dragon inn

It seems like there's a new cultural touchstone discovered in the martial arts genre every 6 months or so, such is the impact of home video on a cult of fandom that once traded VHS tapes by mail to hunt down the complete Shaw Brothers library or that rare early appearance by Jackie Chan. So with the induction of Dragon Inn (1967) as part of the Criterion Collection, one might be tempted to dismiss the film as a lesser effort from director King Hu whose poetic A Touch of Zen already made its special edition debut. But as his first project outside of China (Hu started his own company in Taiwan after breaking off from the Shaw Brothers), Dragon Inn is yet another essential title in the ever growing library of wuxia films whose impact lingers far beyond the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon phenomenon.

Situated on the edge of open desert, the Dragon Inn is invaded by a small army of assassins hired to ambush the family of a condemned government official. But as they wait, the Inn attracts other customers whose motivations are equally mysterious...and whose fighting skills are nothing short of miraculous. While the family draws ever closer, each side faces off in a battle of wits, tricks and swordplay to determine their fate.

While the fight sequences are impressive, Hu's direction here is still a work in progress. His focus is on the mental games being waged between his nearly superhuman characters. The film's first act is a highlight reel of western-style saloon showdowns as both sides size each other up, trading cups of poison wine, hidden daggers and sheer bravado. In that respect, Dragon Inn feels much like the progenitor of the Tarantino-influenced tidal wave of '90s action films like Smokin' Aces...not to mention Tarantino's own The Hateful Eight.

But Hu's style is more formally elegant than his imitators. His widescreen compositions and attention to visual detail makes Dragon Inn feel more like a dramatic period piece than an escapist fantasy, with gorgeous landscapes right out of John Ford's playbook. It's only around the final act where the expected series of boss battles come into play, surrendering to the demands of a genre built on that videogame-style narrative. It's still a treat to watch, but one can feel Hu's attention slipping - along with his audience's - as the film pushes its running time about 30-minutes too far.

Criterion's Blu-ray features a stunning hi-def presentation from a new 4K restoration plus interviews with actor Shih Chun, scene analysis by Grady Hendrix, newsreel footage of the film's 1967 premiere (it was a huge hit in Asian markets), theatrical trailer and liner notes.