The defector

This is a fairly old movie, I just recently saw it. I have to admit there's some nostalgia on my part to all the 80's scenery, movie style, and cheesy-ness.

This is an action film. The story is basic with unlikely events/plot holes, but serves the purpose for the action and fights to take place. However this should be no surprise; this is how action films generally are.

The fights were not the best I've seen, but they're pretty good; mostly gritty and realistic type fight scenes. I was a bit surprised because I thought this style only became popular much later, when martial arts became a common element in American action films. For example some of "Tiger"'s fights like the one where he choked the guy to kill him as opposed to using some sort of fancy looking kung-fu technique. Because of that to me some of the choreography actually look sort of modern.

Although I have to admit I was rooting for Tiger the whole time. Jet Li's character was too goody-two-shoe.

Jet Li and Dick Wei are members of a travelling group of martial arts demonstrators who perform all over the world. They don't get paid anything, but they get food. Dick Wei wants out and while in America, he runs away. Jet follows him and ends up getting taken in by the police for killing a cop. But Dick Wei is the one who killed the cop. Now Jet goes to prison, but escapes on the way there. Dick Wei becomes a bigtime gangster and is doing fine in his new life. But Jet' becomes friends with Stephen Chow, and Chow is always up to trouble, and they end up getting in trouble with Dick Wei. After certain events happen which I don't want to spoil, Jet goes to fight Dick Wei at the end of the movie.

Stephen Chow does good in his role. Mostly comedy, but also some drama. This is one of the few movies where you will see any dramatic acting from Chow. Not even a year after Dragon Fight came out is when he began starring in the movies that made him famous. The Year this was made, 1989, Chow co-starred in 3 movies (no leading roles), and he starred in 11 movies in 1990 (being the lead actor in all 11).

Jet Li is very young here, and that is a BIG problem. This was only his 5th movie, and he just hadn't become an actor yet. That didn't happen until his next movie, Once Upon a Time In China. He just isn't able to diplay the anger he needs to show in the final fight. You know, the staredown that happens between 2 former friends who now have to fight to the death. Dick Wei has that classic gangster look, and he couldn't have given a more perfect facial expression in the staredown, but Jet doesn't give anything back. His acting the whole movie is not even close to being on par with his later movies.

This movie should be good, but the story is badly done, and that is the main reason why it is a bad movie. Another big problem is the choreography. While this movie is pretty terrible, it does get good at the end (well, at least the choreography finally gets good). Dick Wei and Jet Li have a great fight against each other, then they go off and have separate fights, and then after that, the dessert is Mark Williams vs Jet Li. Williams really gets to shine, but it's only for about a minute. The only other movies I have seen him in are The Master with Jet Li, and College Kickboxers, a fun little movie which can be found in a 10-pack called Bullet Wounds. I don't know why he wasn't in more movies. He kind of reminds me of Ron Van Clief with the way he acts and similar body build, but their on screen fighting skills look a lot different. Van Clief's moves are much cleaner and he looks a lot more skilled, but Mark Williams has got him beat in jumping kicks, which is why I don't get why he wasn't in more movies. When you see his jumping kicks trust me you will be in awe.

Now when you watch this, you will see what I'm talking when I say the fights get better at the very end. Jet was the choreographer, but by the end he was frustrated and Dick Wei took over (at least I think that's the story, I heard about it a long time ago). Dick Wei was not an action choreographer by any means, but luckily he took the job on, because without the final fights this movie probably would have gotten a 1 star rating.

As one of Jet's earlier films, and along with The Master, one of his first steps into the West, Dragon Fight plays like a late eighties romp on Jackie Chan's ever popular Rumble In The Bronx.

But whereas, Rumble In The Bronx aims more at a family friendly audience, Dragon Fight features some brutal moments with heavy language and hard fight action!

Somewhat lost in the magic world of 'film', I'm surprised this little gem hasn't been cleaned up and re-released properly due to Jet's success as a worldwide action star.

Sharing the limelight with the always hard hitting Dick Wei (who has been noted to choreograph the action scenes here), a simple tale of 2 brothers following different paths in life while being fish out of water is pumped up with some great martial arts fights and an earlier comedic supporting role from the amazing Stephen Chow Sing Chi...

Worth a look for all fans of each star, Dragon Fight is pretty damn good!

I found this movie particularly interesting from a cultural perspective. It was filmed by people from Hong Kong, in San Francisco, for an Asian audience, and it provides a fairly interesting view of what Asian capitalist political separatists think America is like. The action is quite good, with a surprising amount of plot for the genre. (It even makes sense!) And of course it stars Jet Li, who it goes without saying makes Jackie Chan look like Mr. Yunioshi.

This is a Hong Kong action drama movie starring Jet Li as a martial artist from China who performs a Kung-Fu in America. He stirs trouble when he decides to defect and stay in America. Though I don't remember much from this film, I do remember it is full of dry humor courtesy of Stephen Chow, which is what the film sorely needed, and lots of drama and action from Li. Just him playing a martial artist in a foreign land, trying to make ends meet, is pretty suspenseful.

However, the plot is somewhat blurry and all you really get are violent scenes after the other that are way overkill. You don't see Stephen Chow and Jet Li on screen together often, so, it is a rare film nonetheless. But, not one of the better action movies from HK I've seen.

Grade D+