Reviews:Fire Dragon
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| ALTERNATE SYNOPSIS: Brigitte Lin ("The Bride With White Hair") blazes through this hyper-kinetic fantasy epic directed by Yuen Wo Ping, who wowed western audiences with his work on "The Matrix" and "Kill Bill" Vols. 1 and 2. Prince Six, a local governor, is in a plot to overthrow the Emperor, but his plans and life are in jeopardy when a letter incriminating him is discovered. Six sends his beautiful apprentice, Hai, the "Devil Of Fire" (Lin), to retrieve the letter at all costs, but a wandering swordsman named Yuen Ming has intercepted it. Hai goes undercover to lure Ming out of a traveling acrobatic troop he is hiding in, but she soon begins to questions her loyalty to the governor. Boasting one of the most amazing fight sequences in Hong Kong cinema and a magnificent pyrotechnic performance by Lin as the female assassin, "Fire Dragon" is a must-see for any fan of action cinema. |
| SYNOPSIS: A letter is found linking a plot to overthrow the Emperor with one of his officials, Prince Six. He sends his apprentice, Red Dragon to retrieve the incriminating letter but Yuen Ming, a wandering swordsman manages to save it. Both Yuen and Red Dragon go undercover in a traveling acrobatic troupe while trying to draw each other out. Red Dragon eventually turns on her master after she bonds with the troupe members and becomes embroiled in a comical love triangle with Yuen and the troupe's leader, Lyn Yu.
REVIEW: Undoubtedly, the real showstopper is the pyrotechnics, first seen in IRON MONKEY (1993). Flames blast out from walls, encompass Brigitte Lin's hands, and spread across water with reckless abandon. The finale ends up looking like Kuwaiti oil fields set ablaze. The action is furious at the beginning and end with a pause in the middle for Brigitte Lin's character to develop a change of heart. Brigitte manages another satisfyingly intense performance despite the unsuccessful comical rants of her costar, Sandra Ng. Expect to see more flying and superhuman feats similar to BUTTERFLY AND SWORD. The old uncovering of the plot to overthrow the Emperor shtick is as common as a dead armadillo on Texas asphalt. FIRE DRAGON proves it since nothing unexpected or new shows up. At times, scenes felt like they were re-shot from other genre films. Too bad for this film though. Most of the rehashed elements worked better in other films. The romantic nonsense was funnier in Wo Ping's WING CHUN and Brigitte Lin's bittersweet performance had greater depth in THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR. But despite all that, the film is still fun to watch thanks in part to the blazing stunt work. With a film starring Brigitte Lin and directed by Wo Ping you'd be crazy not to have high expectations. The film meets those expectations but rarely pushes boundary. That still leaves us with a great film that's sure to please action fans. |
http://www.KungFuCinema.com
Another fine looking effort from director Yuen Woo Ping full of flying femmes, fire (lots of fire), and some amazing swordplay and fight choreography. Brigitte Lin proves that she is still a potent actress and effortlessly shifts between being a savage and cunning martial arts villainess and being a frail common villager. The main assistant to the head villain is impossibly beautiful (her establishing shot is breathtaking!) and Woo Ping does a good job of convincing us that she and Brigitte Lin are great fighters. Max Mok pulls off some nice swordplay and Sandra Ng hangs around to lighten the tone with her silliness. Uncharacteristic of Woo Ping's films, he utilizes some blur motion techniques in a few fight scenes which cheapens their look and impact, but otherwise it's great!
-Alex In Wonderland (see my profile)
http://www.alex-in-wonderland.com
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