Huo yun chuan qi (1994)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Woo-ping Yuen

Release Date:

13 August 1994 (South Korea)

Cast

Joe Chu	...	Chun
Brigitte Lin	...	Fire Dragon
Siu Chung Mok	...	Yuen Ming
Sandra Ng Kwan Yue	...	Tang Lyn-Yu
Lap-Man Sin	...	Prince Six
Chuan Chen Yeh	...	Snow

Also Known As:

Fiery Romance
Fire Dragon (Hong Kong: English title)
Foh wan chuen kei (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
The Fiery Dragon Kid (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

South Korea:15 | UK:15

Company:

Long Shong Pictures

Forgettable fantasy feature

Fabulous cinematography, costumes, the always competent presence of Brigitte Lin, and a handful of effects laden fights cant save this movie from its focus on a dud of a plot and comedic turns that make up most of the film. Woo Ping fans know that there are two things he likes to do- dazzling, well-choreographed fight sequences and hair-brained comedy. Unfortunately, it is his comedy focus that can often drag his movies down, such is the case with Fire Dragon. Instead of getting fantastic fight scene after fantastic fight scene (Iron Monkey), this flying kung fu fantasy spends the better part of the movie expanding on lame jokes and flat character interaction. Sure there are a few action scenes throughout, but they are very brief. It is only at the beginning and, particularly, the end, in which we get the masterful, jaw dropping, fights one expects from Woo Ping.

This film belongs in the Swordsman 2, Chinese Ghost Story, and Deadful Melody category of HK fantasy. Although, in many ways, Woo Ping outdoes those other films in the genre with his harrowing use of pyrotechnics and wirework, the action makes up so little of the running time, its hard to recommend Fire Dragon to anyone outside of the die-hard Woo Ping/ Brigitte Lin fanatics. But, even they may be turned off by a film so mired in the finer points of stale character development and jokes that are repeatedly hammered into the ground. Sure, the finale is as good as anything Woo Ping has directed, but it is too little too late. Its drudgery, like watching paint dry, the hour and ten minutes that leads up to the conclusion. There just isn't enough of a story and the jokes are not funny enough to justify the lack of action.