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Category:    Home > Reviews > Action > Crime > Martial Arts Cycle > Gangster > Hong Kong > Dragon Heat (aka Dragon Squad/2006)

Dragon Heat (aka Dragon Squad/2006)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Film: C+

 

 

In one of the more ambitious action films of late, writer/director Daniel Lee’s Dragon Heat (aka Dragon Squad/2006) pits Interpol agents against Triad gangsters when one of their leaders due to go on trial disappears.  Sammo Hung, Michael Biehn, Shawn Yue and Maggie Q are among the stars cast with the genre fans in mind.  Though the story can seem typical at times, the fight sequences are some of the better choreographed in recent films, if not up to Kill Bill.

 

Biehn’s presence reminds one of the later films in the Spaghetti Western cycle called on popular American actors to give the film extra appeal and added value to the marquee.  He fares better than expected and better than in many U.S. productions to boot, but the script is strong enough to be a better genre entry without the cast, so it all adds up to a good film for fans who have had more than a few disappointments of late.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is not bad and Director of Photography Tony Cheung manages some good camera angles and compositions, while there are detail limits in this transfer but it is good for the format just the same.  Consistent color helps.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is mixed, with surrounds not used as widely or effectively as would have been expected, but the sound has a few good moments.  However, why it sounds as limited as it does is odd.  Extras include another solid audio commentary track by film expert Logan Bey, making of featurette, two separate interviews (Biehn and Lawrence Chow) and a deleted scene.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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