Bridge of Dragons
by Isaac Florentine
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Dolph Lundgren, Gary Hudson, John Bennett, Valerie ChowDirector: Isaac Florentine
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: Avi Lerner
Producer: Boaz Davidson
Producer: Clint Lien
Writer: Clint Lien
Producer: Danny Dimbort
Writer: Carlton Holder
Writer: Greg Latter
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: Pan & Scan, 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-11-16
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Movie Reviews of Bridge of Dragons
Movie Review: Are There Really Dragons Here?
Summary: 3 Stars
In a time not our own, the evil General Ruechang (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, "Mortal Kombat") has killed the king of the land and plans to solidify his claim to power by marrying the king's only daughter, Princess Halo (Valerie Chow, "Chungking Express"). When the defiant young maiden escapes into the wilderness occupied by anti-state revolutionaries, the General sends his greatest warrior, Warchild (Dolph Lundgren, "Universal Soldier"), to bring her back - not knowing that he may be swayed by the plight of the princess in favor of the rebel cause.
"Bridge of Dragons" is a strange movie for everybody involved, from the cast to director Isaac Florentine ("Undisputed II: Last Man Standing"). For starters, I have no idea what the title refers to, since there is no actual bridge, no actual dragons, and no direct metaphorical reference to either. Secondly, the film opens with a text scrawl informing viewers of the usurping of the throne, which gives the momentary impression that you're about to watch a medieval film. Of course, this isn't exactly a misconception: the movie is one big anachronism, featuring influences from the dark ages (e.g. an apparent feudal system and monarchy), modern and post-modern times (conflicting weaponry and ceremonial garb), the Victorian era (horse-drawn carriages), and World War II (soldiers wearing Axis-esque uniforms). Oh, and Tagawa's character sports a gold-fringed suit that looks exactly like something Michael Jackson would wear. It doesn't exactly come together seamlessly and definitely catches you off-guard, but I found this to be the most interesting part of the movie.
The acting is a mixed bag: all performers must contend with some very stupid dialogue, but it hits some harder than others. Lundgren, Chow, and Tagawa more or less carry the movie by themselves since few others are given any real screentime - with the limited exceptions of Gary Hudson ("Paradise Falls") as Warchild's comrade and Jo Kendall ("Howards End") as Halo's nurse - but while Lundgren and Chow manage to save at least some face, the usually-adamant Tagawa overdoes his trademark scowling and comes across a reasonably stupid. Lundgren's eventual turn from bad to good also seems a bit forced, by the Swedish Superman pulls it off with integrity.
There's no denying the movie's abundant action content, but this too is hit-and-miss. There are five shootouts of varying quality, although each of them consistently feature slanted camera angles, lots of guys falling over without visibly being hit by bullets, and some high flips-to-death that have become Florentine's trademark. There are some roundhouse and spinning back kicks thrown by Lundgren here and there, but the only decisive martial arts encounter is the climatic battle between him and Tagawa, which is surprisingly good even in the presence of some stunt doubles. The best action scene, however, is an "American Gladiator"-style stick fight between Warchild and Halo on raised poles to which I kept hoping for a rematch that never came.
There's some obvious dubbing of the voices of minor characters, but this is made up for by neat cinematography and the overall directorial know-how by Florentine, who really maximized his resources to craft a small fantasy flick that's certainly worth the watch. I only wish he had maximized the amount of action as well: a few more of those stick fights and this may have been a classic.
Summary of Bridge of Dragons
Adopted by the warlord Ruechang, The Warrior has been raised the perfect soldier. But now he must find the humanity within that will guide him towards rebellion and justice. With the aid of a princess trained in the martial arts, he must defeat the forces of the man who saved his life ... and face Ruechang in an explosive, bloody fight to the finish.Action & Adventure DVD Video
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