Amazon.com essential video: A fitfully amazing, frequently disheartening hodgepodge of action, farce, and romance, slapped together as a costarring vehicle for three of Hong Kong's major movie stars: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung (who also directed), and Yuen Biao. Its light-footed, try-anything spirit makes it consistently enjoyable, but these wonderful performers are working (to put it kindly) beneath their gifts. Chan plays a womanizing attorney who recruits arms-dealer Hung and madcap inventor Biao to dig up dirt on the corporate sleaze balls he's supposedly defending--industrial polluters (and heroin smugglers) whose effluents threaten the bucolic fish farm of a handsome widow woman. The trio doesn't have many collective scenes, so their Three Musketeers act never really gets off the ground. As always, the fights and stunt work are mind-boggling; the jaunty details are fun: Chan's flick-of-the-wrist trick with a fancy briefcase; Hung's deft run- through of a few choice Cantonese opera moves; and Yuen Biao's Olympic-level acrobatics on, around, and within an industrial steel-tube staircase. --David Chute
[4.5] i will love this movie forever I finally got around to watching this, and boy have I been missing out. If you enjoyed the famous H.K. trio (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Bio) from Wheels on Meals and Project A, then you will undoubtedly love this film. Dragons Forever has more of a Wheels on Meals feel to it then Project A for sure, especially with Benny Urquidez returning for a dream matchup against Chan once again.
Dragons is a difficult film to aquire, and is pricey on dvd. In addition, I have not seen any English dubbed version availbale either (not that that is a bad thing) but some people, like myself, don't do well with subtitles. The option I chose was to record it off of Spike TV. To my surprise - subtitles. Who'd ever thought. It actually wasn't that bad, I really got into this film. The trio is simply amazing, and though they don't have too many scenes where all 3 are on the screen at once, you can feel a chemistry anyways as a viewer (especially if you have seen Meals on Wheels). I would say there are not an overabundance of action scenes, but in between the story still captured my attention well. Its not everyday you get to see some fun love stories unfold in martial arts films, and I have to admit, though a bit silly and maybe cheesy, I enjoyed Chan and Hung's never-ending scenes of winning over their loves.
The action again is limited, but the scenes themselves are not. Dragons has some of the best martial arts choreogrpahy I have ever seen. Everything is so fluid and acrobatic, well timed, and just eye-poping. Chan's fight against Urquidez is a huge treat, though not as long as their fight in Wheels on Meals, it is still a solid 4 minutes of intense excitemnet. Benny gets barely any screen time before his fight, but he just looks evil in this one (in a cool way). And if that wasn't enough, Yuen Bio fights Billy Chow (bad boy in Fist of Legend) too. Billy Chow gets some more screen time, but I think he only has one line in the whole film. This is one of his earlier film appearances too.
Dragons is easily one of the best Chan movies created, and perhaps one of the greatest H.K. martial arts cast every assembled. If you were like me and haven't seen this yet, you are missing out. It's a shame its hard to find and expensive, but it just might be worth it.
This is a film that Dragon Dynasty should consider re-releasing.
Movie not available not right now, wtf. It's ok, you can just tape it off of spike tv like i did. Wow, what an awesome movie. I have seen this like 4 times now and it just gets better every time. I am ALWAYS seeing something new. It is not like jackie's old school golden harvest films but has much more of a kinetic type of energy that just sucks you into the tv and you can't look away. So they don't go through a fight scene with like no cuts for 2 straight minutes but this movie is HARD HITTING. BEnny the Jet Urquedez vs jackie chan is one of the coolest thing ever put to the kung fu screen. he is caled Jet for a reason people. And if the jet that you are thinking of fought him, it would not work out very well for the little guy. Benny is actually more respected than Chuck Norris in the world Kickboxing Federation. BEnny went 200-0. Seriously, the guy never lost. If you wanna see Benny and Jackie Part one, check out "Wheels On Meals"(Seriously, that is the name of it). Add in a dream matchup like yuen biao vs. BIllY CHOW, and you have one of the best kung fu movies all time. AAnd did I mention that samo is in it. I didn't, ok, here is a few more. Philip Ko. Yuen Wah. Lo Lieh... And if you have ever seen legend of a fighter, this movie has sanaka it in(the japanese guy who kills himself after beardy beats him in a fight). IT HAS FREAKING EVRYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So of course this movie could haev been better, but not really too much by kung fu standards. The fu is easily the best it gets, and for a jackie film, I would rate this as his best new school type of kung fu movie performance. EASILY!!!!!
Original is better If you want UNCUT ORIGINAL version, ALWAYS look for ORIGINAL LICENSED Production. NOT US Release. Its a foreign film, it should not be US version to begin with~! HELLO!!!?? Why settle for LESS with US Version where they edit and cut so many excellent scenes especially with Jackie's Fighting Scenes. And US Release ruins the speed and sound as well. I have been collecting Jackie Chan's movies both HK and US Release Version for quite some time now. I found HK Version to be MUCH MORE in enjoyable, and HIGHER in Quality. American Market always like to "Americanize" and "Control". Regional Code Regulation thing is one of the example to CONTROL the Market. Why not let everyone enjoy the same HK Original Release move the same way ENTIRE WORLD enjoys it ?? No one makes Hollywood American movies to "French version" or "Chinese Version" ~! This what Americans are doing~! Well, enjoy the cheap "American version" then~! LOL
Three martial superstars in one fun film Jackie chan is amazing. Sammo Hung is amazing. Yuen Biao is amazing. Put the three of them in a movie, and it'd be hard to end up with something bad. Well, in this case, you end up with something great.
To begin with, there's the martial arts. These guys are three of the best Asian cinema has to offer. Yuen Biao, though not widely know in America, is considered to be one of the most athletic martial artists around. Of course, Jackie and Sammo are no slouches either, and this movie delivers a lot of colorful action.
But it's also funny. It reminds me of those old screwball comedies of the fifties. It's ridiculous, absurd comedy based on misunderstandings and well-intentioned deceptions. The scene where Jackie's date is interrupted by his two fighting friends is damn funny. And the interaction between these three friends is what makes this film a classic.
For another great collaboration of this terrific trio, check out "Wheels on Meals", another fine film.
The BEST film from the three brothers!! Dragons forever is the last film from the three brothers and also the best, I think.
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