Dragon Heat (2005)
6/10
Do your duty, or the world falls apart
28 December 2010
Five agents(not sure what it is that makes them the dragon squad… if they are) are sent to take on a gang, but there are experts on the other side, as well. Yeah, that's basically it. We don't even get details on the criminal activities. I guess they're "just bad". The characters are all so sparsely developed that it can be difficult to remember not only who is who, but what side someone is on. Instead, the time is spent on plentiful stylish(too much so for many(it looks like a video-game at times, honestly), and a ton of slo-mo), over-the-top, bloody action, with shoot-outs, martial arts(unarmed and otherwise... and *everything* is a weapon in the hands of these guys) and build-up. It is intense and fast. This is visually impressive, nicely edited and filmed and at times almost poetic. There are dueling snipers and machete-wielders, and of course no one can hit squat when they are aiming at anyone important(of which there is an excessive amount). Biehn is of course absolutely awesome and bad-ass... what else is new. Early on, this seems to suggest that there will be twists or something brainy to it. There isn't. The "moral" makes little sense. There is some humor, though the funniest thing is the utter abandonment of logic, and how everyone can talk to each other even though they speak different languages to each other(mostly Cantonese, and the text is that, too... are some of those supposed to be chapter titles?). Everything is subtitled to English, don't worry(well, if you get the right version). All in all, 109 minutes sans credits is a bit much for something this focused on superficial entertainment. I recommend this to those who love Hong Kong flicks of this genre. 6/10
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