Chinese artefacts are being stolen and sold off by a crime gang led by Whang In-Sik (I don’t recall him actually having a name in this one!). Two naughty kids by the name of Dragon (Jackie Chan) and Cowboy (Mars) get unwittingly involved and attempt to put an end to the dirty dealings.

After the humbling experience of filming US flop BATTLECREEK BRAWL, and the excesses of YOUNG MASTER, you would have thought Jackie would have come out with something a little more restrained. Instead, tales of a five hour original running time and a scene that took 2,900 takes puts an end to such speculation. No matter how you look at it, 2,900 takes to get a shot of a shuttlecock being kicked into the back of a net is decadent and excessive. Sure, it looks good, but no shot is worth that much effort. Further compounding the problems is the universally acknowledged fact that DRAGON LORD went into production with an unfinished script (and if you believe co-star Mars, no script whatsoever).

This is generally regarded as the worst of Jackie’s own directorial efforts in the 80’s. I don’t agree – personally, I believe that dubious honour should go to POLICE STORY 2, which was fantastic in places but altogether too dark for a Jackie Chan film. Detractors point to the film’s scatterbrained approach, lack of plot and structure, and dearth of actual Kung Fu. Actually, if the film really did have a five hour running time at one point, it does a better job of hiding the fact than YOUNG MASTER.

To everyone who hates this film, I offer a case for the defence. This film is probably the first where Jackie really puts his life on the line for the sake of his art. There are some great shots throughout where he’s willing to fall from high places to the hard ground below with no safety measures whatsoever. The bun-game at the beginning, for example, contains a shot of him falling from the top (about 20 feet in the air at a conservative estimate) all the way to the bottom in one shot. Also, in the finale, Jackie and Whang In-Sik are atop the top floor of a cornmill, where Jackie attempts to pull them both off. In the out-takes (presented here for the first time in a Jackie Chan film, courtesy of his experiences of working on CANNONBALL RUN), we see it all go wrong, and Jackie falling painfully to the ground below.

Secondly, the rooftop scene is a blast. It’s just so much fun to watch, and ends in a great sight gag. Even here, we see Jackie doing what most action stars in the west wouldn’t dare to attempt in one take – climbing a rope all the way to the top of a building.

Thirdly, the relationship Dragon has with Cowboy (or Bull, depending on which version you watch) is quite beautiful in its child-like innocence. When they fall out early on, the scene where they are reconciled without talking about their quarrel is quite touching, and actually very plausible. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, they carry on like nothing happened.

Fourthly, the shuttlecock scene, for all its excesses, is still great. Jackie had seen that the Hong Kong film industry had fixated itself on DRUNKEN MASTER, and made a conscious effort to make something different. At least it was innovative, and I still say it’s good fun to watch. Admittedly, you wouldn’t need to go to such lengths to shoot such a scene now as you could CGI the shuttlecock, but the authenticity is starkly refreshing today in this computer generated world we live in. Actually, you could probably shoot the principle photography in an afternoon nowadays.

Fifthly, the film’s score is delightful and bouncy. Once in your head, it’s hard if not impossible to shift. Whenever it plays during the film, I can’t help but smile.

Lastly, the finale with Mars and Jackie against Whang In-Sik is exciting and gives us a chance to see Mars do his stuff as himself (rather than as a stuntman). He performs a pretty nifty fall from the top of the cornmill, spinning and landing on his back. Actually, Mars took some considerable punishment for this film. In the part where Jackie lands on him, he injured his shoulders and apparently couldn’t lift his arms above his head for four months. Talk about suffering for your art. Of course, the gag needed more than one take to get just right…

So there you have it. Hopefully I’ll convert some die-hard DRAGON LORD haters out there, or at least persuade some to take another look at this under-rated fun-packed film.