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.

Samurai Cop (1991)

Director: Amir Shervan

Cast: Matt Hannon, Mark Frazer, Robert Z'Dar

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 97 min

Samurai Cop joins the ranks of other classic "so bad they're good" films like The Room, Birdemic, and Troll 2 with its awful acting, horrible action scenes, and inept storytelling. "So bad they're good" films are a wonderful sub-genre of their own. Who would have thought 100 years ago that a bad film would actually go on to become popular in its own right? When you watch a film like this, you don't criticize it seriously or expect something good. You go into the film expecting a big mess and a have a blast laughing at the movie and quoting all of the lines. After watching Samurai Cop, I can now add classic lines like, "Now I'm telling these sons of bitches," "What would you prefer, a jumbo jet?", and "I'm gonna cut off your gift! Your black gift!" to my repertoire of hilarious movie quotes. There is just nothing better than watching a filmmaker attempt to make a great film and fail miserably.

Matt Hannon, an actor so great that he rose from the dead apparently.

Samurai Cop follows police detectives Joe Marshall "Samurai" (Matt Hannon) and his partner Frank Washington (Mark Frazer) as they fight crime, bed babes, and try to take down the Japanese Katana Gang led by the deadly Yamashita (Robert Z'Dar, Maniac Cop). That's about it.

Director, writer, and producer Amir Shervan clearly saw a handful of action films and tried to blend his favorite elements from them into one encompassing action packed thriller. Similarities to Lethal Weapon and the martial arts genre abound throughout the entire film. The Lethal Weapon similarities are most apparent in our heroes, Joe and Frank. They are clearly a rip-off of Riggs and Murtaugh with their professions, "witty" buddy banter, and contrasting skin colors. While I found no specific martial art comparisons, everything from fist fighting to samurai sword fighting is on display. However, it should be made clear that most of the terrible action scenes are shootouts. There is but a measly katana fight at the end of the film. Way to show the "Samurai Cop" only use a samurai sword once in the whole film. It can't even live up to its own title.

A really bizarre thing about this film is that one of its original VHS covers or poster artwork features a cop holding a severed head and a bloody samurai sword. One might get the impression that this is a slasher film like Maniac Cop from an image and title like that. However, nothing like this ever happens in the sense of a cop going around slicing off people's heads. Samurai Cop is a buddy action film, not a horror film. It is even more bizarre that the Maniac Cop himself, Robert Z'Dar, is the main villain of this film. I don't know what they were going for when they advertised and named this film but it sure gives off conflicting messages.

You gotta love that spaghetti strand lookin' lion head.

Where do you even begin with the flaws of a film like this? Let's start with superstar Matt Hannon. Hannon has the acting abilities of a piece of bread but makes for some hammy entertainment. The thing that got a laugh out of me every time was whenever Hannon's character was wearing a wig. After the film was finished, Hannon buzzed his flowing locks. However, Shervan asked Hannon to come back for reshoots, a lot of reshoots. This meant that Hannon had to wear a wig in order to replicate his long hair seen in the film. Therefore, Joe Samurai's hair is constantly changing from natural hair to horrible disgusting female wigs. Even within the same scene! It's that bad. Hannon also has to wear a disgusting thong during numerous scenes where he shows off his package and carries around a birthday cake. Oh boy. However, Matt Hannon seems like a great guy in interviews and clearly has a great sense of humor about the whole film. He knows it sucks, and we love him that much more for that. 

I also love Mark Frazer as Hannon's partner. He and Hannon clearly knew that the movie sucked while filming and can clearly be seen playing up to the camera in a few scenes. My favorite bit between the two is when Matt hops a fence and Mark rolls under. When Matt asks him, "Why'd you go under?" Frazer replies, "Cause I'm an undercover cop!" and than looks at the camera and smiles! Talk about improvising. It's also worth mentioning that Samurai Cop is filled with terrible extras and supporting characters who pop up for only a few scenes. Memorable characters like the gay waiter, the hilarious Captain, and especially the infamous horny nurse add to the film's awful charm.

I also can't go without mentioning Robert Bizarre Face. Z'Dar is laughably bad but delightfully entertaining. He seems to be taking his role more seriously than anyone else in the entire movie. So much so that he never seems to smile, laugh, or break character. However, there is an odd scene where he jumps in the back of a car and than waves at the camera. I don't know what happened there. Z'Dar and Hannon also have a one on one katana fight by the end of the film that is pretty awful. It's made far worse thanks to the inclusion of awkward close up shots of Hannon grinding up against Z'Dar during their sword fight. 

"Would you prefer a jumbo jet?"

Much like The Room, Samurai Cop is filled with horrible sex scenes that run for far too long. These scenes are purely for sex appeal. One of the most bizarre sex scenes takes place in the middle of an action scene. No joke. As Joe Samurai engages some henchmen in a shootout, the film cuts to a red head doing full frontal with Robert Z'Dar. This comes out of nowhere and it makes no sense at all! However, I can't hate these sex scenes because I never would have seen Matt Hannon in a hilarious thong if it weren't for them.

If I could give Samurai Cop one legitimate compliment, it is that the upbeat soundtrack is quite good during the opening credits. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the entire score. It is typically awful and tends to underscore the most awkward of action and sex scenes. That's pretty much the film in a nutshell: action and sex scenes. 

The final thing worth mentioning is that a sequel, Samurai Cop 2, is currently in the works. Making a sequel to a "so bad, it's good" film is quite dangerous because these films are typically great because the filmmakers failed miserably. Trying to recreate that while being self aware of the original's success is a tricky thing. However, I have confidence in the sequel. It seems that the screenwriter and director are aware of these pitfalls and actively want to make a fun sequel that fans of the original can enjoy and have a blast watching. The sequel even found a way to nab well known actors like George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Henry Silva (Above the Law), Bai Ling (Crank 2: High Voltage), and the cinematic legend that is Tommy Wiseau (The Room). 

"Bingo!"

Samurai Cop is a must see action film. It has everything that you want in an awful film; terrible sex scenes, horrible acting, lousy shootouts, bad editing, and a nonsensical plot that goes nowhere. However, people who don't understand the appeal of "so bad, they're good" films should stay away. Highly recommended for a good laugh though!

Rating: 1/10 - Terrible dialog, terrible acting, terrible movie.
"So Bad It's Good" Movie Rating: 7/10 - Hilarious wig shots, awkward editing, and a nonsensical plot make this one of the most entertaining "so bad it's good" films. There is a bit too much repetitive action devoid of laughs that keeps it from being as hilarious as The Room or Birdemic though. But it's pretty high up there still.

Franchise:
Samurai Cop (dir. Amir Shervan, 1991)
Samurai Cop 2 (dir. Gregory Hatanaka, 2015)