The Tattooed Dragon releases on Blu-Ray from Eureka Entertainment on July 22.
Home distro outlet Eureka Entertainment continues to celebrate the greats this summer with Lo Wei’s 1973 kung fu classic, The Tattooed Dragon. The film, presented in 1080p HD from a new 2K restoration, stars Jimmy Wang Yu, James Tien and Sam Hui comes in an O-card slipcase and loaded with plentiful features to make the purchase worthwhile.
Making the case is Wang who leads the charge as Zeng, a virtuous martial artist who gets w ounded while retrieving a pouch of stolen funds from a gang of thieves. Wounded, his recurring battles find him finding refuge at a duck farm, taken in by duck farmer Xiao Yang (Hui), as well as friends Ah Xiang (Sylvia Chang) and friend Ah Kun (Li Kun).
The bulk of the story from then on explores Kun Kit and Ai Chia, and their romantic impasse as the latter’s uncle insists on the two getting married, Kun Kit’s own reluctance and reasoning notwithstanding. Kun Kit, who lives on his farm with loyal dog, Lanni, is focused on raising and growing his ducks so he can sell them and make money. He’s also a prizefighter so his skills in the ring can also come handy in that effort.
This aspect of The Tattooed Dragon is just one of several core themes that bookend the film as we learn the larger antagonistic role at hand: the aforementioned gang who act as loan sharks for their casino, run by the rich and equally evil Jun Lee Kwan (James Tien). It’s the casino’s very parasitic nature and enabling of the villagers’ crippling gambling addictions – waging everything from what’s in their coffers to the deeds for their properties, that bring the stakes to the forefront of the major fight that lies ahead.
It’s not until about halfway into the film that we begin to seriously see those stakes for ourselves when one patron’s gambling habits finally take a toll on a whole family with tragic results. When the casino lashes out against Uncle Fu, the heroic Zeng, still on the mend, puts a plan into action to win back the peoples’ money, forcing Kwan’s hand as Zeng soon takes matters into his own deadly hands.
As far as seventies kung fu films ago, The Tattooed Dragon is certainly an acquired taste. My first dives into the era many years ago were all of a Seven Little Fortunes variety apart from Bruce Lee and the usual suspects, although getting older does draw out some space for appreciation for classics like these. I never saw a lot of Jimmy Wang Yu growing up, and the only film that ever came on regularly in the past thirty years or so on satelite was 1976’s Master Of The Flying Guillotine which Wang himself directed.
It’s still not a favorite though, like a lot of older classics, but I do hold space for The Tattooed Dragon as a core piece of film history for any kung fu fan with a keenness for old school grit to the fandom. Tonally, it’s got some levity to the character development and energy overall, while it does get pretty damn dark at times. I’ll say it here too – there were times when I thought Lanni wasn’t gonna live to see the end of the film. That’s how shitty these villains are, but thankfully that isn’t the case, while Tien and the rest of the lot prove to be more than enough challenge for our lead.
The action is a carefully choreographed and performed feature of the film, coordinated by Simon Hsu. Cleverly shot leaps and bounds off of trampolines are on the menu for some of the high-flying moments; One shot in particular gave me a giggle near the start of the film when Zeng appears behind a brick wall and the same shot is made before panning the camera upward to see the hero-shot as he looks down on the thugs.
While the action, too, is an acquired taste for kung fu fans, Wang’s charisma is enough that he carries the role with ease. Tien’s role takes a backseat for most of the way between scenes until the final act where his character finally steps out with his own brand of fisticuffs. Wang is a one-man army left to tango with both the boss and his men and it’s a great sequence, albeit elevated firmly by Wang’s and Tien’s exchanges.
The Tattooed Dragon has double-sided artwork for its cover, with one side featuring new ink by Sean Longmore. It also comes with a limited edition collector’s booklet written by film critic and writer James Oliver. Optional listening tracks include English and Mandarin audio, as well as paired commentaries on one by East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng, and another with recurring duo Mike Leeder and Arne Venema.
The disc also includes “Here Be Dragons,” a sixteen-minute video essay in which martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong discusses the film as well as Lo Wei’s memorable career, as well as US and Original trailers, and an English version of the film’s introductory credit roll for its international release. If you’re a physical media collector and a fan of Eureka’s output thusfar, their print of The Tattooed Dragon ought to leave enough of an impression for your fandom.
