Donnie Yen doesn't have the instant recognition of his more
renowned peers, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, but his output lately has been very
impressive. Ip Man is one of the best
martial arts flicks to be released in recent years. He's also starred in Flash Point, SPL, and Bodyguards and Assassins. His newest film is Dragon,
which was originally released overseas as Wu
Xia, the broad term used to define the genre of period martial arts films.
In spite of the generic titles, Dragon is hardly a traditional action picture.
Set in 1917, Yen stars as Liu Jin-xi, an unassuming paper
maker married to Yu (Tang Wei from Ang Lee's Lust, Caution), a farm girl with two sons, one from a previous
marriage. By sheer dumb luck, Liu manages to thwart a robbery by two brutal
thieves, killing both in the process. Anyone who has seen A History of Violence or read the graphic novel it was based on
will see where this is headed. The investigating detective, Xu Bai-ju (Takeshi
Kaneshiro), believes there is far more to Liu than meets the eye. He deduces
that Liu is a highly skilled martial arts master, but why he is living an
anonymous life in a tiny rural village is the real mystery.
As a young officer, Detective Xu showed leniency on a young
boy who stole from his adoptive parents. Xu never foresaw that the boy would
poison him and his parents. The couple died and Xu barely survived. He uses his
knowledge of physiology and acupuncture to stave off the effects of the poison
as well as his own emotions. By suppressing his own empathy, Xu remains utterly
objective and unyielding; the Inspector Javert to Donnie Yen's Jean Valjean. He
uncovers Liu's past as a member of the 72 Demons, a clan of assassins
responsible for the grisly murders of a butcher and his family.
Dragon comes from
director Peter Chan and screenwriter Aubrey Lam, who previously collaborated on
The Warlords, a 2007 epic starring
Jet Li, Andy Lau, and Kaneshiro. Chan has dabbled mostly in the romantic
comedy, including his one and only Hollywood production, The Love Letter with Kate Capshaw and Tom Selleck. Chan does his
most interesting work on Dragon,
which pays homage to the classic movies of the genre while using slick and
modern techniques. The opening half of Dragon
plays out like an episode of CSI with
Xu reconstructing the crime scene and analyzing clues.
The third act unfolds more like a standard kung fu film as the
focus shifts to Liu as he battles the 72 Demons. What makes the finale so
special is the presence of two actors from the Shaw Brothers' stable, Kara Hui
and Jimmy Wang. Hui is best known for her roles in My Young Auntie and The 8
Diagram Pole Fighter, which were both directed by Lau Kar-leung, who also
helmed two more seminal entries in the genre, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Drunken Master II. Wang is a coup for the production since he
hasn't appeared in a movie in nearly two decades. He was one of the biggest
stars in Hong Kong cinema during the late-60's and 70's with his most renowned films
being The One-Armed Swordsman and Master of the Flying Guillotine.
It should be noted that approximately 18 minutes of footage
has been trimmed for the American release by Anchor Bay and the Weinstein
Company. Having not seen the international release, I cannot attest to which
version is better.
Despite a few slow spots, Dragon gets a recommendation due to a few unique elements and
strong fight scenes.
Rating: *** (*****)
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