- Director : Fruit Chan
- Disc Format : Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 99 min
- Release date : October 6, 2020
- Actors : Jin Zhang, Anderson Silva, Kevin Cheng, Annie Liu, Stephy Tang
- Subtitles: : English
- Language : Cantonese (DTS 5.1)
- Studio : Well Go USA
I don’t think it comes as any surprise that
the main reason audiences tend to watch martial arts films are the action
sequences. There is a reason that these films have a tradition of implementing
action directors, as well as a primary director of the entire production, and
that is not for consideration of plot or character development. Invincible
Dragon has two action directors, likely responsible for the film’s greatest
asset, but it also has a plot as focused on a mystery as it is kicking ass. If
only the screenplay and direction by Fruit Chan (Dumplings) was as
consistent as the action choreography, this Chinese martial arts-mystery would
have been highly watchable. As it stands, the successful moments of martial
arts fighting are enveloped by the tonally inconsistent narrative that
surrounds them.
Like many cop
films, Invincible Dragons begins with an undercover operation that doesn’t
quite go as planned. Although dragon-tattooed cop Kowloon (Max Zhang) manages
to capture the bad guy, he does so with such extreme (to a point nearing
slapstick) violence that he is demoted to a remote rural station. Shortly after
arriving at his new placement, a serial killer begins targeting female
officers. After failing to capture the killer in a sting operation, Kowloon
holds himself responsible for the mistake that leads to the disappearance of
his police officer fiancé.
A year later, Kowloon spends his time
searching for his long-lost fiancé and holding on to the past. He takes out his
frustration with underground boxing, returning to the hobby he had before
leaving the force. When the murders begin again in the city he is in, however,
Kowloon is pulled into the investigation. Along with his knowledge of the case,
one of Kowloon’s old rivals in the ring (played by Brazillian mixed martial
artist Anderson Silva) becomes entangled in the case. Even with the entire
police force trying to solve the case, it soon becomes clear that Kowloon may
be the only one capable of making any real progress.
Often throughout Invincible Dragon’s
99-minute run time, I found myself longing for the next action sequence. When
the stilted dialogue stops and the fists start flying, this is not a terrible
film. Unfortunately, the plot is often more interested in the bland mystery and
unaffecting melodrama. This is not helped by the fact that Anderson Silva’s
lines are mostly delivered in broken English and acting unintentionally reminiscent
of Tommy Wiseau, or the oddly dark and campy tone inserted by director Fruit
Chan into certain sequences. As mentioned, it isn’t enough to have good action.
And that’s too bad, because Invincible Dragon does have that, if nothing
else.
The Blu-ray release for Invincible
Dragon does not come with any extras worth mentioning, not even an
alternate viewing method. What it does have is a high definition presentation
of a spectacle driven film.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4.5/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 0/10
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