Blood of the Dragon Peril (1980)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Rocky Man

Writer:

Frank Ding (screenplay)

Release Date:

1980 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

The Master of Manchuria's most renowned school of kung-fu is slaughtered when he resists the invading Japanese...

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts | Fighting | Animal In Title

Cast

Chao-jung Chen		(as Jerry Chan)
Yi Tao Chang		(as Philip Cheung)
Min Kyu Choi		(as Marty Chui)
Robby Ban
Edie Wang
Judy Suh
Edwin Lau
Rob Cheng
John Ling
Lewis Kan
Ricky Fung
Candy Mao
Marc Leung

Also Known As:

Blood of Dragon Peril (UK)

Runtime:

UK:83 min

Country:

Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18

Company:

Filmark International Ltd.

Neglected Kung-Fu Classic

In the past 10 years, following the incredible success of films like Sex And Zen and John Woo's The Killer, Hong Kong movies have risen to untold heights of popularity in the United States. In the 1970's and 80's, however, martial arts films were the only genre of Hong Kong cinema that American audiences were interested in.

We all grew up watching these films. Everyone remembers those Saturday afternoon Kung-Fu Theater movies, and Blood Of The Dragon Peril was one of the best of early 1980's chop-sockies in terms of action and storyline - despite the awful English-dubbed soundtrack.

The setting is Japanese-occupied China, where Japanese troops terrorize the Chinese villagers and keep them in grinding poverty. Desperate for money to support his aging parents and retarded brother, martial-arts master Chow Liu takes a job as a policeman for the occupation government. This makes him a pariah in the village.

However, Chow Liu has much more to worry about than his image. A mysterious costumed avenger called The Doll Bride Mask has been attacking Japanese soldiers, beating the hell out of them and stealing their payroll, which he then distributes to the poor villagers. In his black robes and demonic mask, The Doll Bride ain't no Barbie!

Chow Liu's superiors demand that he track down and arrest the Doll Bride, which proves a daunting task - the Doll Bride's mental prowess is on a par with his amazing kung-fu skills. In one scene, Chow Liu corners the Doll Bride with a stolen payroll, defeats him in a kung-fu fight, and arrests him. Imprisoned and unmasked, the soldiers torture him, only to discover that they've arrested an impostor. The REAL Doll Bride breaks into the prison, frees the fake one, and beats up the Japs. Chow Liu is furious that he was duped, and fears that he may never catch the real Doll Bride. Then his superiors accuse HIM of being the real Doll Bride Mask!

The strong storyline concludes with a surprise ending (you'll never believe who the Doll Bride really is) and an awesome revelation of things to come. The martial arts choreography is fast-paced and exciting. In combat, the Doll Bride's moves are lethal, graceful, and sometimes downright breathtaking. Blood Of The Dragon Peril is a feast for fans of martial arts films and Hong Kong Cinema. It's out of print these days. I bought my VHS copy in 1986; it was on a Video Treasures double feature tape along with another classic - Revenge Of The Dragon. Now that many 70's and 80's kung-fu classics are being remastered and released on DVD, I hope they see fit to release Blood Of The Dragon Peril on disc - in its original widescreen, Chinese language glory!