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TWO
DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER (1976)
Tai
Seng/Martial Arts Theater
Directed
by Cheng Sheng En
Music by Wong Chu Jen
Produced by Chin Chao Pak and Tsu Kang
Written by Cheng Sheng Jen
Cinematography by Cheung Jui-Lin
Cast: Lung Tien Sheng, Wong Kuan Hsiung, Kao Chen Ping, Wong Fei Lung,
Chin Sung Chao, Chow Ming Chin, Tza Lan, Chang Chi Ping
Video:
Full Frame (1.33:1)
Audio: Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
Subtitles: None
Packaging:
Keepcase
Chapter Stops: 8
86 Minutes
Hundreds of martial arts movies sprang up out of Taiwan and Korea following the death of Bruce Lee in the early seventies. The long-winded title of TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER is a just one of many movies picked up for video distribution by Ocean Shores, and rescued from obscurity by Tai Seng. The movie stars ex-Shaw Brothers performer Lung Tien Sheng (the Spearman himself), who can be seen in several of the Chang Cheh Venom pictures including FLAG OF IRON (1980), TEN TIGERS OF KWANTUNG (1981), HOUSE OF TRAPS (1982), and CHINESE SUPER NINJAS (1982). His co-star is Wang Kuan Hsiung, an independent performer with an impressive resume including LADY CONSTABLES (1978), GREEN JADE STATUETTE (1978), and CHIVALROUS INN (1979). Hong Kong bad boy Wong Fei Lung plays the antagonist, a lecherous army captain with supreme knowledge of Kung Fu. Wong Fei Lung carried out heinous acts in such classics as ONE ARMED BOXER (1971), MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (1976), and EIGHTEEN BRONZEMEN (1976). His co-conspirator is the gold hungry Chin Chung Chao, from REVENGE OF THE IRON FIST MAIDEN (1973), RETURN OF THE CHINESE BOXER (1974), and THE HOT, THE COOL, THE VICIOUS (1976). TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER is carefully directed by Cheng Sheng En, the man who also brought you ONE ARMED SWORDSWOMAN (1971), EIGHT DRAGON SWORD (1972), and ONE ARMED CHIVALRY FIGHTS AGAINST ONE ARMED CHIVALRY (1976). TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER benefits from its large cast of attractive Taiwanese actresses (probably just models in real life). Though none of them employ any Kung Fu, they provide a significant level of eye-candy to the surreal imagery.
A group of jovial miners are at the end of their rope. For years they’ve mined the riverbed for gold, but to no avail. They are tired and desperate and nearly come to blows with one another over the matter. One day, they stumble onto a major vein of gold nuggets in the mountains. They plan to split the money, find wives at the local village, and then retire. However, due to political unrest between the Southern Chinese and the oppressive Northern Army who are on the brink of war, they are nervous that the corrupt authorities will confiscate the gold for themselves if word gets out. Instead, they elect to send their toughest fighter, Wan Lung (Wang Kuan Hsiung), into the nearby village and round up women who want to marry rich men. A corrupt fighter called Lung Wu (Chin Chung Chao) shows up and challenges the miners to beat him for ownership of the gold. Lung Wu mops up the floor with the miners until Wan Lung sends the villain packing. But Wan Lung has an agenda of his own. His beloved was raped by a corrupt Army Captain, Chu Di Wu (Wong Fei Lung), causing her to commit suicide in shame. And like all Kung Fu heroes, he wants revenge. Nevertheless, he agrees to go to town to recruit mates for his friends. Once in town, he runs into his lover’s twin sister. She reveals that she also hates Chu Di Wu. She insists that they must bide their time if they are to kill him, as Chu Di Wu is a high ranking captain for the Northern Army.
The twin sister also assists in rounding up a bunch of pretty women for Wan Lung to take back to his fellow miners. He puts them up all up at the local inn, where a mysterious stranger, Brother Nan (Tien Sheng Lung) watches the women in awe. Wan Lung believes him to be another horny official and puts Brother Nan to the test. Both men fight each other extremely well, and the battle goes on for a long time, culminating in a stalemate while they are maneuvered between two walls. While all this action is going on, the lecherous Lung Wu (who wants the gold for himself) kidnaps the women at gun point, and forces them off into the forests. Wan Lung and Brother Nan realize they’ve been shafted, and follow suit. Luckily they are able to track the women and lay the smack down on the greedy Lung Wu. Once this deed is done, Wan Lung and Brother Nan forge a new respect and friendship for one another. But when Lung Wu is not looking, Brother Nan sucker punches him and knocks him out. He then revels his secret plans to the women. He uses the gold to purchase the Inn and sets up shop to make it look like a whorehouse. Then he sends the most beautiful of the women to the Northern Army Captain’s headquarters, and it turns out to be the hated Chu Di Wu. She lays on the charm convincing him to go to the Inn. Chu Di Wu falls for the trap and he and his men return to Inn for some fun and games. What they don’t expect is Brother Nan, who reveals he is a South China revolutionary. The fight begins and Chu Di Wu proves why he achieved his position in the army—it’s because of his deadly Kung Fu skills which even prove too much for Brother Nan. However, when Wu Lung learns that Chu Di Wu is in the house, he goes on a one-way martial arts rampage to hell.
Plot-wise, TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER is a step above your average martial arts pot-boiler. It helps that there is no humor in the proceedings and the director gets points for generating suspense. He also provides some fine cinematography. The fight scenes are captured uniquely with wild camera angles that make you sit up and take notice. For instance, in the confrontation between Tien Sheng Lung and Wang Kuan Hsiung, they are sparring while pinioning themselves up between two walls, while the camera photographs the action from underneath them. In another intense scene, two men go at it on top of a scaffold, with each blow threatening to send the opponent falling to the ground below. More fancy photography captures it all. The fight scenes and stunt work are impressive and they are well paced in the movie, so there is no lagging. So while this may sound good on paper, there are two majors issues with TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER that keep it from being a standout film. The first is a surprise since the camera angles and overall cinematography are impressive; the editing is terribly weak. The second and biggest problem of all, is the dreaded speed-ups (or over-cranking) in the choreography. The fine efforts of the players are undermined by this practice that totally ruins the action for me. It doesn’t bother me if its used sparingly and sometimes (like slow motion) it can make a fight scene more dramatic, but only if overcranking is used minimally. TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER is non-stop over-cranking so every martial artist in the film looks like that super hero, The Flash.
SIGHT
TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER was filmed in 1976 on low grade film stock and shot in the 2.35.1 ratio. Tai Seng’s presentation is mastered from a Ocean Shores beta source (which means its cropped to 1.33.1) and you would expect such a vintage production to look very poor. The transfer is chock full of grain, blemishes, and discoloration, but its not as bad as you might suspect. Even though the film is a bit dark, there is a good amount of color that seeps through—check out the colorful garb of the women’s clothing. Despite being cropped, the cinematography reveals a fair amount of detail. The transfer preserves the slick photography of Cheng Sheng En, showcasing the brutal yet intricate martial arts sequences. I cannot, however, agree with the director’s decision to over-crank nearly every moment of action in TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER (and there is a lot).
SOUND
The sound on Tai Seng’s disc is Dolby Digital Mono 2.0. The frequency levels exhibit a broad range of highs and lows, resulting in crisp and clear acoustics. TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER is presented without the hiss, pops, distortion, or other analog deficiencies that plague videotape. The extended fight scenes really languish on and on, so the soundtrack is constantly reverberating with punches, chops, kicks, and even gunshots. Surprisingly, TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER features a well-done English dub track which holds up well in the center channel. The score resonates with orchestral arrangements which help flush out the drama. A solid mono mix from Tai Seng.
FEATURES
- The only extras are English language trailers for these upcoming Tai Seng special edition DVDs (all trailers are widescreen with Dolby Digital Mono sound):
- RUNNING OUT OF TIME
- DRAGON INN
- ARMAGEDDON
- THE DUEL
- FIST POWER
- BODY WEAPON
- DEADFUL MELODY
- THE ASSASSIN
- FISTS OF FURY (TV)
There is also the requisite 30-second Martial Arts Theatre compilation trailer.
CONCLUSION
TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER features a decent screenplay, a strong cast of under appreciated independent performers, and some innovative camera work. But in my opinion, its all rendered moot thanks to the decision to castrate the efforts of the martial arts performers through over-cranking. Some sloppy editing doesn’t help things either. Tai Seng’s DVD transfer is better than expected, though its no where close to being perfect. Had director Cheng Sheng En had the balls NOT to enhance his fight scenes, TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER would be warmly recommended on the fight scenes alone. This major stumbling block is a subjective one which puts the movie out of favor with me, but may not be a problem for others out there in fandom.
TWO DRAGONS FIGHT AGAINST TIGER is available from HKFlix.com
-- Tony Mustafa
| Movie: |
3.0 |
| Video: |
2.5 |
| Audio: |
3.0 |
| Extras: |
1.0 |
| Overall: |
3.0 |
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