Heart of Dragon (1985)

Director: Sammo Hung

Cast: Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Emily Chu, Mang Hoi, Lam Ching-ying

Country: Hong Kong

Rating: R

Run Time: 90 minutes

Heart of Dragon is one of the most bizarre and ridiculous Jackie Chan films I have ever seen. And not bizarre or ridiculous in that the film contains oodles of silly humor like Chan's City Hunter. No, I'm talking ridiculous in the sense that the film is both a balls to the wall action film and an emotional drama about a cop and his autistic brother. I don't know what Chan and director/co-star/bad ass legend Sammo Hung (Eastern Condors, SPL: Sha Po Lang, Ip Man 2) were thinking when they made this movie because I couldn't take a minute of their brotherly drama seriously. 

I laughed out loud numerous times while watching this. That should give you a sense of how well I responded to the film's "sad" and "heart wrenching" drama. However, Heart of Dragon is one of those rare films that blows it in the drama department but excels above and beyond in the action department. Deep within this flawed and accidental comedy is quite honestly one of the best action movies ever made. If this film had been stripped of its autism plot and turned into a more focused police story like...well, Chan's own Police Story, than this easily would rank as one of the best martial arts films ever made. But alas, Heart of Dragon wouldn't be such a crazy and special discovery of mine if it didn't contain scenes of Hung's autistic character getting the crap repeatedly beat out of him by people who clearly have no sympathy for an autistic person. One part I Am Sam autism drama and one part Hard Boiled action fest, Heart of Dragon is truly one of the most unique martial arts films I have ever seen. For better and for worse.

Oh yeah, this image definitely conveys "emotional autism drama."

Heart of Dragon was clearly an attempt by both Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan to take the comedic martial arts genre that they made so popular in the 80s into a more serious direction. While I typically commend any actor for trying something different than what they are typically known for (i.e. Seagal in On Deadly Ground or Stallone in Cop Land), Heart of Dragon's biggest flaw is its tug of war between autism drama and bad ass action fest. There is no exaggeration when I say that the first 45 minutes of this film is devoted entirely to the autism drama between Jackie and Sammo's characters and the final 45 minutes are devoted entirely to a cops and criminals plot in which Sammo's character is kidnapped by ruthless thieves. In my opinion, this is the film's absolute biggest flaw. Sammo Hung should have either committed to making an entire autism drama or a balls to the wall action film, not one and the other mixed together. They simply don't blend.

I truly cannot decide if Sammo Hung's portrayal of a mentally challenged man is awful or genuine. It's evident that Hung and Chan had the noblest of intentions with the autism portions of the film. However, I just can't take any of it seriously. The film made for a better "so bad, it's good" kind of drama than a truly riveting one. I believe the reason for this is because many Hong Kong filmmakers and actors tend to amplify their characters' emotions and actions to extreme heights. When Chow Yun Fat screams at his blood brothers in A Better Tomorrow, it makes for great drama. However, autism is the last subject that should be treated with such extremes. Even though the film showcases the kind of brothery love that I love so much in H.K. cinema (i.e. The Corruptor, City on Fire, Rich and Famous), it doesn't work nearly as well as Hung and Chan probably intended.

Here is an example of the awkward extremes that the film reaches. In one scene, a group of kids take advantage of Hung and use him to dine and dash at a restaurant. When the waiter asks for Hung to pay the bill, he replies that he can't because he doesn't have any money. When Hung tries to run away, the waiters slam him onto a table and beat the crap out of him! I kid you not! It is absolutely hilarious and depressing to see. Scenes like this pepper the entire film and make one wonder if they are to laugh at the ridiculousness on screen, feel bad for the characters, or question why no one else is stepping in to help such an autistic person. I don't know, maybe this movie is a masterpiece and I am just realizing it right now. Than again, I am used to the excess of H.K. cinema and probably shouldn't be as surprised or shocked as I am.

Yes!

Depending on how you respond to the material, the first 45 minutes of Heart of Dragon are either going to be riveting drama or accidental hilarity. However, anyone who watches the final 45 minutes of the film is going to agree that it contains some of the best action scenes in movie history. The first epic set piece of the final 45 minutes is an insane car chase between Jackie and a squad of police officers on motorcycles and in cars. This chase is absolutely nuts as Jackie launches off of numerous ramps and drives off of hills with no hesitation. And you know what, neither do the police! These cops are willing to jump their bikes and cars off of ramps and hills without a moment's hesitation either. That is what you call dedication.

The big set piece of the film is an amazing construction site fight sequence that finds a way to use every possible element of a construction site imaginable. In this scene, Jackie and his crew of fellow detectives storm a construction site filled with criminals who have kidnapped Sammo Hung. Jackie and his buddies engage in an epic shootout that leads into plenty of melee fights with machetes, pipes, and wooden blocks. This sequence is jam packed with "Oh!" moments that will get every action fan up out of their seat in excitement. Jackie's fight with villain James Tien's right hand man is one of the swiftest and hardest hitting fist fights I have ever seen in an action movie. All of Heart of Dragon's ridiculous autism drama is worth sitting through just to get to this magic at the tail end of the film. I cannot praise Jackie Chan's choreography and stuntwork enough. The man is the God of fast paced action.

Brothers for life!

Heart of Dragon is one heck of a unique action film. Odd balls like this don't come along very often. Therefore, I pride myself on discovering bizarre and insane action films like this when I do discover them. From an action stand point, this film is a masterpiece. The fight sequences are so damn good that they will blow any viewer's mind. However, all of the emotional drama simply falls flat and ends up being more funny than moving. I guess my final question is, why is this film called Heart of Dragon? Recommended to Hung and Chan fans who are willing to excuse some ridiculous drama in order to get to the amazing action that the two are so well known for.

Rating: 6/10 - If anything, it is those final action scenes that hold this film up.