FIGHTING DRAGON is an odd little martial arts film, feeling disjointed because it's actually three thirty-minute episodes of a Japanese TV series stitched together into a single movies . Thus you get three stories for the price for one, and supporting characters who appear early on before being dealt with so that the story can move on to the next tale.
This feature sees Yasuaki Kurata playing the lead and what a delight he is, too. Kurata has had a lot of exposure in the West from his roles in Hong Kong cinema, particularly when playing a heavy in the various Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung movies of the 1980s such as Millionaire'S EXPRESS. I can't remember ever seeing him as the good guy before, so watching him on the right side for a change made for a lot of fun.
The story is less impressive and basically just a light excuse for stringing together various fight scenes. Expect heavy emoting, annoying kids, and a lot of globe-trotting with visits to Japan and the Philippines. Essentially, Kurata battles various bad guys and makes some allies too. Bruce Liang shows up for a few fun moments but the best of the bunch is undoubtedly Bolo Yeung, looking more massive than ever, complete with his own hilarious "Here's Bolo!" moment which was a personal highlight.
This feature sees Yasuaki Kurata playing the lead and what a delight he is, too. Kurata has had a lot of exposure in the West from his roles in Hong Kong cinema, particularly when playing a heavy in the various Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung movies of the 1980s such as Millionaire'S EXPRESS. I can't remember ever seeing him as the good guy before, so watching him on the right side for a change made for a lot of fun.
The story is less impressive and basically just a light excuse for stringing together various fight scenes. Expect heavy emoting, annoying kids, and a lot of globe-trotting with visits to Japan and the Philippines. Essentially, Kurata battles various bad guys and makes some allies too. Bruce Liang shows up for a few fun moments but the best of the bunch is undoubtedly Bolo Yeung, looking more massive than ever, complete with his own hilarious "Here's Bolo!" moment which was a personal highlight.
