Dragon Tiger Gate
First off, I never read the comics. DTG is no where as gritty or ****erotic as SPL, not as John Woo. DTG is more stylish, like a music video, more like Legend of Zu set in a modern day, yet alternative-universe Hong Kong. Hong Kong is to DTG like Gotham is to NY.
Overall, I liked it. It’s not a mind blower, but it’s got some really entertaining stuff, lots of great plaguerized elements woven into something new, like good HK cinema always used to be. It starts with comic pages like the Marvel films. The first fight scenes are outrageous and my personal favorites, lots of effects like Shaolin Soccer, but done seriously like X-Men or Spiderman. One guy takes on armies of villains and bodies fly everywhere. The way these guys throw each other through walls and such reminded me of that classic Superman vs. General Zod et.al. fight. It slows down in the middle for some flashback character development, then there’s some more entertaining martial arts stuff, then the villains sort of switch which is a bit confusing, but once the fights start again, who cares? Like Akira, which had all this backstory that wasn’t so clear in the film, it probably makes more sense if you know the comic. But that wasn’t so important. Gaping plot holes can be overlooked. The final fight is enjoyable, but the villian sort of comes out of nowhere - again a reference to the comic but not set up well in the film. The best fight is really the first one, but there enough amusing scenes to keep the attention and the final fight is climactic enough to be satisfying, although still in the shadow of the second fight scene to my way of thinking. There’s a lot of fight scenes, all amusing, so the pace keeps rolling, except for in the middle when there’s a long section of brooding, boring character development, bad hair styles, and general HK overdone romanticism.
What I like about DTG was that it has style - rollercoaster camerawork, color schemes that are so gaudy they are almost beautiful, bad Asian hair that always covers one eye, surreal CGI blended with some interesting sets. It’s not to bloody, no decaptations or dismemberments. The female characters are just love interests and remain fully clothed. There’s no kissing.
Donnie has really come on to his own as a fight choreographer. His work is more frenetic than Yuan Woo Ping’s stuff, which is pretty and clear, but light like point sparring. It’s not like Corey Yuen’s work either, which contains way too much impossible physics. And Jackie, well, no one juggles like Jackie, just like no one has the precision of Jet. Nevertheless, Donnie’s hits look solid, powerful, more real. It’s refreshingly authentic, even in the effect-laden DTG. He does a lot of knee strikes, a clear nod to Tony Jaa. There is a ton of wire work and flying about, villains getting kicked across rooms and such, but it’s well executed and acceptable. After all, they are comic book heroes.
Donnie is on a roll after SPL and still a one to watch. A lot of fans are excited about the upcoming Jet vs. Jackie project, and while I am too, I’d much rather see Donnie Yen vs. Tony Jaa. These two are the fresh young talents, now in their prime.
Personally I liked SPL better. Donnie vs. Sammo? Donnie vs. Wu Jing? That was some solid old school stuff. DTG is new wave HK, so it’ll probably appeal more to the younger generation. I think that second fight in DTG, the one in the sushi house, will show up in a Tarantino film someday. That was the climax of the film for me and it was way too premature. :o
