Dragonwolf Blu-ray Review

     Actors: David Winters, Kazu Patrick Tang, Johan Kirsten, Guk Srisawat

Director: Raimund Huber

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen

Language: English

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Well Go USA

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Run Time: 120 minutes

        Dragonwolf is a Thai action film which appears to be heavily influenced by the poorly constructed MMA and WWE fighting movies. Even without casting boxers as actors, Dragonwolf manages some awful acting and an over-reliance on gruesome battles and bare breasts to make up for the weakness in the screenplay. The worst part about the entire ordeal is that it somehow also managed to have a running-time of over two hours, which is far longer than this weak narrative can remain remotely entertaining.

       

        At the center of the film is a contrived and cliché love triangle between two friends and fighters and the girl who pit them against each other. As young children, Mozart (Kazu Patrick Tang) and Julius (Johan Kirsten) become inseparable friends, until the introduction of Mary (Macha Polivka) years later. Mary begins as the hesitant girlfriend of Julius, but secretly begins to entice and flirt with Mozart instead. Soon they have a relationship behind the back of Julius, which leads to an inevitable conflict.

 

        There might be more to the story than this love triangle, but I couldn’t tell you what it is. All I remember in the lengthy running time is an assortment of moderately choreographed fight sequences which all conveniently take place in the same derelict building, peppered occasionally with randomly topless girls. The violence is often just as forced, utilizing a silly plot point as an explanation for why weapons are never used in the battles. There is no logic in this film, and yet that is far from the biggest problem in the filmmaking process.

 

        I’m not sure if it was a decision made for international accessibility or (and I highly doubt this) an artistic choice, but the broken English spoken by all of the characters rather than resorting to dubbing or subtitles is easily the film’s biggest hindrance. The acting in the entire film feels stiff and wooden, with leads that do nothing in terms of garnering any sympathy from the audience. This is a film for those who enjoy brutal fighting but have no interest in good filmmaking. Period.  

 

Entertainment Value: 3/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 2/10

Historical Significance:  1/10

Special Features: 0/10



Follow Real Movie News on Facebook and Twitter