Dragon Fist: Deluxe Limited Edition – 88 Films (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

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: February 24th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes 53 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono Cantonese, Alternate LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"Director Wei Lo and martial arts legend Jackie Chan are back together in a kung-fu saturated story of revenge and justice. Tong Huo-wan (Chan) is on the hunt for retribution for the death of his mentor whilst also balancing out the power between locals and violent gangsters as well as dealing with the devastating news that his master’s family are joining a rival school! Chan is on red-hot form here, as a seemingly indestructible man determined to right all wrongs, even if that means going against his teachings." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "4K Restoration from the Original Camera Negative."

Dragon Fist comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 86.7 GB

Feature: 73.7 GB

The source looks excellent; it is a massive improvement over the 88 Films 2018 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look correct, color saturation, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

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

Disc Size: 41.6 GB

Feature: 31.7 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono Cantonese, Alternate LPCM Mono Cantonese), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English) 

This release comes with four audio options: a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese labeled alternate, and a LPCM mono mix in English. The two Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks sound excellent. Though the English language track is in great shape, it has some minor sibilance issues. That said, dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and action sequences sound robust. There are three removable English subtitle tracks, one for the Mandarin language track, and each Cantonese language track gets its own subtitle track.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a lobby card image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a Then & Now image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Japanese TV spot (14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), Japanese theatrical trailer (1 minute 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with Japanese text and removable English subtitles), Japanese opening credits (2 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with Japanese text and removable English subtitles), an archival interview with NEO magazine writer and journalist David West titled A Dragon’s Rules (21 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and FJ DeSanto.

The extras are the same on both discs.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a rigid slipcase, 6 art cards, a fold-out double sided poster, and a 80-page perfect bound book with cast & crew information, an essay titled Rumble in Korea a Look Back on the Hong Kong Kung-Fu Filming in Korea written by Paul Bramhall, an essay titled Exit the Dragon written by Andy Heskins, and an essay titled Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Jackie Chan, Dragon Fist and a (Partial) Defense of Lo Wei written by James Oliver.

Summary:

Lo Wei directed Dragon Fist. He 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 definitive release from 88 Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer