Legend of the Red Dragon (1994) User Reviews

Awesome Martial Art Movie

[lu_morning · 9/10 · 11 April 2004]

I watched the dvd dubbed version of the movie. It was 80 minutes of fun and entertainment. I'm a big Jet Li fan and have seen many of his films and I must say this is on the top 5 list he is in. The casts were a great mix. The movie kept a fast action, high octane flow from the beginning to the end. I was either excited by the awesome action scenes, laughing out loud on the humorous scenes, or just enjoying the beautiful sceneries. The music to the movie was awesome too. It was shear enjoyment. I'll definitely watch it again and again in the future. Jet Li played a martial art master skilled in the magic spear and in this movie you get to see his skill with spears and the amazing things he can do with it from the opening action scene.

It's short enough to be watched on some idle evening but believe me you are in for a treat...especially if you are into martial art and period movies. A happy fan.

Full version highly recommended!

[archienhi · 8/10 · 10 April 2007]

Great, fun martial arts flick. Very tongue-in-cheek and light-hearted. Excellent chemistry and performances from all the main actors.

Jet Li plays a serious, heroic character like something out of a comic book - this is one of the earliest movies I've seen using this comic-book technique. His son is simply amazing and funny as a very disciplined young martial artist. On their journey they come across a couple of con-artists (mother and daughter) with the most hilarious results. A hero's quest with a range of other fantastic characters thrown in make for a great comic, action-adventure story.

Also great for all the family. It explores themes of loyalty and traditional Chinese father-son, mother-daughter, peer, and romantic relationships in a silly but highly enjoyable manner.

Make sure you see the full, subtitled version though. Not the cut-down version or the poor dubbed version.

The Jet and his son

[LtdTimeAuthor · 15 March 2006]

An entertaining Jet Li period vehicle, which Li co-produced. Li plays a Chinese folk hero, a rebel who battled a violent, repressive Manchu government. Li teams with 10 year old martial arts prodigy, Xie Miao, who effectively portrays Li's kung-fu fighting son. The duo have some similarities to the "Lone Wolf and Cub" team in numerous, more atmospheric, very gory Japanese movies of the 1970's. Li and son are joined by a sly mother/daughter con artist team to protect 5 young boys who each have a segment of a rebel map tattooed on their back.

Fine photography and inventive action sequences, especially the opener, and one with a clever Trojan horse variant. Li's fight scenes are wondrous, as usual, but his part seems too stiffly written for a fluffy, child-oriented action film with much comic relief. Deannie Yip and sensual Chingmy Yau are energetic and funny as the kung-fu mother/daughter scammers.

The English dubbed version, made in 2000, has excellent, witty dialogue and appropriate voices. Prolific Hong Kong writer/director Wong Jing cameos in the closing scene.

American re-release a crime

[winner55 · 6/10 · 29 April 2006]

The American re-release of this film, "Legend of the Red Dragon", is a mess. Shows how important seven minutes can be to a film. Deannie Yip's part (Red Bean's mother) is ripped to shreds for no discernible reason whatsoever, which unfortunately makes an important plot twist seem trivial. Also, she has the best comic moments in the original film. Columbia-Tristar is the villain here. They must think 'Fu film fans are stupid - which only goes to show how stupid THEY are. A real insult.

The original film is by no means a great film; intentionally anachronistic and overly dependent on special effects, it is clearly a kind of throwaway for Jet Li and director Wong Jing (although certainly not as trashy as their Wong Fei Hung parody, "Great Hero/ Last Hero of China"). Still, it is entertaining to a surprising extent, largely thanks to Yip's comic performance. If you can find the original (I saw it on a Tai Seng tape), don't expect much, but you may find yourself enjoying it for the characters if not the martial arts.

Decent Jet Li flick

[Pilsung89 · 6/10 · 18 April 2008]

Legend of the Red Dragon is a typical low budget martial arts period movie starring the legendary Jet Li. There is nothing too amazing or classic about this movie, but it's worth buying if your a hardcore martial arts or Jet Li fan.

The story is nothing original. It's the typical plot for a typical movie. Li's village is massacred by the ruling dynasty, he flees with his young son and teaches him martial arts. The two keep running from officials across the country, and end up protecting Shaolin kids also being sought by the empire. The acting is wooden, as would be expected. The movie is very predictable, and the comedy is corny. The characters are largely stereotypical, such as the female con artist, invincible villain, and arrogant children.

One special thing about this film is that we get to see Jet's abilities with the spear. The spear is one of Jet's better weapons, and it's not too common for him to use it in his movies. It is similar yet quite different from the staff, which Jet has used frequently through his career. Jet is pretty amazing with the spear, so it's a wonder why he doesn't use it more frequently.

All in all, it's an average Hong Kong 90's action movie. If your a big fan of Jet Li, get it to watch Jet Li with a spear. Otherwise, it's nothing. fancy.

Insane, amazing kung-fu action!

[Neutron · 10/10 · 22 February 1999]

This movie doesn't take itself seriously, but it's one of my favorites of all time. Amazing action sequences with fighters that do not observe the laws of physics, and a plot that gets stranger and stranger.

This One of My Favorite Kung-fu Movies

[and187 · 9 October 2001]

This movie is crazy, and i mean it!! The Martial Arts in this movie is awesome. It was a shame that Jet Li used his Spear in the whole movie, but he did a great job any way. I especially liked Tze Miu as Man-ting, his Martial Arts skills is incredible. The story is about Hung Hey-kwun and his son, who is escaping from an invincible evil Manchu(Nice Martial Arts). I give this movie 10/10

Passable fun, although it's a pity Jet Li has so little screen time

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 13 October 2017]

I caught this one under the title LEGEND OF THE RED DRAGON. Unfortunately it was the dubbed English version so I had to do my best to ignore the stupid American accents. This one's a wuxia fable chronicling the antics of some youthful Shaolin children who fight back against overwhelming odds. Stacked against them is a terrible human monster and the troops of a cruel general with murder in mind. Luckily, they have a career-peak Jet Li helping them out too.

This film is co-directed by Wong Jing and Corey Yuen, so it has all of the madcap comedy and plentiful action sequences you'd expect. The action is very much wire work assisted and fantasy-tinged, but I enjoyed it regardless, and the cinematography is fun and over the top in that best 1990s Hong Kong tradition. Li only has a supporting role here, but there are fun turns from Chingamy Yau (with a meaty, comedic character) and the great former Shaw Brothers villain Johnny Wang Lung Wei doing what he does best.

Worth seeing if you like Jet Li's Chinese films

[palace_master · 8 December 2004]

Definitely a movie worthy of watching. I have a complete set of all Jet Li's movies (Chinese and American made) and feel that it deserves a higher rating than others have given it. Reviewers must realize that kung fu movies are fun movies with lots of action and a weak plot. You can't compare them to Hollywood's finest productions, because people have to realize that they were meant to be released in Asia only and that they are to be compared to other Asian fighting shows. Now that I've finished ranting about other's reviews let's get back to talking about the show. Jet Li plays a different character than the usual Master Wong or Master Fong. Jet usually plays the master of the kung fu club or society, but in this case him and his son are rebel outcasts of the main society. I'm not going to spoil the movie for you, but it's the usual plot of a kung fu movie - he fights the true bad guys, picks up a sexy girl who falls in love with Jet, and he fathers and trains his son. By the way, I only watch the Chinese original movies because I'd rather read the sub titles and hear the original music and read the proper meaning of the show. I understand that influences my reviews because others may be seeing badly translated dubs with stupid voices in them.Rent or buy the proper versions if you can. The theme song for Fong Sai Yuk (Jet's character in the 'Once Upon a Time in China' series is an awesome instrumental song) If you're picky about production quality, quality of plot, etc. etc. then don't watch Chinese produced Jet Li movies. Some of my other favourite Jet Li movies are 'Last Hero in China' and 'Hitman'

Fun Jet Li Kung Fu Flick

[gangstahippie · 9/10 · 31 December 2007]

Rated R for Violence and Some Language

I saw parts of the dubbed version of this film a few years ago on showcase action but I just saw the full subtitled version on the OMNI channel in Canada.The film stars Jet Li before he was famous in North America.Its an interesting film, very funny at times, good mix of drama and an interesting storyline.The film is about five kids who train at the shaolin temple who have a treasure map tattoed on their backs.The government wants the kids and they must go hiding before they are found.Jet Li and his son are poor and roam around.They find work as a bodyguard for a man who has been suckered by a young woman and her mother who plays dead.Jet Li tries to protect the master from this girl who is trying to steal his valuables.Meanwhile there is a man who was thought to have been killed out for revenge.He now looks like a monster and is more powerful than he was before.The Legend Of The Red Dragon is a funny martial arts film that is recommended to Jet Li fans or fans of martial arts/comedies in general.

Great escapist fun

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 1 April 2007]

Okay, before you decide to go out and see this film you need to understand it is wonderful and very satisfying provided you like kung fu movies and are willing to see a parody, of sorts, of the genre. Unless you've seen a few maritial arts films and can suspend disbelief, you may just find the whole thing rather silly. Instead of an overly serious martial arts film, LEGEND OF THE RED DRAGON doesn't take itself at all seriously and this is its greatest strength. Despite the recent success of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, I was not impressed by this film. It featured too many way over the top stunts and the plot was amazingly serious and artistic. This combination, for me, just didn't work, though I know the film made a fortune throughout the world. But here, because the plot and writing are so silly and it's all done tongue in cheek, you can more easily accept the ridiculous but spectacular stunts. Plus, time and time again, I found myself laughing out loud because of the screwy plot. While not quite as silly as Stephen Chow's KUNG FU HUSTLE, it was close and surpassed it in plot, excitement and grandeur.

So what makes the film so funny? Well, while I usually hate dubbed films, I've gotta admit the dubbing was hilarious and it left we wondering just how close this was to the original film? There were lots of anachronistic comments and the voices were sometimes really cartoon-like. Considering everything else, this actually worked. In addition, the idea of pairing Jet Li with an amazing child kung fu master was pretty funny because the child's talents were so ridiculously amazing and impossible. Additionally, while Li played his part very straight, so many of the supporting characters were again pretty cartoon-like--such as Grandma with her amazing ability to throw poison darts (you just have to see and hear her to understand) or the leader of the bad guy who drives a chrome death car even though the film appears to be set well before 1900.

The film is a wonderful combination of great technique, expert filming and silliness that will thrill lovers of kung fu movies. Unlike the movies of Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee, this Jet Li film involves far less punching and kicking--relying instead on the amazing use of weaponry and silly physics (not as bad as CROUCHING TIGER, but getting pretty close on occasion). It's a very enjoyable but not especially deep film.

By the way, the film is rated R, but I think it could easily been rated PG-13 as the violence wasn't that extreme and there was no nudity or excessive foul language.

The New Legend Of Shaolin

[Hussain-AL-Naseer · 7/10 · 15 April 2020]

One of the blast from the past as we 90's kids especially South Asian's were so obsessed with Martial Arts movies. Jet-Li didn't get his due credit as Jackie Chan gained popularity in masses with his diversified collaborations with movies having both tough fight sequences blended with sheer humor. That is why here I'm recommending one of the good movie from Jet-Li as it's been not watched or even known to the masses. The story revolves around some ancient legend and how Father-Son Duo are chosen to become the protector. Fight sequences from Jet-li and the small kid played the role of his son is the main highlight to watch. The film will definitely give you old classic martial movie vibes which is the only reason this movie should be watched so don't go with high hopes with CGI effects and all just enjoy it as any other Bollywood masala movie.

Fun, but not Great

[crypto88 · 6/10 · 10 September 2000]

This is an okay Jet Li flick if you're into crazy wire work instead of real kung fu. I enjoyed it, but Jet Li has done better. He's also done worse. The kid who played Jet's son was great, though. Go check out Fist of Legend (original dubbed version is the best) or Tai-Chi Master (released in english dubbed form as Twin Warriors). I think someone else suggested this as well. Frankly, Jet's screen persona has always been kind of wooden. He's a martial artist, not an actor. So why does he hardly ever get to show off what he's REALLY capable of? If you want to see a Jet Li movie thats even wilder, crazier, and has more action (albeit wire-work) then check out Kung Fu Cult Master.

Aka legend of the Red Dragon

[dilbertsuperman · 25 October 2002]

I would classify this as a great action movie for kids that enjoy kung fu like dragonball Z. It is not realistic. It is very much like the movie equivalent of reading a comic book and if you suspend you disbelief and enjoy the movie for what it is, a chop suey kung fu flick.. then it is worth watching. There are 6 kids doing fantasy shaolin in this movie and that is bound to make the kids enjoy the movie more than anyone else. This is not a ground breaking film on any level, including the fight scenes, script and special effects. It is so bad it is entertaining to watch, once you understand it is a typical comic book style kung fu, complete with silly villian and kicks that defy gravity completely. Jet Li's other movies such as Kiss of The Dragon, Black Mask, his cameo in lethal weapon 4, and "The One".. they are much larger budget so have much more to offer. In any case, Jet Li has brought a lot to the arena of martial arts entertainment and I applaud that.

What the hell did you expect from Wong Jing?

[satanslittlehelper · 24 February 2002]

Not very clever, not very elaborate, and far from original. Yup, it's another Wong Jing movie. The opening scene is stolen directly from Kazou Koike's Lone Wolf and Cub, that's our first clue. As Wong Jing movies go, this really isn't one of the best. It doesn't match the violence and frantic pace of High Risk (Meltdown) or the exploitation fun of The Naked Killer. Yuen Kwai's choreography here isn't up to the standards of his work on My Father is a Hero (The Protector), but it isn't as bad as Romeo Must Die or Fong Sai Yuk (The Legend). If you just want to see another kung fu movie, and you don't care about the specifics, you should be able to enjoy it. Just don't expect too much.

comic book type fun!

[tingy-2 · 10/10 · 30 May 2004]

I'm sure that in it's original Cantonese version this was a fairly serious and good quality film. The absolutely cheesy overdubbing has turned this movie into a real B movie gem....silliness at it's best. I haven't been this entertained since the old Japanese Rain Delay Theater was cancelled! Any rainy afternoon you can pop this in and have an entertaining day just for the fun of it! The young actors involved in this film are talents and the adult martial arts can be enjoyed on an grown up level...they can't be spoiled by the artlessness of the dubbing!

Great kung fu adventure

[drngor · 8/10 · 22 February 2000]

Jet Li and Tse Miu star in this fast-paced, high-octane kung fu extravaganza. Jet Li plays folk hero Hung Hei Kwoon, a martial artist opposed to the Ching dynasty. When his tribe is brutally massacred, him and his son (Tse Miu) become fugitives. They become mixed up in a conflict between the Chings and Shaolin, must protect five Shaolin monks, deal with Chingmy Yau and her mother, and fight off a nemesis of Hung's. The action is this movie is top-notch. Corey Yuen has out done himself with a series of battles demonstrating Jet Li's ability with the spear. The final battle in the clock tower is especially intense. The only thing about this movie that I didn't care for was the comedy. The humor all-to-typical of Wong Jing is present in a large portion of the middle. It wasn't needed. This film stands on its own as a great martial arts film. In any case, a fun adventure for any fan of the genre.

A duplicate???

[view_and_review · 5/10 · 16 July 2008]

Man. I've seen too many kung fu movies because they are all blending together in my head. As I'm watching this one the opening scene was identical to an 80's samurai movie. Then as the movie progressed I realized that everything was looking very familiar... I had seen this movie under another title: "Legend of the Red Dragon" except a bit choppier.

The movie was OK. I like Jet Li, but I especially like the boy playing his son. I found it hard to believe that the movie was from 1994 when it looked like it was from 1984. The story was very rough, broken, and amateur, the fights were nothing special either. The boy saved the movie from being unwatchable.

I thought this was sub-par, even for the genre

[hagakure-3 · 2/10 · 25 March 2008]

I liked the "Once Upon a Time in China" series, but I hated this dubbed version of Legend of the New Shaolin. The script is dull, silly (as opposed to humorous) and has a lot of inconsistencies and illogical actions. The thin plot is not particularly interesting, the dialog is incredibly campy and made worse by perhaps the worst dub voice acting I've ever heard (Jet Li's monotone dub actor actually... pauses to... let his Chinese... lips... catch up... to his English... words). The fight scenes -- hello, the whole POINT -- are not particularly good. Jet Li restricts himself to using a "magic" spear through the whole film, does too much wire work and not enough actual demonstration of his awesome talent, and the constant quick camera cuts make it hard to really follow and admire the action. There's a lot more blood than I'm used to in this genre, too. Also, Li spends virtually the whole movie fighting an "invincible" guy, who looks like Pinhead minus the pins, smeared with peanut butter, and who drives around in a ridiculous-looking armadillo version of the Batmobile. These fights are pointless and boring because you already know the "immortal" bad guy can't be beaten by Li's kung fu, and you eventually see his cause of death coming from ten minutes away -- and even that is implausible. I won't spoil the ending, but hey, early in the film the guy lies on a big cartoonish bundle of dynamite straight out of a Roadrunner cartoon and isn't killed by the explosion, so the way they eventually kill him shouldn't work, either (I don't consider that a spoiler, you know darn well the #1 bad guy must die horribly at the end of every action film). So, anyway... bad script, bad dialog, HORRIBLE dubbing (and no option for original Chinese with subtitles), less than enthralling fight scenes, and more blood and guts than usual. What's to like?

Alright you weird f***er, back in the armadillo!

[stugenvier · 2/10 · 6 February 2007]

Opening with some sort of battle in front of a fire with a small child and a large knife, New Legend of Shaolin seems to have only one parallel to the old legends: the complete and utter strangeness of the movie. In order to compensate for the plot, or maybe attempt to add some humorous elements, the director decides to have his actors tattoo some dwarf-like children, eat some chicken ass, fight a poisonous juice man who lives in a chrome armadillo, and watch Jet Li for a little bit. Definitely one of the most comical Shaolin movies I've seen, and it has the added benefit of being able to be ridiculed non-stop, as all dialogue is subtitled and all plot is nonsensical. ONLY watch this if you are an obscenely obsessed Jet Li fan or a pro at MST3K style commentary.

Worth watching for Jet Li

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 1 January 2010]

There is nothing that compares to a Jet Li movie when you want martial arts action. He is the best there is, and I cannot understand why they tried to make something that I would expect of Jackie Chan.

The government is looking for maps to rebel treasure, and Jet Li is in hiding with his son Ting (Miu Tse), who gives a great performance for a 10-year-old. It is almost a Chinese version of Star Wars and features plenty of action scenes, as you would expect.

They even come into contact with a couple of con artists, played by the lovely Chingmy Yau, and Deannie Yip as her mother. They both added tremendously to the movie.

Everything about the movie was great with the exception of the dialog. The constant effort to be funny just detracted from a good story. Jet Li doesn't need Jackie Chan dialog to be good; he is great as he is.

Why oh freaking why was this dubbed?

[vmalast · 1/10 · 9 September 2018]

I'm writing this for those who don't mind reading subtitles and who hate dubbing. I hate dubbing!!!!!! I'd rather hear the language with honest emotions (ya, I know, they are acting) rather than someone in a sound studio trying unsuccessfully to sound the part. I lasted about 5 minutes. There should be a warning about dubbing.

A pretty cool martial arts movie with an interesting plot

[The-Sarkologist · 7/10 · 17 October 2013]

Well this movie is another Hong Kong action movie staring the kungfu legend Jet Li. There is nothing deep about this movie, all it is is an action packed romp with strange enemies, unreal fighting maneuvers, and a dash of the Hong Kong spice that make these movies more exciting than those one sees in America.

The New Shoalin is about Hung and his son. He is betrayed by a brother Shoalin who kills his family and then tries to kill him. Hung defeats him and then wonders the land to deal with the new oppressive regime. Seven years on, Hung is still following is quest and his son has become a very competent martial artists. In a city he is betrayed again, but as he has no money, he is forced to bodyguard an unscrupulous rich man. At the same time, two thieves, the notorious mother and notorious daughter, have latched onto him. Hung knows these thieves' intention, but he cannot convince his master of it.

When the Shoalin Temple is destroyed they believe that he is be dead so his brother attempts to find the location of a large treasure horde, the map of which is tattooed on the back of five children. These children wind up in the same place as Hung, and when his nemesis, now known as the poison man, appears, he must protect the kids and the two thieves, the younger of which has fallen for him.

As I previously said, there is not much depth in this movie, but one watches it for the action. Things are quite predictable, but the stunts, or rather the moves, are quite extraordinary, especially since they are performed quite unrealistically. This does not matter because Hong Kong cinema generally does not want to be purely correct. They appreciate a bit of fantasy in their movies.

The little kids were great! 4/10

[leonblackwood · 4/10 · 13 December 2014]

Review: I quite enjoyed this movie, mainly because of the little Shaolin boys and there great martial art techniques. After Jet Li finds his village completely destroyed, he goes on a quest with his son to the find the killers. Its quite a basic storyline but it's easy to loose the plot. I liked the old lady in the movie but I didn't get the pizza looking guy who looked like he had bits of kebab all over his face. The film seemed cheaply made and some of the jokes weren't that funny but the kids were great and fun to watch. Average!

Round-Up: Although this movie was made in 1994, it seemed very dated and the camera work was shoddy. That's not a total bad thing because some of the greatest Kung Fu movies were made in the 70's, but this movie should have looked better for that period. With that aside, you can't help enjoying the kiddie monks, especially when there battling each other. It won't go down as an all time classic, but it's a watchable Kung Fu movie which is authentic and amusing in parts.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a man who travels with his son to find out who destroy,ed his village and brutally killed his wife. 4/10

Great movie by Wong Jin and company

[ebiros2 · 8 November 2011]

Pretty good action featuring Jet Li and Chingmy Yau. There's real story, and action in this well made Hong Kong movie.

It's a Wong Jin movie, so you can expect high quality, and entertainment. The movie delivers on both fronts. There's a happy feeling to this movie that's copiously missing from all Hong Kong movies made in the 21st century. Also there's innocence that seems to be scoffed at as cheese these days. But it's these two qualities that makes this movie so good. Jet Li plays the part of a father who bears lot to raise his son. Soon he meets Red Bean (Chingmy Yau) who ends up following him around. The three ends up fighting the bad guys to help the local people.

One thing I miss about movies from this era is that there were actors who by their presence can brighten the whole screen. Where are the Chingmy Yau of our generation, or Do Do Chen ? The details have improved but that has pigeon holed actors to play their roles in a certain way. This movie carries the genes from the silver age of Hong Kong cinema that was wildly entertaining.

The formula still works, and I hope Wong Jin will find new talents that will brighten the screen as this movie does.