An even better way to lose your head!
That’s right, not content to let other production companies have all the fun with the flying guillotine routine, the Shaw Brothers put forth a copycat effort with yet another flying instrument of death. It whistles! It comes back to you! It lops off heads in a spectacular fashion! It’s The Dragon Missile, the true star of this slice of chop socky entertainment.
The Dragon Missile begins with a medical crisis as Sima Jun (a good performance from Lo Lieh) is tasked with saving Lord Qin Quan (Ku Feng), his corrupt master, who has a life-threatening boil on his back and needs some rattan with which to survive. This root is rare and, when the doctor is insulted and refuses to give it to him, Sima Jun is ordered to decapitate him, which he does with some cool bad guy swagger.
That’s right, folks. For this journey through The East, our main character is a bad guy, whose body count with those razor sharp boomerangs he’s carrying climbs in numbers as the story grows . . . because - as it turns out - there’s not just one person that needs this medicinal root and Sima Jun doesn’t care who he has to kill to get it.
It’s an interesting turn for the film to take, but - quite honestly - staying with the bad guy for so long is a class act. We get to understand his motives and his methods and, as we sort of stumble into the good guys, he appears a bit more sympathetic to us by the end of the movie, in which all the bad shit that he does catches up to him.
Directed by Hoh Mung Wa (Killer Darts, Vengeance Is A Golden Blade) and written by Kuang Ni, The Dragon Missile features strong production values throughout and offers some very fine performances from Tony Liu, Nancy Yen, Chih-Ching Yang, and Li-Jen Ho as Doctor Fu. It’s an often overlooked gem from the studio, but it's straightforward approach to its story makes it quite watchable as heads pop off and limbs are severed, all for the pursuit of some much needed medicine.
The Dragon Missile is now on blu-ray as part of Shout Factory’s handling of the Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol 2, which includes 12 classic martial arts films from their famous library, featuring some of their greatest stars Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink With Me), Lo Lieh (King Boxer), Sammo Hung (Wheels On Meals), Ti Lung (A Better Tomorrow), and David Chiang (The Boxer From Shantung). Many of these films are debuting for the first time on Blu-ray.
Get ready for some exciting thrills and chills as heroes meet villains in a duel to the death!
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - August 15, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 12-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
The many fans of the internationally popular Flying Guillotine films and international star Lo Lieh (King Boxer) will love this movie, featuring some of the most exciting martial arts machinery ever conceived. Everybody's fighting for a special elixir and the title tool – an ultra-cool flying boomerang with blades. There are double crosses and ambushes galore before the culminating clash of sizzling steel that must be seen to be believed.
Video
Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, The Dragon Missile, is, like a lot of Shaw Brothers productions, very bloody. Interiors are strong. Colors pop throughout, but it is the blood effects - burning bright in the transfer - which seal the deal on this one. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080- upgrade. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments of this epic adventure. The tracking shots are glorious to behold in 1080p.
Audio
The audio is presented with your choice of a clean lossless Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New English Subtitle Translations and an English dub.
Supplements:
Once again, Shout Factory delivers solid supplemental items designed to further your interest in Martial Arts films.
Commentary:
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There are two new commentaries included on the disc. See below for the breakdown.
Special Features:
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NEW Audio Commentary By James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
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NEW Cutting Comments – Jim Marcovic, Editor Of Many Martial Arts Trailers For U.S. Cinemas During The 70s And 80s, Speaks About The Kung Fu Film Boom
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Trailers For Shaw Brothers Classics Volume 1 And The Brave Archer Collection (The Jade Raksha, Little Dragon Maiden, Killer Darts, The Flying Dagger, Dragon Swamp, The Brave Archer And His Mate, The Bells of Death, The Sword of Swords, The Invincible Fist, And The Thundering Sword)
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 82 mins
Director: Meng-Hua Ho
Writer: Kuang Ni
Cast: Lieh Lo; Tony Liu; Nancy Yen
Genre: Acttion | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date:
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: April 24, 1976 (Hon Kong)
Synopsis: An evil gang of martial artists fight for a healing elixir against a specialist that fights with boomerang blades - the Dragon Missiles!
