Dragon Lord

{{About|the 1982 martial arts film|other uses|Dragon Lord (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox film

|name = Dragon Lord

|image = Dragon-Lord-poster.jpg

|caption = Original Hong Kong poster

|director = Jackie Chan

|producer = {{plainlist|

}}

|writer = {{plainlist|

Jackie Chan
Edward Tang
Barry Wong

}}

|starring = {{plainlist|

}}

|cinematography = {{plainlist|

Chan Chung-yuen
Chen Chin-kui

}}

|editing = Peter Cheung

|distributor = Golden Harvest

|released = {{film date|1982|1|21|df=y}}

|runtime = 102 minutes (Hong Kong version)

|country = Hong Kong

|language = Cantonese

| gross = {{US$|8.9 million}} ({{estimation}})

}}

Dragon Lord (also known as Dragon Strike, {{zh|s=龙少爷 |t=龍少爺}}) is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang and Barry Wong. It was originally supposed to be a sequel to The Young Master and even had the name Young Master in Love until it was changed to Dragon Lord. The film was experimented by Chan with various elaborate stunt action sequences in a period setting, serving as a transition between Chan's earlier kung fu comedy period films (such as Drunken Master and The Young Master) and his later stunt-oriented modern action films (such as Project A and Police Story).{{cite web|title=Dragon Lord|publisher=Love HK Film|url=http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/dragon_lord.htm|access-date=2011-04-14}}

Plot

Dragon (Jackie Chan), the son of a Chinese aristocrat, is always getting in trouble, and likes to skip his lessons.

Dragon tries to send a love note to the girl he likes via a kite, but the kite gets away. Dragon tries to get the kite and letter back which have landed on the roof of the headquarters of a gang of thieves who are planning to steal artifacts from the town's temple. Dragon interferes with the gang's plans and is forced to fight off the gang.

Cast

Jackie Chan – Dragon Ho / Lung
Mars – Cowboy Chin
Hwang In-shik – The Big Boss
Tien Feng – Dragon's Father
Paul Chang – Chin's Father
Wai-Man Chan – Tiger (as Hui-Min Chen)
Fung Hak-on – The Killer King (as Ke-An Fung)
Cheng Kang-yeh – Ah Dee
Fung Feng – The Referee
Kang Ho – The Reteree
Kam-kwong Ho – The Commentator
Pak-kwong Ho – Spectator
Yeong-mun Kwon – The Hatchetman (as Kuen Wing-Man)
Lei Suet – Alice (as Sidney Yim)
Corey Yuen – Lu Chen gang member
Mang Hoi – Lu Chen gang member
Chiu Chung-san - Lu Chen gang member
Yuan-li Wu – The Matchmaker (as Yuen-Yee Ny)
Yan Tsan Tang – Smuggler
Po Tai – Ah Dum Pao (as Tai Do)
Clement Yip – Thug
Benny Lai – Braves' team player
Johnny Cheung – Smuggler

Production

Dragon Lord went over budget and took twice as long to shoot as was originally planned due to Chan's many retakes of shots to get them exactly as he wanted them.Louis Sit (2003) (DVD). Interview. Hong Kong Legends. One scene in the film is reputed to have taken 2900 takes to complete, although sources disagree on whether the scene in question is the opening scene involving a human pyramid or a sequence depicting a Jianzi game.{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/jackie-chans-most-gruelling-scene-ever-1698173111|title=Jackie Chan's Most Gruelling Scene Ever|website=Kotaku|date=7 March 2017 }}

The opening bun festival scene was originally intended to end the film but was moved as Chan wanted a spectacular opening to the film.Bey Logan. (2003) (DVD). Audio Commentary. Hong Kong Legends. The final fight scene, which takes place in a barn, also featured elaborate stunts, including one where Chan does a back flip off a loft and falls to the lower ground.{{cite magazine|title=Kicking and Screening: Wheels on Meals, Armour of God, Police Story, and more are graded with an eye for action|author=David Everitt|date=16 August 1996|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|url=https://ew.com/article/1996/08/16/we-grade-some-jackie-chans-best-movies/|access-date=2011-04-12|archive-date=30 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030011016/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293788,00.html|url-status=live}}

According to his book I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Chan injured his chin during a stunt, making it difficult to say his lines and direct.{{cite web |url=http://www.randomhouse.com/features/iamjackiechan/excerpt_aches.html |title=Jackie's Aches and Pains: It Only Hurts When I'm Not Laughing |last=Chan |first=Jackie |author-link=Jackie Chan |publisher=Random House|access-date=2012-12-19}}

This is the first Jackie Chan film that includes outtakes (bloopers). Jackie Chan says that he was inspired to do this by the use of bloopers at the end of The Cannonball Run, a film in which Jackie Chan also starred. His subsequent films all include outtakes.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/dragon-strike/review/132612/|title=Dragon Strike|author=|work=TV Guide|access-date=2015-04-12}}

Release and box office

In its original Hong Kong theatrical run, Dragon Lord grossed {{HK$}}17,936,344{{cite web | url = http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=6334&display_set=eng | title = Dragon Lord (1982) | publisher = HKMDB }} ({{US$|{{#expr:17936344/6.07 round 0}}|link=yes}}).{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Hong Kong |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1982&locations=HK&start=1981 |website=World Bank |year=1982 |access-date=November 28, 2018 |language=en-us}} The film did not make as much as it was expected to in Hong Kong, but was a big hit in Japan.Chan, Jackie I Am Jackie Chan (Ballantine Publishing, 1998) p.338 It was 1982's ninth-highest-grossing foreign film in Japan,{{cite web |title=1982年（昭和57年）流行・出来事【あの頃ナウ】 |url=https://middle-edge.jp/82 |website=Middle Edge（ミドルエッジ） |access-date=28 November 2018}} where it grossed {{JPY|1.09 billion|link=yes}}{{cite web |title=【ジャッキーチェン興行成績】第12回：日本での興行収入 |url=http://kungfutube.info/3672 |website=KungFu Tube |access-date=21 November 2018 |language=ja}} ({{US$|{{#expr:1090/249.077 round 2}} million|link=yes}}).{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Japan |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1982&locations=JP&start=1981 |website=World Bank |year=1982 |access-date=November 28, 2018 |language=en-us}}

In Taiwan, it became the 14th-highest-grossing film of 1982, selling 92,957 tickets and earning {{TWD|5990232}}{{cite web |title=1982 Taiwan Box Office |url=http://cinema.nccu.edu.tw/box/3a/3a82.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010219163200/http://cinema.nccu.edu.tw/box/3a/3a82.htm |website=National Chengchi University |archive-date=19 February 2001 |url-status=dead |access-date=30 November 2018}} (US$152,551).{{cite web |title=Historical exchange rates (TWD) |url=https://fxtop.com/en/historical-exchange-rates.php?A=5990232&C1=TWD&C2=USD&TR=1&YA=1&DD1=01&MM1=01&YYYY1=1983&B=1&P=&I=1&DD2=31&MM2=12&YYYY2=1983 |website=fxtop.com |year=1983 |access-date=24 June 2020}} In South Korea, it was the highest-grossing film of 1982, with 298,122 ticket sales in the capital Seoul City,{{cite web |title=【ジャッキーチェン興行成績】第10回：韓国での興行収入 |url=http://kungfutube.info/3156 |website=KungFu Tube |date=5 September 2010 |access-date=7 December 2018 |language=ja}} equivalent to an estimated {{Currency|{{#expr:298122*3000}}|KRW}}{{cite book |last=Park |first=Seung Hyun |title=A Cultural Interpretation of Korean Cinema, 1988-1997 |date=2000 |publisher=Indiana University |page=119 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ilEeAQAAMAAJ |quote=Average Ticket Prices in Korea, 1974-1997 [...] * Source: Korea Cinema Yearbook (1997-1998) * Currency: won [...] Foreign [...] 1982 [...] 3,000}} ({{US$|{{#expr:894366000/731.08 round -1}}|link=no}}).{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (KRW per US$, period average) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1982&locations=KR&start=1981 |website=World Bank |year=1982 |access-date=7 December 2018}} In Spain (where it released in 1984),{{cite web |title=Dragon Lord - Release dates |url=https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/24719/dates/ |website=Kinopoisk |access-date=19 April 2022 |language=ru}} the film sold 188,958 tickets,{{cite web |last1=Soyer |first1=Renaud |title=Jackie Chan Box Office |url=http://www.boxofficestory.com/box-office-jackie-chan-c24779784 |website=Box Office Story |date=4 February 2014 |language=fr |accessdate=1 July 2020}} equivalent to an estimated {{Currency|{{#expr:188958*1.3 round 0}}|code=Euro|linked=no}}{{cite book |chapter=Cinema market |title=Cinema, TV and radio in the EU: Statistics on audiovisual services (Data 1980-2002) |date=2003 |publisher=Office for Official Publications of the European Communities |isbn=92-894-5709-0 |issn=1725-4515 |pages=31–64 (61) |edition=2003 |chapter-url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5648553/KS-BT-03-001-EN.PDF/3758081d-5ae4-4e21-9d78-fca7bcc68d5c#page=67 |website=Europa |access-date=23 May 2020}} ({{US$|{{To USD|245645|EUR|year=1984|round=yes}}|long=yes}}). Combined, the film grossed an estimated total box office gross of approximately {{US$|{{#expr:2954917+4380000+152551+1223350+193814}}|link=no|year=1982|round=-6}} in Asia and Europe.

Hong Kong Legends released the DVD on 25 August 2003 in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/dragon-lord--menus.html?post_id=767&action=report|title=Dragon Lord : Menus (UK - DVD R2)|last=Schuchardt|first=Richard|work=DVDactive|access-date=2015-04-12}} Dimension Films released the film on DVD in the U.S. on 11 May 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/10755/dragon-lord/|title=Dragon Lord|last=Sinnott|first=John|work=DVD Talk|date=2004-05-17|access-date=2015-04-12}}

Reception

Joey O'Bryan of The Austin Chronicle rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote that the film, while not one of Chan's best, is an early attempt to take the genre into a new direction and set the stage for many of Chan's better, more-realized films. O'Bryan highlighted the film's climactic fight as a "worth the price of admission all by itself".{{cite news|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/calendar/film/1994-09-30/138456/|title=Dragon Lord|last=O'Bryan|first=Joey|work=The Austin Chronicle|date=1994-09-30|access-date=2015-04-12}} TV Guide rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "Aside from the meandering, stop-and-go screenplay, there's much to admire about the film." John Sinnott of DVD Talk rated it 3.5/5 stars called it a "fun movie" that moves away from conventional martial arts films.