← Back to results
Dragon Fist
龍拳
1979 97 min Hong Kong, Taiwan 12+
★6.6
Action, Drama
Director: Wei Lo
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
After the death of his master, martial arts student Tong Huo-wan travels with his adoptive family to seek redress from the man responsible but finds himself torn between righteousness and filial piety after becoming entangled in a feud between a local clan and gangsters.
Starring
Jackie Chan
Actor
Nora Miao
Actor
James Tien
Actor
Key opinion
Dragon Fist is widely viewed as a formulaic martial arts revenge drama that highlights director Lo Wei's struggle to innovate during his collaboration with Jackie Chan. While the film is considered one of the better products of their strained partnership, it is largely overshadowed by the creative tension between the director's rigid adherence to traditional tropes and the audience's growing desire for the comedic novelty Jackie Chan would later master.
| Screenplay | The screenplay relies on primitive, repetitive tropes of clan wars and hereditary revenge that feel dated and recycled. | |
| Acting | Jackie Chan delivers a strong, capable performance, though the serious, noble-avenger role is a mismatch for his signature style. | |
| Originality | The film occupies a middle ground in Lo Wei's filmography, offering enough solid fight choreography and intrigue to satisfy dedicated genre fans while failing to achieve masterpiece status. | |
| Direction | The collaborative relationship between director Lo Wei and Jackie Chan is characterized by creative friction, as the director's insistence on traditional formulas failed to keep pace with the star's evolving talent. |