User Reviews

The advertising for this movie basically focuses on Donnie Yen once again going ballistic. You'd think he's had enough fighting by now, but never mind. The trailers are wrong. This is not an all out action/martial arts spectacular. It is, in fact, a dramatic and surprisingly very moody mystery thriller set in the not-too-distant past in China.

The beginning sequences show Yen as a simple farm man, a family man who does menial things to make a living. When foiling a bunch of criminals, Yen manages to seemingly accidentally subdue both of them. A quirky investigator (Takeshi Kaneshiro) soon arrives and is intrigued at Yen's seemingly innocent farmer.

Let it be said that in the first half of the movie, Donnie Yen was not acting as the wise-but-tough guy roles he is more famous for, but rather, as a happy-go-lucky farmer that is a cry away from Jackie Chan. The villagers are so happy that they even chant out their feelings. One would suspect comedy and lighthearted fare from this point onward. However, that is not the case. Peter Chan Ho-Sun tense-fully crafts the film away from that direction and starts veering into dark, dark territory. We're talking deep dark secrets involving a heinous, violent and brutal crime that gives off a dark, ominous atmosphere and a somewhat mean streak that continues from that point onward all the way until the end of the film. In fact the darkness of the movie overshadows pretty much everything, even the camera-work looks less colorful as the scenes progressed. Sort of like what would happen if Walter Hill made a Chinese/Kung-Fu movie. You'll get the idea.

During this change of pace, Yen completely transforms his character not into a tough guy, but rather, of a haunted, tortured soul. Yen's versatility as an actor really shines in this movie and I honestly think it is one of his very best performances. As a martial artist, no worries, Yen's still got the moves.

Takeshi Kaneshiro's character is an interesting one. His performance has an aura of quirkiness and yet, sadness, as the film progresses his character becomes ever more tragic and his once-aimless cause becomes justifiable. "Lust, Caution"'s Tang Wei has a supporting role that is basically a stereotyped character in all of this sort of films - the concerned wife. By that standards, she pulls it off well. The biggest surprise for me was seeing Shaw Brothers kung-fu stars Jimmy Wang Yu ("The One-Armed Swordsman") and Kara Hui ("My Young Auntie") on the big screen as the villains, and their fights between them and Donnie is an ironic tribute and homage to their famous characters (in Kung-Fu Cinema at least). Hell, this could very well be a Walter Hill-directed Shaws Brothers film for all I know.

Production value is top notch, especially the locations and cinematography, which were superb. The locations are shown in all of their glory and the camera nicely frames them without being to overblown. The action sequences were well-choreographed (a staple of Yen) but I can imagine some people wanting more action. The editing is nicely framed - the CSI-like flashbacks coupled with Kaneshiro's detailed monologue provides a fascinating view into human pressure points. The music is a refreshing trait for me - the score is too tense and somber and not melodramatic, although I never knew an electric guitar can be that effective in a period kung-fu film, sort of like Ry Cooder in Hill's "Last Man Standing", but then again...

The only thing I didn't like was the ending of the final fight - a near- literal Deux Ex Machina. (But even then I didn't see it coming at all.)

Overall, it is a strange, yet dark and moody, and definitely interesting gem in the Donnie Yen category. By no means is it bad, just somewhat offbeat, but the moody, gritty atmosphere of the film took me by surprise. It's solid stuff, this movie, but don't expect an all-out fight-fest. It's a mystery thriller, and a good one at that.

Overall rating: 70/100

PS: On the reason of mentioning Walter Hill, I find this film's atmosphere to be somewhat similar to Hill's films "Trespass" and "Last Man Standing", both very violent and gritty films with a mean streak. No really. You can feel the uneasiness when watching these films. I certainly did. On this film too.

"Wu Xia" may not be the martial arts flick in the "Ip Man" vein but it grips us right from the start with an intriguing plot, rich characterisation, breath-taking locales and top class performances. This combination is rare in a Chinese movie, let alone a kungfu flick. But then again, "Wu Xia" is not just a kungfu flick. It is also a detective mystery with CSI elements, and a family/clan drama with well-developed characters. The one downside to this effort by director Peter Chan is its supernatural ending that borders on the absurd.

The plot is set in 1917, and Liu Jinxi (Donnie Yen) is a paper-maker in a small village where he lives with his wife Ayu (Tang Wei) and their two sons. However, when a couple of bandits try to rob the local store, Liu intervenes and accidentally kills them in self-defence. Or so it seems until detective Xu Baijiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) investigates the botched robbery. While Liu claims to be just the average guy, Xu (who is also a physiology expert and acupuncturist), suspects that he is hiding a deep secret, and goes all out to uncover the truth behind Liu's identity. Xu's dogged persistence threatens the peace of the typical clan settlement and even his own life.

The first thing that grabs us is the movie's detailed setting - in an idyllic valley with quaint thatch-roof homes that have cattle grazing on its roof. Scripter Aubrey Lam defines the social structure of the times in a scene when Xu asks Ayu to show him the back door. "There is no need for doors in a village like this," she replies.

The movie's 'CSI touches' are intriguing and even educational. As Xu probes into the deaths, we get replays of the action with illuminating insights into Xu's detective powers. There isn't much wushu-tye action in the early segments but the probes are nevertheless fascinating as Chan adds narrative details and character backgrounds to story.

The cast is top notch, with Donny Yen and Kaneshiro verbally sparring against each other. One can safely say this is one of Yen's best portrayals as a caring husband and father trying to escape a sinful past. Kaneshiro gets our sympathy as the obsessive cop who will risk anything to find truth and justice. His demeanour reminds me of Peter Falk's Columbo. Tang Wei (of "Lust, Caution" fame) personifies the rural housewife who is fearful that Jinxi would abandon her - just as her first husband did years ago.

And of course, it is nice to see veteran Wang Yu (of "One-Arm Swordsman" fame) in a cameo as a crime boss, and fighting another one-arm swordsman himself. All in all, Wu Xia, which was one of the highlights at the 2011 Cannes Fest, is a refreshing change to the usual kungfu thrillers. Now, if Chan had rendered a more credible ending, it would have been a masterpiece. (limchangmoh.blogspot.com)

With a title like "Dragon" that has Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro in it. I was expecting some grand or epic martial arts movie, with lots of battles and fight sequences...That is what this movie is. So if your an audience member that is expecting a lot of fight sequences you might be disappointed. This movie is a bit of a slow burner that has a message. Which is about what is right, the law of the land or if humanity, empathy and redemption. And how sometimes your past can comeback to haunt you. The two main leads really work together as opposites that comes to an understanding. The story is nothing all that special and it has been done before, but I did like the execution and the direction of this movie. It's simple and yet it has enough to make it stand out for what it is. It's a forgettable movie, but it's still a good enough slow burner of a movie.

6.5/10

This started out as a very tense and psychological movie, with a mix of Chinese sherlock Holmes trying to solve mystery cases, and a few minutes onwards towards the middle we're having a shutter island moment, finished with a not so great but realistic (probably not) fighting scene.

All and all every bits of the parts holds their own, and it's a wonderful movie in terms of acting, Donnie's dad give a very menacing performance, and even the not so weak me still gasping when he holds his grandchildren towards the end, not sure what to expect.

Donnie's and Kaneshiro's complementing each other quite well in this movie, one the unpredictable cold with killer's instinct, the other with his own wit that could dismantle you in a sec, a detective with equally killer instinct.

Too bad the movie didn't pick on one of them and focus more, instead they try to swipe every single aspect which is too much to jumble and at the end too many loose knots are hurriedly tied.

A movie that is mostly gripping from start to finish yet leaves one unsatisfied. This is because there is both great stuff and undermining weak stuff.

It's a genre salad, mixing a Western-style harsh redemption drama, martial arts, some over-the-top evil-cult stuff, super-acupuncture as well as physical powers that are so over-the-top the genre veers into the supernatural myth-fantasy, and a detective story with a super-observant eye and arcane knowledge, Sherlock style. Some of it works, some doesn't, and some of it undermines the other parts.

Most of all however, it is a re-imagining of "A History of Violence" in a historical kung-fu setting with much more over-the-top elements.

The cinematography, location shooting, and texture-rich historical detail are all superb, as is the rousing, unusually rocking soundtrack for such a period pic.

There are only 2-3 action scenes and each is very different. One is a tricky fight scene involving fighting without fighting which has both brilliant Rashomon-style dual angles, as well as a bit of cheating of the audience. The middle fight scene is classic fury and thrilling action with (not too much) wire-work. The last one involves too much supernatural power that undermines the action, leading to a very disappointing deus-ex-machina ending.

Donnie Yen is not an expressive actor to say the least, but here he does some of his best acting work (relatively!). His fury is still way too flat however. Other actors all do better. Some characters arcs like Donnie's and his wife's are done well, the detective's character is a mess however.

As you can gather from the above, it's a very mixed bag. But definitely worth the watch as long as one isn't expecting only a martial-arts movie (almost but not quite enough great action). I think it's one of those movies that one watches and enjoys, but which then becomes very bothersome and doesn't sit well in the mind, what with all the what-ifs and flaws and certain knowledge of how great it could have been with some adjustments. For example, how good it may have been if they had kept it more realistic.

Oh, and I watched the full version (115mins). I would avoid the Weinstein-raped cut version. Those releases are never good.

Plot Summary:

Donnie Yen is living in a small village working for a paper mill. One day two notorious thieves show up to rob the place, and Donnie Yen ends up killing them. This prompts an investigation led by Kaneshiro, a detective whom doesn't emphasize with humanity and suppresses his feelings through acupuncture.

After days of digging Kaneshiro dicovers Donnie Yen is from a family of assassins called 72 Dragons, and is wanted for the murder of a butcher's family. Donnie en has been in hiding for 10 years and has settled down with married life. But after rumors spread of his resurgance, the 72 Dragons want their son back.

Because the Detective put both his family and the village in danger, he decides to help Donnie Yen capture the Dragons. They have a final showdown inside his village home when they both succeed in taking down the Dragon Leader, Papa Dragon. ---------------------------- Film pays homage to History of Violence, and The One-Armed Swordsman

After seeing Warlords and reading the reviews I was expecting something new and interesting to the Wu xia/martial arts genre.

What I should have expected was the normal clichéd, over the top characters. (Minor spoilers) Killer assumes new identity and tries to live peacefully with his new family, detective cuts off his own empathy using acupuncture. Nothing new, likely or realistic here but the parts are played seriously by the actors and who is ever disappointed by a martial arts movie lacking in an original story line.

Then we have the fight scenes, over the top trash, Donnie Yen makes another guy punch himself in the face so hard his teeth fall out, this probably happened before he flew into the air and attached his feet to the ceiling. Crouching Tiger had wire work but it also managed to have some amazing, realistic fight choreography alongside it. In Wu xia we have the standard rubbish you would see in Hero and House of daggers where wire and other special effects are used to make the unreal look real and failing in the attempt. (Another Spoiler) man has his heart stopped with acupuncture, cuts off his own arm then goes home to have a long boring drawn out fight scene with a fat bald man. Someone gets struck by lightning.

This is exactly what I have come to expect from Chinese cinema of late not to mention the hit and miss (mostly miss) master Donnie Yen. Because I had paid for the movie I kept watching and waiting for it to get better or show the reasoning behind its many shining reviews but of course it proved to be nothing more than something which could have been dreamed up by the 4 yr old character in the movie playing Yen's son. The only positives are the settings and look of the movie, don't waste your money!