Search - Revenge of the Dragon on DVD

Early Wo-Ping classic!

03/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Originaly titled "Tough Guy",
this is an 'old' old-schooler from 1972.
At this point in time, Big Boss had just
been released and was setting a new
standard for action choreography. But
Bruce wasn't the only good thing to happen
that year - enter Yuen Wo-Ping! The young
Yuen, though just beginning his career, manages to
give us some much better than average 'slasher basher'
action in this tribute to Bruce Lee (this movie
succeeds in delivering a 'slightly' above average
story with interesting characters).The plot is standard fair, but well done: Two
officers are sent undercover to blow a smuggling
operation. That's it in essence.
What also helps this movie, other than Wo-Ping,
is the over-the-top performance by the movies
lead, Chen Sing (who plays 'Brother Chen').
Chen Sing is not only a competent fighter, with
an amiable screen presence (well, when he's not
being a bully, which was often enough), he was
a good actor and, when given a chance, provided
a decent lead role performance. In this movie,
he provides a highly energized showing that
kept me on the edge - he really goes nuts!
This movie is a 'sleeper' in the world of kung-fu, a world
comprising thousands of movies. It is well
worth seeking out for its plentiful fisticuffs,
'heroic' plot-line, good acting and also for
the sheer fact that its a great intro to the
earliest work of Yuen Wo-Ping. Probably not
a 'four star' movie and more like a 3.5 star
affair, this flick deserves a viewing and is
worth seeking by the collector of Very GOOD chop socky.
~hc"