Zhui ming qiang

White Dragon is an anti-hero in the truest form. A former fighter who only lived to wreak havoc and fight another day finds that the lifestyle he had once embraced is now hollow and only seeks to live a quiet life of wandering. When a young beggar runs afoul of Mongol warriors he steps in to save the young man and becomes embroiled in a plot of royal intrigue. I love the interplay between White Dragon and his protégé' as he strives to teach him in all too short a time the true meaning of heroism. The burgeoning feelings he has for the innkeeper who looks out for the boy is meaningful without getting in the way of the plot or the great martial arts action. While his enemies are somewhat uninspired the sheer amount of them will keep you at the edge of your seat to see what the ultimate outcome of this battle will be.

Considering the absurd plot (what little there is of it) and the really cheesy special FX she had to work with, director Kao Pao Shu deploys very good camera work and superior acting from her leads to produce a surprisingly strong action film. Wang Yu, in one of his last really good roles, comes across exactly as he should, a killer finally finding something worth dying for; anything less from him, and the film would probably collapse; but he pulls it off. He is well supported by one of the few successful "non-combatants" in martial-arts films (she did appear fighting in a couple films, but not many) Chiao Chiao (a frequent co-star from Wang Yu's shaw Bros. period). Most of the other actors turn in competent but stereotyped performances, but never mind. The film belongs to Kao Pao Shu and Wang Yu, and they deliver.

I have read that this is an inferior remake of a previous Wang Yu film, Beach of the War God, which I have not seen. But lacking comparison, this film stands well on its own, despite all the drawbacks one expects from an American release of a 1970s Hong Kong action film. It moves along so well, one is quite happy to forgive such obvious flaws. A true gem in the rough.

There is little in this low-budget Chinese kung fu drama that we haven't seen before, aside from a few nifty weapons. It's a predictable story of one man versus an empire, the bad guys this time around being the big, greasy bearded Mongols whose dominance spells trouble for good-guy fighter White Dragon. Eventually Dragon ends up taking on an entire Mongol army alone, but not before he has mildly romanced an attractive barmaid, made friends with a not-too-annoying young Chinese kid, and chopped off a guy's finger! The film is pretty bloody for a kung fu movie. I'm not talking Chang Cheh kinda bloody, as in a bloodbath or slaughterhouse film (see CRIPPLED AVENGERS or SUPER NINJAS) but the blood does flow fairly steadily.

Bolstering the film is one-time action legend Jimmy Wang Yu (THE ONE-ARMED BOXER), a film star whose career was already on the wane in the late '70s after his box-office gold of a decade previously. Wang Yu would slug on in a plethora of low-budget, sometimes interesting movies in the '80s and '90s (FANTASY MISSION FORCE being a good sample of his later work) but he would never reach the early heights of his career, which saw him equal popularity with Bruce Lee. Here, he doesn't have a lot to do as the noble, heroic White Dragon, other than swing his spear around and jump into the air a lot. Still, Wang Yu is cool in my book, his acting a little better than most of his contemporaries, so kudos to him for his appearance here.

Unfortunately, the American distributor saw fit to tinker with this movie for its US release. Thus we get dubbed in American voices (rather than the usual English dubbing); a hilarious US cast list showing up at the end (the names are either made up or those of the dubbers) and worst of all, cheesy rock music inserted over the soundtrack. Speaking of sounds, the sound effects in this movie are hilariously over the top, whether it be a spear swinging, a ball-and-chain spinning or a horse clip-clopping down a road (they do that a lot in this film). It's pretty funny to watch and listen to. Although far from a classic, BLOOD OF THE DRAGON has plenty of goofy flying, clichéd dialogue, and silly action to recommend it, cheesy effects and a high body count. Kung fu fans might enjoy it, providing they find a good copy (Brentwood DVD's is typically poor).

I've seen many of Wang Yu's films, and I think that "Blood of the Dragon" (aka "The Desperate Chase") just might be his finest moment. It's certainly one of the only independent films he made that can hold its own against Chang Cheh-directed epics like "The Magnificent Trio" and "The Assassin" in terms of excitement and tragic scope. The fights (very little empty-hand action, but plenty of spears, swords and more exotic weapons) are well-choreographed, the tone of the movie is appropriately grim, and Wang's character Lung Tai is a hero you actually care about and root for. The dubbing is slightly better than what I've heard in most Hong Kong and Taiwanese martial arts flicks, and the hard-rocking American soundtrack--recorded by Flood--enhances the action. "One man, one weapon, one hell of a movie"...that's what "Blood of the Dragon" promises, and it delivers! (Especially in the no-holds-barred climax.)

So begins the dialogue in BLOOD OF THE DRAGON, which is probably the least important element of this almost-nonstop action martial arts movie. Starring Wang Yu (from the amazing ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN series), BLOOD OF THE DRAGON is an above-average movie with a pretty cool protagonist and enough blood and gore to satisfy any fan of violence.

Wang Yu plays Lung Ti, also known as the mercenary White Dragon. This is the "Dragon" referenced in the title, so you know to look out for his blood in this movie...lots of it. You see, about a quarter of the way through the movie, White Dragon sustains a backstabbing (what a guy!) and STILL manages to kick butt throughout the rest of the movie. It's a tough job saving China, but somebody's gotta do it. White Dragon gets caught up in a revolution against the evil Mongol government, and the movie gets quite a few patriotic sentiments in it; the Mongols are portrayed as hairy louts, and White Dragon and the prince who fights alongside him are cool, honorable dudes. :)

Right off the bat, BLOOD OF THE DRAGON gets into heavy action with rapid camera-cutting and frenetic editing. White Dragon wields a huge iron spear throughout the movie, and he goes against everything from a broadsword (a so-called "magic sword," but I never really saw why it was so special), a three-piece staff, throwing stars, and one of those nifty sword/whip things (used by intimidating bad guy Red Wolf). There are several unintentionally funny moments in the battles, when it is obvious that the editing is a bit sub-par, but this is to be expected from a thirty-minute fight scene with over sixty guys (yes, that IS the finale of the movie!).

White Dragon, with his fairly easy-going attitude and honorable heart, may remind viewers of Jubei from NINJA SCROLL or Gatsu from "Berserk." Either way, the dubbing on Dragon's voice (and the rest of the cast) is above average, with all the lines understandable and at times emotional; much of this could also be attributed to Wang Yu's actual ability to act. :) Also, be sure not to miss out on the horribly inappropriate music by the band Flood! All in all, a fun movie with great weapons sequences. My rating: 8/10