Dragons Forever
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong films of 1988
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1988:.-1988:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1988 at...
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
martial arts
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
action
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
. Film stars Hung, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
and Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer...
. The three actors, known colloquially as the Three Brothers, had attended the famous China Drama Academy
Peking Opera School
The Peking Opera Schools were boarding schools located throughout Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, specialising in teaching Peking opera...
together, and became members of the Seven Little Fortunes. This is the last film to date that all three have appeared in together.
It was directed by Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
and another former member of the Seven Little Fortunes, Corey Yuen
Corey Yuen
Corey Yuen Kwai is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker and producer. He was a member of the Peking Opera Schools and one of the Seven Little Fortunes.-Life and career:...
(aka Yuen Kwai). Yet another classmate, Yuen Wah
Yuen Wah
Yuen Wah is a Hong Kong based Chinese action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series.-Early life:...
, plays the film's main villain, while legendary kickboxer Benny Urquidez
Benny Urquidez
Benny Urquidez is an American kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed, The Jet, Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the U.S. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974 – the year of its inception...
plays his right hand man. Dragons Forever was filmed between September and November 1987.
Synopsis
A fishery is seeking court action against a local chemical factory for polluting the water. The mysterious chemical company hires lawyer Jackie Lung (Jackie Chan) to find information that will discredit the fishery. He employs his arms dealer friend, Wong (Sammo Hung) to woo the fishery owner, Miss Yip (Deannie Yip), to try to convince her to settle out of court.Lung also brings in crackpot inventor and professional criminal, Tung (Yuen Biao), to bug her apartment. Unfortunately, Wong and Tung are unaware of each others' roles and soon come into confrontation, whilst Lung tries to maintain the peace.
Wong falls for Miss Yip, whilst Lung woos her cousin, Miss Wen (Pauline Yeung), an environmental scientist who is going to testify on Miss Yip's behalf. The three men inadvertently discover that the chemical company is just a facade for a narcotics empire, ran by Hua Hsien-Wu (Yuen Wah). They soon come up against Hua's thugs, and ultimately infiltrate the factory for a showdown with Hua himself and his henchman - martial arts master (Benny Urquidez).
Versions
Two scenes with Timothy Tung Te-Biao (Yuen Biao) visiting a psychiatrist (played by Lucky StarsLucky Stars
Lucky Stars Lucky Stars Lucky Stars (or Five Lucky Stars; was a Hong Kong action comedy film series in the 1980s and 1990s, blending Chinese martial arts with bawdy comedy...
veteran, Stanley Fung
Stanley Fung
Stanley Fung Shui-fan is a Hong Kong actor and film director. He was one of the Lucky Stars.-Filmography:*I Love Hong Kong *Vengeance *Accident *Hooked On You - Miu's Dad*Love Is a Many Stupid Thing...
) were cut from the domestic Hong Kong print, and the Japanese print of the film, but remain for the international version. These scenes appeared as extras on the Hong Kong Legends DVD of the film, entitled "Couch Potato" and "Mr Kinetic". In the latter, the psychiatrist was in the process of being robbed. So that Tung wouldn't realise a robbery was taking place, one of the robbers, posing as the psychiatrist, gave him advice over the intercom - to "kill the witnesses", which explains why Tung attacks Jackie Lung (Chan) and Ling (Pauline Yeung
Pauline Yeung
Pauline Yeung Bo-ling is a Hong Kong actress and a former Miss Hong Kong Pageant titleholder.Yeung won the 1987 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, and went on to compete at the 1987 Miss World pageant, where she placed among the top 12 semi-finalists and going on to win the Continental Queen of Asia award....
) in a later scene, wearing a mask and armed with a knife.
Several scenes were slightly trimmed for the international version. The only scene completely omitted shows how Tung Te-Biao leads Jackie and Ling into the chemical factory, having informed them about the danger Wong Fei-Hung (Sammo Hung) was in. They locate a hidden door, leading to where Wong is held captive and the drugs are refined. Ling distracts the guard, allowing Jackie the opportunity to attack.
Cast includes
- Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
- Jackie Lung / Johnny Lung - Sammo HungSammo HungSammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
- Wong Fei-Hung / Luke Wang (as Samo Hung) - Yuen BiaoYuen BiaoYuen Biao is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer...
- Tung Te-Biao / Timothy - Pauline YeungPauline YeungPauline Yeung Bo-ling is a Hong Kong actress and a former Miss Hong Kong Pageant titleholder.Yeung won the 1987 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, and went on to compete at the 1987 Miss World pageant, where she placed among the top 12 semi-finalists and going on to win the Continental Queen of Asia award....
- Wen Mei-Ling / Nancy Lee - Deannie Yip - Miss Yip
- Yuen WahYuen WahYuen Wah is a Hong Kong based Chinese action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series.-Early life:...
- Hua Hsien-Wu / Boss Wah - Chang Ling - Jackie's assistant
- Chen JingChen JingChen Jing is a table tennis player and Olympic champion for China, and later Olympic medalist for Chinese Taipei.She received a golden medal in singles and a silver medal in doubles at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul....
- Arms buyer - Crystal Kwok - Mary (Jackie's Assistant)
- Roy ChiaoRoy ChiaoRoy Chiao was a Chinese actor most famous for playing the minor villain Lao Che in the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Other English speaking film appearances of his included roles in the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport, the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon and the...
- Judge Lo Chun-Wai - Benny UrquidezBenny UrquidezBenny Urquidez is an American kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed, The Jet, Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the U.S. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974 – the year of its inception...
- Thug (Scary Leader) (doubled by MarsMars (actor)Mars , born Cheung Wing Fat is a Hong Kong actor, action director, stuntman and martial artist. He is one of Jackie Chan's best friends.-Early life:...
) - Billy ChowBilly ChowBilly Chow , is an Chinese Canadian actor, martial artist and the former world kickboxing champion...
- Thug - Chan Lung - Factory Thug (uncredited)
- Chung Fat - Ship Thug (uncredited)
- Fung Hark-On - Ship Thug (uncredited)
- Wong Yu - Ship Thug (uncredited)
- Yuen Cheung-YanYuen Cheung-YanYuen Cheung-Yan is an actor, director, stuntman, and fight choreographer who has worked for many years in the Hong Kong film industry. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he worked with Yuen Woo-Ping and other members of the Yuen family on several films, some of them bizarre kung fu comedies such as...
- Ship Thug (uncredited) - Lau Kar WingLau Kar WingLau Kar Wing is a Hong Kong martial arts film director, action choreographer and actor.-Background:Born in the Xinhui District of Jiangmen in Guangdong, China, Lau Kar Wing was the fourth child of Lau Cham , a martial arts master who studied under Lam Sai Wing, pupil of the legendary Chinese folk...
- Ship Thug (uncredited) - Mang Hoi - Ship Thug (uncredited)
- Stanley FungStanley FungStanley Fung Shui-fan is a Hong Kong actor and film director. He was one of the Lucky Stars.-Filmography:*I Love Hong Kong *Vengeance *Accident *Hooked On You - Miu's Dad*Love Is a Many Stupid Thing...
- Psychiatrist (cut in Hong Kong version) (uncredited) - Lay Kah - Thug (uncredited)
- Phillip Ko - Thug (as Ko Fai)
- Kuen Chan Fu - Thug (uncredited)
- Lam Wai - Bar Thug
- Chin Kar-lok - Bar Thug (uncredited)
- Wan Faat - Bar Thug (uncredited)
- Chan Tat-kwong - Bar Thug (uncredited)
- Lee Ka Ting - Thug (credited as "Lee Ka Ding")
- Kong Lung - Thug (uncredited)
- Lo LiehLo LiehLo Lieh was a Hong Kong actor in martial arts films. His real name is Wang Lap Tat. After his parents sent him back to China he attended acting school in Hong Kong. He began his martial arts training in 1962 and joined the Shaw Brothers Studio in the same year and went on to become one of the...
- Triad Gangster Boss (uncredited) - Lau Chau Sang - Factory Thug (uncredited)
- Po Tai - Ship Waiter (uncredited)
- Cho Wing - Factory Thug (uncredited)
- King Lee - Factory Thug (uncredited)
- Danny Chow - Thug Leader at the Beginning / Ship Thug (2 roles)(uncredited)
- Johnny Cheung - Thug at the Beginning / Factory Thug (2 roles) (uncredited)
- Benny Lai - Thug at the Beginning / Factory Thug / Ship Waiter (3 roles) (uncredited)
- Rocky Lai - Thug at the Beginning / Factory Thug (2 roles) (uncredited)
- Nicky Li - Thug (uncredited)
- Kam Kong Chow - Factory Thug (uncredited)
- Lung Kong - Arms buyer
- Shing Fui-OnShing Fui-OnShing Fui On was a Hong Kong actor, best known for his supporting roles in Hong Kong cinema. He had only one leading role in his entire career.-Biography:...
- Mao Shih-Cheng (uncredited) - Shum Wai - Jackie's boss (uncredited)
- James TienJames Tien (actor)James Tien Chun is a Hong Kong actor from Guangdong, China. He appeared in almost 70 films, primarily in Hong Kong action cinema, including roles in the films of martial arts stars including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. He often played villains or supporting roles...
- Security Boss Charlie Feng - Sam Wai - Thug
- Wan Wong Yu - Thug (uncredited)
- Dick WeiDick WeiDick Wei is a Taiwanese actor, director and writer who specializes in martial arts and action films.-Early life & career:...
- Ship and Bar Thug Leader - Fruit ChanFruit ChanFruit Chan Gor is an independent Hong Kong Second Wave screenwriter, filmmaker and producer, who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors in his films...
- Restaurant Patron (extra) (uncredited) - James HaJames HaJames Stephen Gee Ha , commonly known as James Ha and nicknamed Bullet, is a Hong Kong footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Kitchee. He is a member of Hong Kong national under-23 football team, but was born in England...
- Triad Boss thug (extra) (uncredited) - Woo Fung - Man, the Attorney
- Wu MaWu MaWu Ma is a Chinese actor, director, producer and writer. Wu Ma made his screen debut in 1963, and with over 180 appearances to his name , Wu Ma is one of the most familiar faces in the history of Hong Kong Cinema...
- Gentleman - Chris Chan - Thug
Reception
On the Hong Kong Legends DVD release of Dragons Forever, Hong Kong cinema expert Bey LoganBey Logan
Bey Logan is a respected expert on East Asian cinema, particularly Hong Kong action cinema. He is also notable as a screenwriter, film producer and as a martial artist who has had roles in a number of films, including the 2003 Dante Lam film The Twins Effect.He has written two books - Hong Kong...
offers his opinion of why the film underperformed both in the domestic and Japanese markets. The primary reason cited is that the actors played roles against type. Jackie Chan plays a slick lawyer who chases women, in contrast to the happy-go-lucky everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
characters he usually plays. Similarly, Yuen Biao plays an eccentric and possibly mentally disturbed character, rather than the underdog character fans were used to. For Sammo Hung, rather than the timid character that's been described in earlier films, he instead plays like a rascal. Logan explains that in general, the cinema going public in Hong Kong are not as open to such departures of role as, perhaps, the public in the West would be.
Additional reasons cited include the occasional use of coarse language in the film, and the scenes of narcotics production, particularly Hung's character being injected with drugs against his will.
The fact that Chan's character has a relationship with a woman may also have had an effect, particularly in the Japanese market, as many female viewers couldn't accept that their idol wasn't single.
On learning that Chan was in a relationship in real life, one Japanese fan had committed suicide and another poisoned herself in the offices of Golden Harvest.
Box office
Dragons Forever grossed HK $33,578,920 in its Hong Kong theatrical run. Whilst the domestic gross was not poor, to Golden HarvestGolden Harvest
Golden Harvest is a film production, distribution, and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It played a major role in becoming the first Chinese film company to successfully enter the western market for an extended period of time, especially with the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan...
it was comparatively weak for a Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
release, considering it featured the three biggest stars of Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
. Box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
returns in other parts of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
were also lower than expected.