Golden Harvest produced actioner directed by ‘Fist of Fury’ and ‘The Big Boss’ helmer Lo Wei and starring the ‘One-Armed Boxer’ Jimmy Wang Yu, ‘The Tattooed Dragon’ sees Yu play the inked hero who when injured by a gang no do-gooders is taken in by a farmer (Hui) and his partner (Chang). Recuperating, Yu soon comes to realise the village he is in is under the corrupt hand of a gangster (Tien), who the gang that injured him work for and resolves to heal so he can rid the town and free his protectors of the corrupt grip of the notorious gang boss.
Moving from the Shaw Brothers studio to the ones housed at Golden Harvest, Lo Wei and Jimmy Wang Yu bring their considerable talents to this shot in Thailand potboiler that allows Yu to showcase his action talent. Impressively lensed by Cheung Yiu-Cho (‘Police Story’), the Thai locales look fantastic and the film is bookended by some excitingly staged Yu infused action. The cinematography is clean, the action crisp, and while Yu is a little one-note (though a dynamo in the action scenes), Hui, Chang, and Tien are great as the supporting cast. Hui and Chang make for a great couple, and arguably their scenes of gentle romance are the most entertaining, while Tien rips it up as the villain, complete with being set on fire in the final battle: a still impressive sight/stunt to this day in how dangerous it looks.
Unfortunately, in-between the stellar action that bookends the film and the early scenes featuring Hui and Chang, the flick dips somewhat with a plodding pace and a rather stagnant subplot about Tien’s casino gripping the village into a gambling frenzy. A fairly light and action-packed narrative takes an abrupt turn into seriousness as it focuses on some of the town’s inhabitants addicted to gambling caused by the casino, including a shockingly dark turn for a supporting character’s family that seems at odds with the rest of the film. This mars the film somewhat and drags the pace until the inevitable final run of action come the third act.
Still, the Thai locations, impressive action, and a game cast carry the flick through its sluggish moments, and while it may not be the best the cast and crew have been involved with, ‘The Tattooed Dragon’ is still a solid old school kung fu potboiler that looks fantastic thanks to this newly restored Eureka Blu-Ray version.
Eureka Entertainment recently released ‘The Tattooed Dragon’ on US and UK Blu-ray, and you can order it now from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
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