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HEART
OF DRAGON
AKA:
First Mission ||
Heart Of The Dragon
Year:
1985 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
Of
all Jackie and Sammo's movies - especially their
collaborations - this one has received the most polarised
reactions. Some love it, and some people really hate it. Part
of this problem is due to the lack of expected action, and the
serious, emotional drama from start to finish. The English
dubbed version completely loses all emotional conveyance
essentially ruining the film, while it also (the Cantonese
version included) is missing two major fight sequences
originally filmed.
The
story focuses on two brothers, Jackie and Sammo, with Jackie
playing a cop planning his dream of sailing around the world.
This is never realised, as his priority is to look after his
mentally retarded brother (Sammo) causing both resentment and
constant stress. When Sammo inadvertently and unknowingly gets
mixed up with gangsters after stolen jewels he is kidnapped
and Jackie must yet again go all out to see his brother safe.
The
dramatic element feels fresh, with these two seasoned action
heroes both giving fine acting performances; Sammo especially,
is excellent as a grown man with a child's mental age, and
obviously, no fighting ability. Jackie has never looked
tougher than in the brutal final reel and shows how ruthless
he can be when not in control of the choreography.
If
you prefer to see Jackie in films like 'Shanghai
Noon' and 'Rush
Hour' then this may not be for you, but if you want to see
an alternative to his stereotyped bumbling hero then it will
certainly deliver.
Be
warned: If you want to purchase this in the UK then you have a
few options. The HK DVD's are both acceptable but are missing
the extra fights. The 2 UK VHS versions are by the same
company (Hong Kong Classics) with one essentially the same as
the HK DVD’s and the other has the added fights as a post
film extra - not incorporated into the film. If you want the
definitive version then you should seek out the Japanese
laserdisc or wait for HKL to release it in 2003 and hope they
manage to retrieve all missing footage.
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