Director: Lo Wei
Screenplay: Wang Chung-pin
Starring: Jackie Chan, Nora Miao, James Tien, Yen Shi-kwan, Eagle Han-ying and Wu Wen-sau
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 97 min
Year: 1979
Over the past few years, I’ve taken quite an interest in martial arts cinema, thanks to labels such as Eureka and in particular, 88 Films. Throughout the late 2010s and the first half of the 2020s, 88 Films has made a name for themselves as the go-to label when you’re after the best release for a martial arts film. To date, they’ve released over 25 films starring Jackie Chan and are currently in the process of upgrading some of their older Blu-ray releases to UHD (as well as newly remastered Blu-ray versions too) and when I caught wind that they were upgrading Dragon Fist, a title I needed to see, I was eager to cover their release for the site.
Dragon Fist is an oddity, as it’s the final collaboration between Jackie Chan and director Lo Wei, who previously struck gold with Bruce Lee on his first two martial arts efforts, The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. After Lee’s untimely passing, Chan was pushed as the next Lee, and during a series of collaborations between Wei and Chan, such as New Fist of Fury, To Kill with Intrigue and Magnificent Bodyguards, it was apparent that Chan wasn’t the next Lee. In further years, Chan would develop his style for blending action and humour and break out as the legend that he was, but right in the midst of him finding his voice with Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, Chan had two more films to make with Lo Wei: Spiritual Kung Fu and Dragon Fist.
I think Spiritual Kung Fu is a relatively decent time, although it’s unbelievably silly and isn’t one of Chan’s best. Dragon Fist, on the other hand, is one of the most disappointing Chan films I’ve seen. While there’s worse out there, such as Fearless Hyena Part II, the biggest issue with Dragon Fist is how by-the-numbers everything in the film is. Take the film’s narrative, that operates on the boilerplate “you killed my master and I must avenge him” trope that’s been done to death in these films, and you can feel that Chan isn’t invested in any of the emotional beats in the film, for which there are few.
When it comes to the action itself, it’s pretty decent. There’s some great stunt-work here and there, and Wei knows how to let the stunt performers highlight their incredible talents on screen, but without a reason to care about why people are fighting, it results in a series of forgettable action scenes.
It’s also a fairly flat looking film, from a directorial standpoint but that’s always been an issue with most of the Lo Wei films I’ve seen, post Lee, at least. It’s not that he’s a poor filmmaker, and there’s moments in Dragon Fist where he experiments with some interesting framing choices. I was a particular fan of the opening credits, where the film would pause to highlight each credit with a musical sting, as it was a fun and engaging way to open the film. Outside of that though, it didn’t blow me away very much.
Dragon Fist is a mediocre effort from Chan and Wei, failing to highlight the pair at their strongest and it’s unfortunate that this was not just the last collaboration between the pair, but Wei’s final directorial effort in general. Superfans of Chan will want to pick this one up for the release itself, but as the film goes, it’s a bit of a dud.
Film: 
Dragon Fist releases on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray, as well as regular 4K UHD and Blu-ray 24th February via 88 Films. I viewed the 4K UHD version of the film for this review and thought that the presentation was great. It contains a Dolby Vision HDR grade which compliments the film nicely. It’s a considerable upgrade from the old 88 Films Blu-ray, which I compared this release to after viewing the UHD. Audio wise, there’s multiple options, as expected from the team at 88 Films. There’s a Mandarin Dual Mono with English subtitles, Cantonese Dual Mono with English subtitles, an alternate Cantonese Dual Mono with English subtitles and an English Dual Mono track. I tested all of the audio options out but viewed the film with the English mix and everything sounded good, although the low recording quality of the dubbing isn’t something that could be greatly improved on. As usual, 88 Films knocked it out of the park on an A/V level. The following extras are included:
Includes Rigid Slipcase With Classic Hong Kong Poster Art (Exclusive) Or Brand New Art By ‘Kung Fu Bob’ O’Brien
– Double-Sided Foldout Poster
– 6X Lobby Card Reproductions
– 80 Page Perfect-Bound Book With Articles By Paul Bramhall, Andy Heskins And James Oliver
Disc
– 4K Restoration from the Original Camera Negative presented in Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR10 Compatible)
– 4K (2160p) UHD presentation in original 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
– High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray disc also included
– Mandarin Dual Mono with English Subtitles
– Cantonese Dual Mono with English Subtitles
– Alternate Cantonese Dual Mono with English Subtitles
– English Dual Mono
– Brand new feature length audio commentary by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) & FJ DeSanto
– Interview with David West
– Japanese Opening Credits
– Japanese TV Spot
– Japanese Trailer
– Then & Now Gallery
– Hong Kong Trailer
– Lobby card gallery
The brand new audio commentary by Frank Djeng & FJ DeSanto is, as expected, a fantastic listen. In the track, Djeng unloads 97 minutes of fascinating knowledge on the film, the production, Chan, Lo Wei and more and the track’s a delight to listen to. While I may not have been a fan of the film itself, this commentary track more than makes up for it, which is expected from any Djeng and DeSanto track. A must-listen.
The interview with David West is ported over from the previous 88 Films Blu-ray release and runs for 22 minutes. In the interview, West highlights the strange place in which Dragon Fist operates in Chan’s filmography, after being held back for a year after it was originally filmed. It’s a solid piece highlighting Chan’s work around this point in his career.
The Japanese opening credits, TV spot and trailer are all great inclusions for die-hard fans.
The Hong Kong trailer is also included.
Two galleries are included, a lobby card gallery and a then & now gallery, highlighting the locations from the film and what they look like today.
While Dragon Fist is far from Chan’s best film, 88 Films have treated it with the utmost care and provided fans with a great release. A stunning transfer, solid selection of extras and some great physical goodies for those who pick up the limited edition, this is one that fans should absolutely add to their collections. Highly recommended.
Disc/Packaging: