Every once in a while, a film comes along which seems to tick all the right boxes. Beautifully shot, with a compelling story, complex characters and plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments, Peter Chan’s kung-fu detective thriller Dragon (Wu Xia) is just such a film, and makes for a stunning cinematic experience.
Set in China’s Yunnan province in 1917, the story begins with mild-mannered paper-miller Liu (Hong Kong legend Donnie Yen) miraculously overpowering and killing two murderous criminals who come to his village to commit a robbery. Liu is hailed as a hero by the local governor and his fellow villagers, but investigating detective Xu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) finds Liu’s version of events difficult to believe, and becomes obsessed with proving that the apparently lucky good Samaritan is in fact a deadly martial artist who has adopted a new identity in order to evade capture. As Xu’s methods grow increasingly paranoid and unsound, and the truth about Liu’s murky past begins to come to light, a hornet’s nest of violence is unleashed which threatens to engulf the village and all those who Liu holds dear.
The film’s plot of course bears some similarity to that of David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, but the addition of Xu’s character by screenwriter Oi Wah Lam transforms this familiar story into a novel combination of kung-fu actioner and slow-burning detective thriller. The fight scenes (choreographed by Yen himself) are stunning; fluid yet brutal, with an emphasis on physical stunts rather than wire work or CGI. Matching them for intensity are the Sherlock-esque scenes where Xu pieces together a variety of clues in his tenacious pursuit of the truth, including one breathtaking sequence where he reconstructs Liu’s initial assault in his mind, allowing us to see events from another, more revealing perspective. Ultimately, Xu’s internal struggle over whether greater importance should be given to the law or to humanity acts as the heart of the film. This personal dilemma forces Xu to confront the possibility that, sometimes, doing the right thing might mean abandoning one’s principles, and invites the audience to consider the key question which underpins Liu’s story: can a man ever truly change?
To call Dragon (Wu Xia) a mere martial arts film would be a gross injustice. It has more than enough heart and brains to match its beautifully-choreographed fight scenes, and while the film celebrates the roots of the martial arts genre, it also aspires to much greater cinematic heights. Chan has crafted a convincing reconstruction of early-20th century rural China using wood, stone, fire and metal, and amongst the vibrant forests, misty fields and sleepy villages he tells an epic story of love, duty, and the battle between reason and emotion. Dragon (Wu Xia) is a five-star film in every respect, and the philosophical questions it raises are as worthy of contemplation as are its captivating scenes of devastating martial artistry.
Jim “Dragonborn” Taylor, geekzine correspondent, reporting from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2012.
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