Dragon (2011 film)

Dragon (Chinese: 武俠; pinyin: Wǔ xiá) is a 2011 Hong Kong-Chinese martial arts film directed by Peter Chan, and starring Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tang Wei.

During an autopsy, the detective Xu Baijiu, who is sent to investigate the case, discovers that one of the dead bandits was Yan Dongsheng, who is among the government's ten most wanted fugitives.

Investigating further, Xu discovers Liu's true identity: Tang Long, the second-in-command of the 72 Demons, a group of vicious and bloodthirsty warriors.

However, the ruse continues too long, and Xu is forced to revive Liu in front of the 72 Demons, who have assembled to pay respect to their fallen comrade.

Xu infiltrates the house through a hatch and, from underneath the floor, weakens the Master's defense during the fight by piercing his heel with an acupuncture needle.

[10] Still many plot details are influenced by Chang Cheh's 1960s classic, down to an appearance of veteran actor Jimmy Wang Yu, who portrayed the one armed swordsman in the original movie.

[13] Justin Chang of Variety describes the film as "a satisfyingly sinewy fusion of martial-arts actioner and brain-tickling noir from busy producer-director Peter Ho-sun Chan.

Channeling David Cronenberg's A History of Violence by way of 1917 China, this clever if over-amped thriller tackles themes of identity, honor and the latent killer instinct with a playful spirit that's never at odds with its underlying seriousness.

"[2] Maggie Lee of The Hollywood Reporter describes it as "an exhilarating martial arts entertainment that modernizes the genre while re-emphasizing its strong points.