 There was a time not so long ago where Hong Kong films dominated the
world market, except for the United States. But, in the late 1990's,
as the region began to hemorrhage talent to the West, its profile in
world cinema began to wane, with the final nails for its coffin being
reserved for video piracy, which is rampant and seemingly unstoppable.
Filling the void were Japan, which became a farm team for Hollywood horror,
and South Korea, which thanks to laws that limited the number of films
that could be imported, was able to create an idiosyncratic yet vibrant
film industry. Hong Kong filmmakers attempted to utilize many Western
techniques, such as extensive use of green screens and CGI, but to little
avail. Johnny To and Stephen Chow are very high profile exceptions to
this diminishing exposure, but even they suffer from being relegated
to the arthouse ghetto.
What then to make of Dragon Heat aka Dragon
Squad? Here is a recent production that features a pedigreed
director (Daniel Lee, probably best known for Moonlight
Express and
the Jet Li action film Black Mask), seasoned
high-profile actors (Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, and
even a cameo from Gordon Liu Chia Hui), along with a cast of
fresh faces who are mostly novices to acting; having achieved
stardom though the Canto-Taiwanese pop circuit. Making this mix
even more murky is the choice to cast an American actor as the
lead antagonist (The
Terminator's
Michael Biehn) in a film that lists straight-to-video has-been
Steven Seagal as an executive producer. A cynic would make the
judgment that the Western elements were included to broaden the
international appeal of the film, and attract an audience that
wouldn't normally watch Asian action cinema. Put a striking (but
unrelated to the film) picture of the fetching Maggie Q - most
recently seen in Live
Free or Die Hard and has only
a minor role in Dragon Heat - on the box and voila,
you've got an instant impulse rental!
Now, I consider myself a cynic and agree with my impression that Dragon
Heat is a product created from market research as much as artistic
vision. However, it's not as terrible as all of that would lead
you to believe. Shot on HD video, the film sometimes looks indistinguishable
from many straight to video offerings. However, when any one
of the film's tent-pole action sequences kicks in, you know you're
watching something above average. While the action in Dragon
Heat lacks
the balletic carnage of John Woo or Tsui Hark, it is nonetheless
uniquely stylized, creating a sort of Jackson Pollack-esque aesthetic.
The action in Dragon Heat is more abstract,
less reliant on exploding bloodpacks and more on stylized mayhem.
If you're the type of viewer who wonders why most action movies
seem to have an endless supply of confetti suspended  in the air,
maybe this isn't the picture for you. But on a less-realistic
level, these sequences are pure eye candy.
The impressionistic nature of the action sequences is nicely offset
by the frequent use of hand-held camera work, lending the film
a faux-verite feel,
which plays into character Wang Sun-Ho (Vanness Wu) and his habit
of using his digital video camera to record the action around
him . It's as if you're watching a documentary of these cops
on the job, only to be plunged into a surreal, almost phantasmagorical
miasma of violence and bloodshed.
The plot, however, is pretty undistinguished: a group of elite (and
photogenic) Interpol officers are to escort a high-risk prisoner to his
court hearing. While en route, the convoy is ambushed by mercenaries
who seem to have been assembled by Benetton, featuring American, South
Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese villains. Joining our heroes are disgraced
and days from retirement detective Sammo Hung Bam-Ko, and no-nonsense
chief inspector Simon Yam Tat-Wah. The cat-and-mouse game that ensues
doesn’t create a tremendous amount of tension, indeed, it isn't
until heroes suffer a catastrophic loss that their pursuit achieves a
reasonable amount of vigor. But, by utilizing  a divide-and-conquer approach
to the climax, the viewers are treated four distinct resolutions that
more than make up for the sometimes squishy middle section.
Overall, a good way to look at Dragon
Heat is to
think of it as a passing of the torch to a new generation of
Hong Kong action heroes and heroines. The Interpol team, while
they sometimes approach their action sequences like Bambi trying
to stand on ice, look as if they'll have fine careers ahead
of them, and the old guard, while they certainly don't look
tired (Simon Yam Tat-Wah seems to have barely aged since his
heyday), are probably ready for roles that will allow them
to age in a more dignified manner. They gracefully allow their new upstarts
to take center stage and act as the cautious voice of experience.
Disc presentation
Dragon Dynasty's DVD crisply reproduces the HD Video source material,
with the greens and reds particularly rich. In many ways, Dragon
Heat mimics for Hong Kong what Michael Mann did for Los
Angeles in Collateral, and according to the
audio  commentary, director Daniel Lee did this on purpose.
If that's what he was aiming for, Lee nails the bullseye.
Audio options include the original language track (spoken in both English
and Cantonese) in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS. I don't have a DTS decoder,
but the DD 5.1 is pleasing to the ear, with suitable balance between
dialog, sound effects and score. The DD 5.1 English dub is serviceable,
if uninspired. If you're the type of person who can't be sussed to read
subtitles, you probably aren't going to have any problem with the dubbing.
Subtitle options are English and Spanish. I can't speak to the accuracy
of the English subtitles, but they don't appear to be dubtitles, which
would merely mimic the onscreen dubbing.
Extras
As there is with most Dragon Dynasty releases, there is a commentary
by Bey Logan, who was actually the executive producer of Dragon
Heat. His commentary, as always, provides considerable
background and points out the myriad of blink-and-you'll-miss-them
cameos in the film. He also takes the time to explain his considerations
as a producer, which more or less justifies my earlier comments
about the film. Personally, it kills me to think that Steven
Seagal is a name that means something to Western film distributors
and financiers, but is merely a punchline for the actual audience
of this film.
 There are three primary featurettes; beginning with The
Making of Dragon Heat, which is a nice change from the
usual electronic press kit, featuring a more abstract shooting
diary, which again plays into the motif of Vanness Wu's recording
of the events happening around him. There are also two interviews,
with actors Michael Biehn, and Lawrence Chou. Both seem to
make the actors likable and give more background into the genesis
of the film. Both are mighty respectful of director Daniel
Lee, and Biehn illustrates his transition from being ignorant
of Asian films to, if not a rabid fan, to at least being more
knowledgeable of their contribution to world cinema.
 The last extra is the best, and it's a deleted scene. It's billed as
a 'rare deleted scene' and that's pretty much true. During the audio
commentary, Logan mentions that the director literally deleted this scene
from the digital files and was thought to be forever lost. It's recovery
is a miracle as I found it to be one of the best things in the movie.
Without giving too much away, it's a scene where Sammo and his new charges
foil a robbery attempt. The execution of this scene in many ways embodies
what made Hong Kong cinema the best in the world. In retrospect, it's
probably good that it was taken out, as it really doesn't fit in with
the style of the rest of the film. But needless to say, if you enjoy
the sublimely ludicrous action styling of 80's-90's Hong Kong action
flicks, you'll appreciate this momentary throwback.
Bottom Line
Frequently transcending its straight-to-video plotline, Dragon
Heat bristles with style and action. And for fans of the
genre who have soured over the treatment , the disc is top-notch
in terms of presentation.
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