

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.

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.

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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