| Triad actioner with an extensive list of recognizable players but coming from this golden era of modern action filmmaking in Hong Kong, gathering up all these, including Andy Lau, Max Mok, Norman Tsui, Alan Tam, Ku Feng, William Ho, Miu Kiu-Wai and Kara Hui, was highly plausible. With Lau Kar Wing directing and brother Lau Kar Leung handling the action, you would expect something marvelously exhilarating, right? Well, yes...eventually.
It's a very talky piece with quite an overabundance of characters, making The Dragon Family a generic borefest so the interruption of action should really redeem this downtime, right? No. While stunts are generally good (one fire stunt is quite admirably performed by actress Chiao Chiao), the gunplay is disturbingly stale and poorly staged for something that has Lau Kar Leung's name on it. One suspect he was only there for the final reel when things really take off or rather concentrated only on the final reel.
That finale, although too short, sees Lau mixing gunplay, stunts and even weapons action, much of it involving actors Andy Lau, Alan Tam and Max Mok, to a truly exhilarating effect. It's further proof of Lau Kar Leung's excellent transition from traditional martial arts to modern day action. The Dragon Family is short enough to easily get to the final reel but you'll probably return to that many times rather than sit through the feature. |
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