With the general rise in popularity of martial arts films from Hong Kong since the turn-of-the-millennium, it’s nice to see that American independent filmmakers are still hard at work creating their own brand of action film. “Dragon and the Hawk” is one example of a film that delivers what it promises despite a limited budget.

The story is typical fare for the genre, reminiscent of both Romeo Must Die and Black Samurai. Martial arts master travels to America in search of lost relative only to uncover a crime ring involving the kidnapping of young women. Korean-born martial arts master-turned actor, Julian Jung Lee handles the role of Dragon Pak well. Fresh off the boat, Dragon is single-mindedly searching for his sister. He eventually teams with “Hawk,” played by Barbara Gehring who matches Dragon punch for punch. There isn’t really any character development and the acting is stiff but the underplayed performances by the leads are actually refreshing next to the over-the-top performances from some high-paid Hollywood action stars. Trygve Lode, who owns the production company and produces the film, also appears as the principle villain. His droll monotone delivery of standard antagonist chatter narrowly escapes being outright corny by remaining consistently sinister throughout.

The action choreography comes off well despite the fact that several scenes are shot in a frustratingly low level of light. In addition, the camerawork and editing is uneven at times with too few close-ups. While there is nothing remarkable about the action, Lee busts out some genuinely impressive moves and his fight with a vicious hooker with heels of death is a standout. Even the director, Mark Steven Grove joins the onscreen action for a decent brawl with Therion.

Overall, Dragon and the Hawk is a fun film to watch. Sadly, the wacky plot of a massive criminal organization bent on world domination by brainwashing prostitutes is never as campy as it should be and eventually runs dry. But, a great soundtrack oozing with an eerie atmosphere and some solid “wireless” fighting for old school martial arts fans makes this film worth experiencing.

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