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Dragon Fist: Limited Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1979
Director: Lo Wei
Writer: Wang Chung-pin
Cast: Jackie Chan, Nora Miao, James Tien, Yen Shi Kwan, Eagle Han-ying, Wu Wen-sau, Im Eun-Joo

Release Date: December 10th, 2018
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 53 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese, DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: OOP (UK)

"Helmed by the iconic and groundbreaking director Lo Wei (who called the shots on the Bruce Lee masterworks The Big Boss and Fist of Fury of his master, Chan is in fine form as he gets tangled up in the sort of convoluted and carnage-packed plot that golden age kung-fu classics do all-too well. Make no mistake, Dragon Fist is Chan at his hard-fisted best - ready for action and jacked to the ears..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 2k restoration."

Dragon Fist comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.4 GB

Feature: 28.1 GB

The source is in great shape, the colors look good, and the compression is solid. Also, the image generally looks crisp, and the black levels fare well. That said, there is digital noise reduction, which looks worse in some moments than others.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Mandarin, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese), 4/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with six audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Mandarin, a DTS-HD mono mix in Mandarin, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. All of the 5.1 audio tracks do a great job opening up the original mono source; they all sound noticeably more robust. That said, the English-language mono audio track sounds flat compared to the two other mono audio tracks. Also, the English-language 5.1 audio track has some background noise. Included are removable English subtitles for the Mandarin language tracks, removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language tracks, and when watching with the English language track, there is a removable English subtitle track for Mandarin text.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a lobby card image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles), an interview with NEO magazine writer and journalist David West titled A Dragon’s Rules (20 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, 4 lobby card reproductions (limited to the first pressing), and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

Directed by Lo Wei, who is most remembered for directing two Bruce Lee films, The Big Boss and Fists of Fury. He collaborated with Jackie Chan on six films.

A student's quest for revenge against his master's killer is interrupted when he gets entangled in a feud between two clans.

Though Dragon Fist was filmed before Jackie Chan’s breakout films Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master, it was not released until a year after these two films. Content-wise, Dragon Fist has a more serious darker tone that is devoid of the humor that became synonymous with Jackie Chan after Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master.

Despite being yet another martial arts film about revenge, Dragon Fist actually puts an interesting twist on a familiar scenario. There are double crosses, traitors waiting for the best moment to strike. And everything comes to a head in a rage-filled finale that serves as a perfect climax.

The cast is all great in their roles. Jackie Chan (Twin Dragons) delivers a solid performance in the role of an avenger. Though his character's Dragon Fist fighting style is not in line with his style of martial arts, he still excels when it comes to his fight sequences. In the supporting cast, there are a few recognizable faces: Nora Miao (Way of the Dragon) and James Tien (The Big Boss).

Dragon Fist’s weakest link is Lo Wei; despite directing some memorable 1970s martial arts films, he had no distinct style as a filmmaker. He was a workman-like director whose stars, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, made his films better in spite of his direction. That said, Dragon Fist’s fight sequences are, for the most part, great, especially in moments with Im Eun-Joo in the role of the daughter of the man who killed Jackie Chan’s character's master.

Though heavy on action, the narrative actually does a great job building up characters and maintaining momentum. The scores for so many 1970s martial arts films use uncredited music cues; Dragon Fist has music cues from Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Sand Pebbles. Dragon Fist would mark the sixth and final film that Jackie Chan made with Lo Wei as director. These six films directed by Lo Wei all pale in comparison to the films Jackie Chan made with other directors. That said, Dragon Fist is the best of these six Jackie Chan/Lo Wei films.

Dragon Fist gets a strong release from 88 Films that comes with a good audio/video presentation and an informative interview.