A letter is found linking a plot to overthrow the Emperor with one of his officials, Prince Six. He sends his apprentice, Red Dragon to retrieve the incriminating letter but Yuen Ming, a wandering swordsman manages to save it. Both Yuen and Red Dragon go undercover in a traveling acrobatic troupe while trying to draw each other out. Red Dragon eventually turns on her master after she bonds with the troupe members and becomes embroiled in a comical love triangle with Yuen and the troupe’s leader, Lyn Yu.

Everything that makes a Yuen Wo Ping film great is found in this fiery historical fantasy. Strong female characters, intense fighting, and generous portions of humor combine for an exciting martial arts adventure.

Undoubtedly, the real showstopper is the pyrotechnics, first seen in Iron Monkey (1993). Flames blast out from walls, encompass Brigitte Lin’s hands, and spread across water with reckless abandon. The finale ends up looking like Kuwaiti oil fields set ablaze. The action is furious at the beginning and end with a pause in the middle for Brigitte Lin’s character to develop a change of heart. Brigitte manages another satisfyingly intense performance despite the unsuccessful comical rants of her costar, Sandra Ng. Expect to see more flying and superhuman feats similar to Butterfly and Sword.

The old uncovering of the plot to overthrow the Emperor shtick is as common as a dead armadillo on Texas asphalt. Fire Dragon proves it since nothing unexpected or new shows up. At times, scenes felt like they were re-shot from other genre films. Too bad for this film though. Most of the rehashed elements worked better in other films. The romantic nonsense was funnier in Wo Ping’s Wing Chun and Brigitte Lin’s bittersweet performance had greater depth in The Bride with White Hair (1993). But despite all that, the film is still fun to watch thanks in part to the blazing stunt work.

With a film starring Brigitte Lin and directed by Wo Ping you’d be crazy not to have high expectations. The film meets those expectations but rarely pushes boundary. That still leaves us with a great film that’s sure to please action fans.

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