Dragon Lord
| Dragon Lord | |
|---|---|
 Original Hong Kong poster. | |
| Directed by | Jackie Chan |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Peter Cheung |
| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes (Hong Kong Version) |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | HK $17,936,344 |
Dragon Lord (Chinese: 龍少爺) is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Jackie Chan, who also starred in the film. It was originally supposed to be a sequel to The Young Master and even had the name Young Master in Love until it was changed to Dragon Lord. The film experimented with various elaborate stunt action sequences in a period setting, serving as a transition between Chan's earlier comedy kung fu period films (such as Drunken Master and The Young Master) and his later stunt-oriented modern action films (such as Project A and Police Story).[1]
Plot
Dragon (Jackie Chan) tries to send a love note to his girlfriend via a kite but the kite gets away and as he tries to get it back, he finds himself inside the headquarters of a gang of thieves who are planning to steal artifacts from China.
Cast
- Jackie Chan – Dragon Ho / Lung
- Mars – Cowboy Chin
- Hwang In-Shik – The Big Boss
- Tien Feng – Dragon's Father
- Paul Chang – Chin's Father
- Wai-Man Chan – Tiger (as Hui-Min Chen)
- Kang-Yeh Cheng – Ah Dee
- Fung Feng – The Referee
- Kang Ho – The Reteree
- Fung Hak-on – The Killer King (as Ke-An Fung)
- Kam-kwong Ho – The Commentator
- Pak-kwong Ho – Spectator
- Yeong-mun Kwon – The Hatchetman (as Kuen Wing-Man)
- Mang Hoi – Lu Chen gang member
- Lei Suet – Alice (as Sidney Yim)
- Corey Yuen – Lu Chen gang member
- Yuan-li Wu – The Matchmaker (as Yuen-Yee Ny)
- Yan Tsan Tang – Smuggler
- Po Tai – Ah Dum Pao (as Tai Do)
- Clement Yip – Thug
- Benny Lai – Braves' team player
- Johnny Cheung – Smuggler
Production
One of Chan's complex scenes involved a Jianzi game requiring many takes for a single shot.[2] Dragon Lord went over budget and took twice as long to shoot as was originally planned due to Chan's many retakes of shots to get them exactly as he wanted them.[3] The opening bun festival scene was originally intended to end the film but was moved as Chan wanted a spectacular opening to the film.[4] The final fight scene, which takes place in a barn, also featured elaborate stunts, including one where Chan does a back flip off a loft and falls to the lower ground.[5]
According to his book I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Chan injured his chin during a stunt, making it difficult to say his lines and direct.[6]
This is the first Jackie Chan film that includes outtakes (bloopers), which was inspired by Jackie Chan from The Cannonball Run. His later films all include outtakes.[7]
Release
In its original Hong Kong theatrical run, Dragon Lord grossed HK $17,936,344.[8] The film did not make as much as it was expected to in Hong Kong, but was a big hit in Japan.[9]
Hong Kong Legends released a DVD on 25 August 2003 in the United Kingdom.[10] Dimension Films released the film on DVD in the U.S. on 11 May 2004.[11]
Reception
Joey O'Bryan of The Austin Chronicle rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote that the film, while not one of Chan's best, is an early attempt to take the genre into a new direction and set the stage for many of Chan's better, more-realized films. O'Bryan highlighted the film's climactic fight as a "worth the price of admission all by itself".[12] TV Guide rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "Aside from the meandering, stop-and-go screenplay, there's much to admire about the film. "[7] John Sinnott of DVD Talk rated it 3.5/5 stars called it a "fun movie" that moves away from conventional martial arts films.[11]
Awards and nominations
- 1983 Hong Kong Film Awards:
- Nomination:Best Action Choreography (Jackie Chan, Fung Hak-on, Yuen Kuni)
See also
References
- ^ "Dragon Lord". Love HK Film. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ Dixon, Melinda (29 April 2006). "Dragon Lord Review". DVD Bits. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
- ^ Louis Sit. (2003) (DVD). Interview. Hong Kong Legends.
- ^ Bey Logan. (2003) (DVD). Audio Commentary. Hong Kong Legends.
- ^ David Everitt (16 August 1996). "Kicking and Screening: Wheels on Meals, Armour of God, Police Story, and more are graded with an eye for action". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ Chan, Jackie. "Jackie's Aches and Pains: It Only Hurts When I'm Not Laughing". Random House. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Dragon Strike". TV Guide. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ "Dragon Lord (1982)". HKMDB.
- ^ Chan, Jackie I Am Jackie Chan (Ballantine Publishing, 1998) p.338
- ^ Schuchardt, Richard. "Dragon Lord : Menus (UK - DVD R2)". DVDactive. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ a b Sinnott, John (17 May 2004). "Dragon Lord". DVD Talk. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ O'Bryan, Joey (30 September 1994). "Dragon Lord". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
External links
- Dragon Lord at Hong Kong Cinemagic
- Dragon Lord at IMDb
- Dragon Lord at AllMovie