Heart of Dragon

Jackie Chan was never content with his role as the “next Bruce Lee.”  In fact, he took the reins of his career quite early by working with trusted collaborators and, finally, directing films himself.  1985’s Heart of Dragonwas an obvious attempt to prove that he was more than just a comedic stuntman, pairing up with Sammo Hung (who also directed) in a family drama with just enough action to keep the hardcore fans happy.

 

Tat (Chan) is a cop struggling to balance his work and romantic life while taking care of his mentally challenged brother, Dodo (Hung), who all the neighborhood kids simply refer to as “Chubby.”  But when the pair get mixed up in a jewel robbery, family loyalty gets pushed to the limit as the brothers get caught on the wrong side of the law…and the bad guys.

 

Years ahead of Rain Man and Dominick and Eugene, the film certainly has its heart in the right place.  And Sammo’s performance as a child trapped in an adult body thankfully never sinks into slapstick territory.  Heart of Dragon takes the plight of its characters seriously, which is a hard left turn for martial arts fans looking for a good time.  Jackie pushes himself more emotionally than physically here, delivering a couple of scenes that are still probably the highlight of his dramatic career.

 

But there are a few fight scenes included to sweeten the pot, including a Rambo-style introduction involving machine guns and brutality that falls outside Jackie’s usual family-friendly MO.  And, as a director, Sammo pulls out the stops for a finale that’s full of music video lighting and quick cut editing.  The overall feel is unusual and a little rushed, which makes sense as Jackie was on his third film that year.  But performers need to stretch themselves.  And as exercises go, Heart of Dragon is a moderately successful one.

 

Arrow’s Blu-ray gives you one more reason to check things out by including an extended cut released for the Japanese market with extra fights scenes along with the original Hong Kong version.  After the opening credits, the 2K restoration offers up a great-looking presentation with archival interviews, alternate credits, two extended Making Of featurettes and a new fact-a-minute commentary from Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto.

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