Dragon on Fire (1979)

Combining super kicker John Liu, Phillip Ko who plays a killer with an hourglass fetish, Dragon Lee who keeps the exploitive spirit of Bruce Lee alive, and the subdued camp direction of Godfrey Ho and you have Dragon on Fire.

The story begins with an account of two famous fighters who both mastered the “Strike Rock Fist,” a powerful skill taught by Shaolin monks. They combined their skills and together defeated all the fighters in the land. Eventually, their ambitions led them to fight each other to the death and the unique skill was apparently lost. Years later, a wandering fighter visits an eccentric wheelchair-bound master played by Chan Lau and secures a job. The fighter is John Liu and he’s actually a government agent sent to investigate a smuggling ring that is shipping China’s precious artifacts out of the country. John meets two dishwashers in town and one of them happens to know the Strike Rock Fist style. John also knows this style for his father was one of the original masters while the dishwasher, who is played by Tino Wong is the student of the other master. At first, the two resume their previous generation’s feud, but they finally join forces to defeat the smugglers who turn out to be Chan Lau and his fighting companion, Phillip Ko.

Dragon on Fire is an odd mix of a great cast, good and goofy kung fu, a retread storyline, and tasteless humor. John Liu is definitely the featured performer and fans will be happy to know that his trademark kicking is on full display. Actually, it’s about all he does, except for a bit tricky handwork that is meant to confuse his opponent, but I’m not complaining. Tino Wong, who rarely had a starring role save for The Secret Rivals II (1977) is supposed to be Liu’s equal, at lest by the end of the film. But, he never convinced me. A common face in Taiwanese and early Godfrey Ho productions was Dragon Lee who was marketed as another Bruce Lee clone, thanks to his resemblance to the REAL “Dragon.” He does his best to grimace and gesture like Bruce, but honestly he shouldn’t even be in this film. His martial arts skills are adequate, but his superfluous character is only a distraction and its just another shameless attempt by Ho to milk Lee’s image.

Chan Lau, who was a deliciously campy villain in the kung fu comedy The 36 Deadly Styles, plays a darker comedic villain with one of the most revolting scenes in film history. At one point, we learn that his character is taking regular medication for some ailment. While groping the poor girl who served the nasty concoction, we get to see a flashback that shows him raping a different woman. Then her dog, a large German Shepherd starts chasing him and finally bites his manhood right off! it’s gruesome yes, but arguably suitable punishment for such a deed. One of the effects of this little incident comes to bare when Chan busts out a “mad dog” style of kung fu, complete with the act of biting his opponents.

A few things to watch out for include a cameo by Bolo Yeung who is made up with thick chest hair and even hairy toes! His animalistic kung fu appears to mimic a gorilla, appropriate for his bulky size. You’ll also see a couple of gweilos including Jim James, which is a rare sight in ’70’s period films. Neither of them perform martial arts though.

The plot’s unoriginal and Godfrey’s Ho’s direction is mildly sporadic and mundane, but the cast give energetic performances and John Liu’s legwork makes Dragon on Fire all worthwhile.