Agulha Mortal

A young man who is a social misfit joins a kung-fu academy but still unable to fit in, turns to a life of crime. A former friend who tried to help him must track him down. Unique for it's "nail-throwing" combat scenes. Spot the modern home furnishings and farm machines in this picture shot in medieval China. For the genre it is an entertaining film, with constant kung-fu action the last 40 minutes. Sold as a double feature on DVD with "Mantis vs Falcon Claws" in the Brooklyn Zu series from noble house.

In the wild bunch of Kung-Fu pics sorted out from Hong Kong and Taiwan in the 70's, this Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix was a little surprise, even if made with same zero-budget formula. More a sentimental drama than a story of revenge, it has the psychological aspect not totally overwhelmed by the usual rain of fists and kicks. The main character, played by actor Ang Fung, is not a Bruce Lee-type hero but a shy boy who enters in a gym where he is bullied being is unable to fight. But he is a master with a secret arm: being son of a carpenter, he learned how to throw nails with his bare hands, husing them as mortal needles. He never do this easily and publicy, nobody knows it at the gym. The local beauty (Shaw Bros female star Wang Ping) fall in love with him but she was promised to the gym's best fighter (actor Chu Jun, a stuntman visible also in Enter the Dragon in the badguys army). The troubled and the beauty ran together and the champion goes after them. Things gets complicated by the fact a Triad organization hires the nail-thrower as a professional killer, so when the gym champion reaches him to take a revenge and bring back the girl to her home, nothing will go in the right way, leading the story an unpredictable and very sad conclusion. Acting is effective enough for a movie like this, expecially by nail-thrower Ang Fung, and action is fast and furious. But what makes this movie a cut above many others are the original weapon used by the star and the poignant portrait of a social misfit doomed by the fate. The production values are low, the countryside setting is the same you can see in many Taiwanese actioners from the Era, but the fights (staged by stuntman and grande-z director Tu Lu Po or Tu Man Bo of Bruce and the iron fingers' fame) are quite good and the final clash against the almost unbeteable henchman played by stuntman Chin Kung is funny. All in all a little curiosity who deserve a look.

It starts with "Who are all these guys and why are they fighting?" It's a practice session. Teacher introduces a new student. He spars and gets beaten up. He then mopes around and doesn't practice yet when alone reveals his superior skills by throwing large nails. After being observed talking to the girl, the guys beat him up again. That night a guy observes him doing his dart skills and they make a deal to teach each other secretly. Then, for no possible reason, the girl falls in love with him. She insists they run off together.

Next he is working as a blacksmith's helper and we meet the salt smugglers. They take some prisoners to torture and another guy comes by and asks for them to be set free as a personal favor. Next scene our guy seems to be a salt smuggler. That night he beats up the loan sharks. A gratuitous nude scene follows. After the next fight, he meets the good guy kung fu master in town and it seems they have a history.

This movie seems like three times they decided to change the whole story. The entire production seems very amateur. The fights are all the same moves over and over. Every fight looks the same as the last one.

Overall, this seems to be an obscure movie that should stay that way. I watched it only because I am a hard core fan and watch everything in this genre. Having watched it once I doubt I will ever watch it again.

Version: 'Kung Fu Theatre' DVD, English dub

Be forewarned: 'Dragon vs Needles of Death is nowhere near as cool as the cover might suggest. The cover does a good job of presenting what could be an entirely different movie altogether, as 'Dragon vs Needles of Death' certainly did not feature the kung-fu fighter who sported an afro. The afro was on the DVD cover, but not in the movie. I'm not impressed. I want my five dollars back.

Needle Throwing Dude (I can't remember his name) enters a kung-fu school, but as soon as he joins, he runs off with the master's daughter Mei Lei. They leave behind a jealous Sami, the school's top fighter, who also runs off. Coincidentally, they end up in the same town - Needle Throwing Dude as a salt smuggler, and Sami as an apprentice blacksmith - and opposing the local mob leader, who wants all the salt for himself. Or something. I missed that.

'Dragon vs Needles of Death' isn't the worst chop-socky flick I've ever seen, but it is nowhere near any of the best. As the plot progresses we get treated to far too much 'intrigue' and "I am your father" type stuff, until the final scenes where the kung-fu just drags on far too long. Most of the fights up towards the end were poorly edited and choreographed (I suspect that many extras were really just flailing their arms about wildly). The scenes towards the end were much better, but managed to continue until long after I had gotten quite bored.

'Dragon vs Needles of Death' is pretty boring, but fans of this kind of stuff should at least give it one go - 2/10

Best thing that iveI ever come across in the dollar movies bin.