Kill a Dragon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Kill a Dragon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 7, 2022

Michael D. Moore's "Kill a Dragon" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

When Michael D. Moore went to work on Kill a Dragon (1967), he was looking at the same blueprint that a couple of years later Richard Benedict would study while preparing to shoot Impasse (1969). Shortly after, someone handed this blueprint to Michael Carreras with a request to complete Shatter (1974) and asked Robert Clause to use it while working on Golden Needles (1974). How do I know all this? I don’t, but there must have been such a popular blueprint because these films -- and two dozen more that you have not heard of yet or have forgotten about -- were clearly very happy to keep rehashing the same cliched concept for an exciting exotic action-adventure film. Or it could be that someone had figured out that it was smart business to imitate what the great producer Harry Alain Towers had been doing for years. Remember him? He funded the popular Fu Manchu films with Christopher Lee as well as genre hits like Bang! Bang! You're Dead! (1966), Five Golden Dragons (1967), The Million Eyes of Sumuru (1967), and The Girl From Rio (1969).

Somewhere on the outskirts of Hong Kong. While getting ready to enjoy the birthday fireworks a naked beauty (former Miss Israel Alizia Gur) has promised him, American opportunist Rick Masters (Jack Palance) is forced to get out of bed and beat up a couple of thugs chasing three old-timers from a nearby village. Masters’ ‘pragmatism’ immediately impresses the old-timers and, after apologizing for disturbing his intimate birthday party, they offer him a job. Masters can make a bundle if he transports a large load of top-quality nitroglycerin from a small island to the main port in Hong Kong where the old-timers will be greeted by a buyer. But there is a catch. The nitroglycerin was ‘lost’ by Nico Patrai (Fernando Lamas), a notorious Portuguese ‘businessman’ and gangster who controls the local black market trade and most of Hong Kong, and he is threatening to destroy the old-timers’ village if he does not get it back. At first, Masters refuses to consider the job offer, but when it is revealed that he would get a third of the load’s value, he changes his mind. A tour guide (Aldo Ray) with extensive knowledge of the areas of Hong Kong that are never promoted in tourist brochures and firearms then becomes his trusted assistant.

Before it was greenlighted, Kill a Dragon surely must have looked like an exciting project with great potential. Palance in his prime and coming off of Richard Brooks’ The Professionals (1966) was probably enough for its producers to immediately open their checkbooks and write the amount that Moore needed to make it happen. Unfortunately, this is almost certainly the reason Kill a Dragon never met their expectations as well. How so? Well, other than Palance’s star power and some decent authentic footage from Hong Kong and the surrounding areas Kill a Dragon does not have much else to offer. So, it would appear that as soon as funding was secured Moore proceeded to do the best of Palance’s commitment to Kill a Dragon without any meaningful help and deliver a complete, coherent film on time.

But having a complete, coherent film isn’t the same as having a good or even decent film. Indeed, despite a couple of sequences where Palance temporarily becomes a tough macho guy that hurts his opponents while utterly hilarious lines, Kill a Dragon just can’t figure out how to excite. Palance leads but it always looks like he is moving through scripted situations where he is expected to shine for a fixed period of time, rather than participating in a dangerous mission that he and his accomplices may not survive.

The only redeeming quality of Kill a Dragon is its very particular retro appearance, but this isn’t something that will be appreciated by everyone. The viewers that will find this retro appearance attractive will be folks that feel nostalgic about old Hong Kong and specifically the exotic allure of Kowloon that so many great films benefited from.

Kill a Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kill a Dragon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

At some point, this film was remastered, and if I had to guess, I would say that it was a little before MGM produced this DVD release in 2011. I could be wrong, but the master that was used to source this release has a slightly dated appearance. On the other hand, it is quite a bit better than the ancient masters from the DVD era. So, the film has a fine organic appearance, but it could look even more attractive. It could look healthier too, though you will only notice a few blemishes and other minor surface imperfections, not serious damage that would negatively affect your viewing experience. Grain is a bit loose and unevenly exposed, so there is definitely room for meaningful encoding optimizations. However, you don't have to worry about significant anomalies. Even on a very big screen, the visuals hold up very nicely. Color balance is stable, but as you can tell from the screencaptures we have included with our review saturation could be better. Certain supporting nuances could be expanded as well. Image stability is good. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections. All in all, even though there is room for improvement, I quite like how the film looks on Blu-ray. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Kill a Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on thi8s Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is very clear and sharp. I did not have to turn the volume of my system to easily hear all exchanges. I did notice a few small dynamic fluctuations, but I assume that they are part of the film's original sound design. Dynamic intensity is good, though given the recording limitations rather unremarkable. The upper register, where older films typically reveal weaknesses, was healthy.

Kill a Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Kill a Dragon. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Kill a Dragon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Take a quick look at the vintage poster for Kill a Dragon. It is great, isn't it? Jack Palance is holding a gun and there is a beautiful woman underneath him, Aldo Ray carries a wooden crate that appears to be loaded with nitroglycerin, and Fernando Lamas is firing a machine gun. You are already convinced that Kill a Dragon is a gem and somehow you missed it over the years. Well, this film has a couple of legit stars that fire at will, but it most definitely isn't a gem. At best, it is a decent fix for a very particular group of nostalgic viewers that works only if seen in the wee hours of the night. Are you one of them? You could be if you have seen and enjoyed Impasse, Golden Needles, and maybe even Supercock.