The Dragon Missile Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Dragon Missile Blu-ray Movie Review

The Dragon Missile is an exciting action classic from the legendary Shaw Brothers production studio. Produced by Runme Shaw (Haunted Tales, Five Deadly Venoms), The Dragon Missile is a must-see adventure. Lieh Lo stars in the leading role. Co-starring Tony Liu and Nancy Yen. Including guest star performances by Feng Ku as Lord Chin Kuan, Chih-Ching Yang as Tan Yue, and Sha-Fei Ouyang as Madam Tieh.

Szema Chun (Lieh Lo) is fighting off enemies left and right as a ruthless and violent gang attacks and fights for control of an ultra-rare elixir known as an elixir of longevity. The elixir is highly sought by martial artists who covet the special healing powers of the elixir of longevity. Szema Chun fights everyone who is after the elixir with his special flying boomerang and blades of death – known throughout as the powerful Dragon Missile. Can Szema Chun stop the bandits who are seeking the rare elixir of longevity?

Lieh Lo delivers an excellent performance. Lo is a huge talent and the performance in The Dragon Missile carries the film. Lo is outstanding here and the performance adds surprising gravitas and weight to the action-epic. The role is one that Lo carries – showcasing his depth and skill as a performer. The actor manages to evoke a lot of emotional complexity to the role.

The stunts coordinated and choreographed by Simon Hsu (The Golden Sword, The Shadow Whip) are impressive. There are a lot of wonderful action sequences showcasing the artistry of the stunts. The Dragon Missile is a great showcase for Hsu as an action choreographer and actor Lieh Lo brings these incredible stunts to life – the stunt work shines while Szema Chun fights off the barrage of enemies seeking the coveted elixir of longevity is incredible.

The score composed by Fu-Ling Wang (The Big Boss, The Bamboo House of Dolls) is an essential part of the viewing experience. The music composed by Wang adds so much to the production. The music is tense and exciting – a perfect backdrop to the mayhem on screen. The Dragon Missile is an intense action film in most respects and there are so many incredible sequences highlighted by the score.

The art direction by Johnson Tsao (Portrait in Crystal, Legendary Weapons of China) manages to elevate the production values, too. The production has an epic sense of scale that is undeniable. As the story unfolds, the battles taking place around temples are particularly impressive, with the scale adding an element of gravitas.

Written by Kuang Ni (The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), The Dragon Missile is a lot of fun and a script that manages to feel tightly paced and well-written. The script has moments highlighting the strength of the lead character – both physical strength and a heightened awareness – awareness by Szema Chun that the elixir is so powerful it is causing violence and mayhem for something seemingly so ordinary and so small. Does the elixir hold too much power that people will kill to obtain it? The script handles these elements while making sure to keep the action front-and-center.

Meng-Hua Ho (The Jade Raksha, The Long Chase) directs. The Dragon Missile is well-directed and a total home-run for Ho. The filmmaker has a great energy and sense of style. The Dragon Missile is a superb Shaw Brothers classic. The Dragon Missile is the type of action film that will stay with audiences well after the credits are over. A must-see.

The Dragon Missile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Dragon Missile is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The video is impressive. The scan presents solid clarity and detail on the release. The high-definition transfer is largely free from egregious issues with print scratches, dirt, and debris. A nice scan of the film – the only potential drawback being that colors are a little less pronounced compared to some other Shaw Brothers productions. A pleasing encode by Shout Factory.

The Dragon Missile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. The lossless audio track sounds clear and easy to understand. Dialogue is well reproduced on the release.

The sound effects are effectively integrated into the soundstage. The score is engaging and exhilarating. The English subtitles provided are excellent and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Dragon Missile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Film Critic James Mudge

Cutting Comments – Interview with Editor Jim Markovic (HD, 22:46)

Shaw Brothers Classics Volume 1 and The Brave Archer Collection Trailer Reel (HD, 42:24)

The Dragon Missile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Dragon Missile is an enormously entertaining classic. Fans of the Shaw Brothers films won't want to miss this gem. The action is spectacular and the pacing is superb – audiences will be thrilled from start to finish. The lead performance by Lieh Lo is outstanding and Lo has a lot of fun with the role (and the conflict within him regarding the potency of the elixir and the violence that ensues in pursuit of it).

A pleasing high-definition transfer and lossless audio encoding. The release also provides supplements, including an audio commentary with film critic James Mudge and an interview with editor Jim Markovic. The release also provides an assembly of Shaw Brothers film trailers – something fun for trailer fans who want to marathon vintage trailers. Another wonderful and worthwhile release by Shout Factory. Highly recommended.