Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Dragon Lord Blu-ray Movie Review

Dragon Lord is a Hong Kong action film released by Golden Harvest. The film was also released under the alternate title of Dragon Strike. A martial-arts comedy, Dragon Lord was originally conceived of as being a sequel to The Young Master. The film was a big project for star Jackie Chan and he wrote about the production in his memoir I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action.

The film went way over-budget and Chan spent a lot of time demanding reshoots of some of the biggest action set pieces. Unlike some of the earlier period kung-fu films by Jackie Chan, Chan uses even more comedy in the action film and one could argue it was a turning point for Chan as he began to further develop into the realm of comedy-action as would become a staple of his films in later years.

Dragon Lord is noteworthy as the first film from Jackie Chan to include blooper reels – this became a common staple in later-period Chan action-comedy films, showcasing how stunts can go awry in comedic fashion. Produced by Leonard Ho (Mr. Nice Guy, Police Story), Dragon Lord is not only impressive as a star vehicle for Jackie Chan – the film was directed and co-written by Chan. Executive produced by Raymond Chow (Rumble in the Bronx, Operation Condor), Dragon Lord co-stars Mars, Michael Wai-Man Chan, Shirley Yim, and In-shik Hwang.

Dragon (Jackie Chan) trains in the field of martial-arts and enjoys his kung-fu shenanigans yet finds himself constantly getting into trouble even when he least expects to. Some of this trouble occurs because Dragon has a bad habit of skipping kung-fu lessons. Crushing on a girl, Dragon sends an enamored love letter to his crush.

The love letter is attached to a kite. Yet the kite drifts away, floating away through the wind. Upon trying to find the kite (which has landed on a rooftop), Dragon does whatever he can to try and get back his love note but finds even more trouble as he stumbles into a gang of ruthless thieves working on an attempt to steal treasured artifacts.

Dragon now has no choice but to try and fight these gang men, pushing himself to his limit as a martial artist. Can Dragon emerge the victor or will his lost days of skipped training classes get in the way between him and his crush? Non-stop action awaits as Dragon takes on the gang.

Jackie Chan is exceptional in Dragon Lord. The performance is an impressive one that showcases his range as an actor demonstrating his excellent skills in both action and comedy. Chan demonstrates immense love for comedic acting in the film and this is one of the reasons the film is so much fun. Comedic moments bring out the best of Chan.

Dragon Lord has some excellent merits. The art direction by Wo Mak (The Magnificent Butcher, Profile in Anger) is superb and plays a significant role in artistry of the film. The costuming by Wen-Hua Yu (The Sword) is notable and the costumes work well for the entire cast of characters. These production elements are certainly enjoyable.

Edited by Peter Cheung (The Way of the Dragon, Fist of Fury), Dragon Lord is a well-paced action film with a good sense of adventure. The editing is tight and enjoyable. The quality editing helps the filmmaking excel in spades.

The cinematography by Ching-Chu Chen (Fist of Fury, The Big Boss) and Chung-Yuan Chen (The Killer Meteors, Jian nu) is one of the most exceptional aspects of the film. The visuals play a big role in the success of Dragon Lord. The cinematographers created a great looking film with a compelling visual style.

The score composed by Frankie Chan (Chungking Express, Fallen Angels) and Philip Chan (Vengeance is Mine, Saga of the Phoenix) adds energy to the production. The music is exciting and fits the action. A worthwhile score and one with plenty of pizazz to enhance the adventure.

The stunts were coordinated by Jackie Chan and his stunt team. Chan is an expert stunt choreographer. The stunts by Chan are outstanding and the work done with the cast is terrific. Chan is a great action hero and the stunt work has a poetic grace that is unmistakable. The stunts by Chan even have an element of dance – in a sense – drawing one in with captivating visuals.

Written by Jackie Chan and co-screenwriters Edward Tang (Rumble in the Bronx, The Legend of Drunken Master) and Barry Wong (Hard Boiled, Mr. Vampire), Dragon Lord is a fun movie with a solid script. The screenplay has a lot of fun comedy in it. Dragon Lord has some especially charming comedy elements. Chan was one of the chief writers so it is clear he wanted to imbue a nice balance of action and comedy, something he has always loved to deliver to audiences in spades.

Jackie Chan has so much fun in the director’s chair. Chan may have gone over-budget on the film and the production may have had extensive reshoots along the way but it is clear why – Chan wanted to deliver an entertaining production for audiences and was determined to make something special. The clear ambitions of Jackie Chan are on display. Jackie Chan fans won’t want to miss Dragon Lord as it is a lot of fun with some great action sequences and charming comedic scenes. Don’t miss it.

Dragon Lord Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, Dragon Lord is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The presentation for the film is impressive on the whole. The video quality looks excellent. The transfer has some nice qualities. A pleasing scan with good color reproduction and detail in the image. A good encode by Shout.

Dragon Lord Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is provided in Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, and English Dolby Digital 5.1. English subtitles are provided on the release. The lossless audio sounds engaging on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced. Even though the audio track shows some age, audio still sounds reasonably clear and organic during the presentation. The release provides many great audio options for fans.  

Dragon Lord Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Critic and Author David West

Dragon Lord 103 Minute Extended Cut with Original Cantonese Mono Audio

Interview with Louis Sit

Interview with actor Mars

Interview with actor Whang In-Sik

Original Theatrical Trailer

Cantonese Trailer

English Trailer

Behind-the-Scenes Teaser

Still Gallery

Dragon Lord Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dragon Lord is a fun action-adventure comedy. Jacke Chan co-wrote, directed, and stars in the film. Chan is clearly having the time of his life with this film. The action scenes are impressive and the comedic moments are laugh-out-loud funny. A good film and one that Chan fans will find to be enormous fun. The Blu-ray release provides solid video and audio alongside a nice assortment of extras, including the 103-minute Dragon Lord – Extended Cut. Highly recommended.