Review of Dragon Fist

Introduction

Hong Kong Legends` relentless plundering of Jackie Chan`s back catalogue continues, with this summer`s batch of four kung fu classics, of which Dragon Fist is one. Coming from the Lo Wei period in Jackie Chan`s career, these titles are heavy on the traditional kung fu, while light on the trademark comedy and absent of the underdog character he developed in his Golden Harvest films. But if you are a Jackie Chan fanatic, you should save a place on your shelf for these early works, shouldn`t you?

Dragon Fist is a tale of revenge set in motion when the rivalry between two kung fu schools gets out of hand. When the Sifu of the Tang school wins a tournament by defeating several top martial artists, he returns home triumphant only to be faced by his rival Chung. Chung wants the title for himself, and coloured by their mutual past, he is relentless in his attack. He mortally wounds his opponent, and takes the prize for himself. Acolyte Tang How Yuan swears revenge for his fallen master, and three years later with the widow and daughter of his fallen master in tow, he heads for the Champion School to exact his vengeance. However, in the interim, Chung has seen the light and repented of his perfidy. How Yuan arrives to find the Champion School renamed the Patience School, and a penitent Chung ready to make amends. It`s hard for him to give up his vengeance so easily, and the local criminal group, the Ngais are willing to exploit this. They`re soon blackmailing How Yuan into acting as their enforcer, and the rift between him and Chung widens.

Video

Dragon Fist gets a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer that is problem free. There`s no artefacting, no edge enhancement and nothing at all to complain about on the digital side of things. The source print however is not as stellar, more than looking its age. While HKL sourced prints usually undergo restoration, and indeed this print is largely dirt free and stable for the most part, all the damage couldn`t be corrected, the colours have faded after thirty years, several frames are stained yellow, there is constant flicker and a couple of wobbly moments. I would have hated to see the pre-restoration print.

Audio

Sound comes in DD 5.1 English and Cantonese, as well as DD 2.0 Cantonese. There are translated subs should you need them. I have to be honest and say that I didn`t even try the English track. Long experience has taught me to steer clear of these, unless I`m drunk. Having suffered a couple of DD 5.1 upmixes, I think HKL have gotten the hang of these of late, as the one on Dragon Fist does little to expand on the mono experience, leaving everything front focussed, although there is some subtle use of surround for effects and ambience. It certainly isn`t the surround overkill of earlier discs and the overall effect isn`t intrusive.

Features

For `Ultrabit` read bugger all. Well not quite. There are animated menus, as well as Trailers for Warrior King, 9th Company, Typhoon and Duelist.

Conclusion

It really feels as if Hong Kong Legends have given up. Time was, that an HKL release was something to look forward to, a classic kung-fu film, presented in the best possible light. There would be an exclusive selection of extras, interviews, a Bey Logan commentary, and there even would be an attempt to source the original Hong Kong cut, rather than those versions that we saw in the West. But with the departure of Bey Logan, all that exclusivity has fallen by the wayside. Now it seems that the aim is to get the film out as quickly as possible. The prints could be better, the discs are simple vanilla affairs, and the Ultrabit moniker just seems to add insult to injury.

But I can see their point. Hong Kong cinema is a finite resource, and there are only so many Jackie Chan films out there that can be released. With his Golden Harvest catalogue well and truly plundered with more than a few double dips out there, there`s really only his early work left. And that is typical generic kung fu, with historical settings, rival schools, masters requiring vengeance, and all played as stoically as possible. There is none of the trademark humour, and no sign of the classic underdog character that would appeal to the casual Jackie Chan fan, and these films would really only appeal to the hardcore completist. While these films may feel a little neglected, looking at the specs for the newer titles such as those advertised on this disc, it seems as if HKL is putting in the effort where it makes more sense.

As for Dragon Fist, well it is old school kung fu action, with rival schools displaying rival styles of kung fu. There is a fallen master requiring vengeance, and it`s down to student Jackie Chan, who takes three years to train himself up to be a lethal arse kicking machine to exact that revenge. The twist is that in that time, the target has turned from angry teacher to penitent and sagely master, the further twist is that the antagonism is now supplied by a third party, the amoral Ngais, who seek to manipulate the vendetta to their own advantage. There`s plenty of kung fu action to take us through to the conclusion, and the climax is a timely reminder that revenge is always futile and hollow.

But, there is no humour to this film, it`s played completely straight-faced, and while Jackie Chan`s action is unmistakable (he`s blindingly fast in some scenes, enough to take the breath away), this role could have been played by anyone. The story is mundane and by the numbers, it`s light on the stunts and heavy on the fighting, and it`s like half a hundred other kung fu films of the era. Dragon Fist is entertaining, yes. Essential, hardly.