''Heart of Dragon'', (Chinese: 龍的心) released in the United Kingdom as ''Heart of the Dragon'', is a 1985 Hong Kong

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for ...

, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

Emily Chu Emily Chu (; born 31 October 1960) is a Hong Kong film actress. Partial filmography * ''Jiu wan shi ba zhuan'' (1982) * '' Duel of the Masters'' (1983) * ''Funny Face'' (1985) * ''Heart of Dragon'' (1985) - Jenny * ''Millionaire's Express'' (1 ...

and Mang Hoi.

Yuen Biao Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun; 26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer. He was one of ...

served as the action director for the film. It is also known by the titles as ''The First Mission'' and ''Powerman III''.

Background

The film is unusual in that although featuring Sammo Hung and

Lam Ching-ying Lam Ching-ying (; born Lam Gun-bo (); 27 December 1947 – 8 November 1997) was a Hong Kong stuntman, actor, and action director. As a practitioner of martial arts Lam starred in a number of notable films that found recognition outside Hong Kong ...

, two actors famed for their kung fu abilities, neither actually perform any

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

. Golden Harvest had wanted Hung to perform fight scenes in the film, but he refused, rationalising "My character was mentally retarded, mentally disabled, so how can you ask me to fall down and suddenly become well again? And fight? They knew my fighting skills and wanted me to be part of the action but I thought that would have completely destroyed the tone of the film, the principles behind the film." The action is left to Chan and his fellow

CID CID may refer to: Film * ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film * ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film * ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film Television * ''CID'' ( ...

officers, Mang Hoi,

Yuen Wah Yuen Wah (born Yung Kai-chi; 2 September 1952) is a Hong Kong action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series. Early life Born Yung Kai-chi on 2 September 1950 ...

, Peter Chan and

Corey Yuen Corey Yuen (; born Ying Gang-ming (殷元奎); 15 February 1951) is a Hong Kong director, film director, producer, action choreographer, and former actor. Yuen was a member of the Peking Opera Schools and one of the Seven Little Fortunes. As an ...

. Despite the relative lack of action scenes, the film was nominated for the Best Action Choreography award at the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1986. It was beaten by Chan's '' Police Story''. The bad guys are led by

James Tien James Tien is the name of: *James Tien (actor) (; born 1942), Hong Kong actor from Guangdong *James Tien (politician) (; born 1947), Hong Kong politician, former Liberal Party chairman and Legislative Council member *James M. Tien, American enginee ...

and include

Dick Wei Dick Wei (, born April 15, 1953) is a Taiwanese actor, director and writer who specializes in martial arts and action films. Early life and career A Hakka, he was born in the town of Pingtung in southern Taiwan and began studying martial art ...

Chung Fat Chung Fat was born on (December 2nd, 1953) and is a native of Guangdong, He is also a Hong Kong film actor, choreographer, producer and director. He primarily stars in jiangshi fictions and martial art movies . Performing experience Chung Fat ...

, Phillip Ko and Kao Sau-leung. The film also features a small role for

Wu Ma Fung Wang-yuen (22 September 1942 – 4 February 2014), better known by his stage name Wu Ma, was a Hong Kong actor, director, producer and writer. Wu Ma made his screen debut in 1963, and with over 240 appearances to his name (plus 49 directoria ...

as a restaurant owner and, like ''

My Lucky Stars ''My Lucky Stars'' () is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, written by Barry Wong, and starring Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. It was released as ''5 Lucky Stars'' in Japan and as ''Ninja Encounter'' in the Philippines ...

'', Sammo Hung's real life brother makes a cameo appearance as a Policeman (who walks into Inspector Wong's office without knocking).

Cast and roles

as Ted / Tat Fung (doubled by

) *

as Danny / Dodo Fung *

as Jenny * Mang Hoi as Yan *

as SWAT Team Commander * Peter Chan as SWAT Team Member *

Chin Kar-lok Chin Ka-lok, sometimes credited as Chin Kar-lok (Chinese: 錢嘉樂, Pinyin: Qián Jiālè, born 6 August 1965), is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, and television presenter. Chin was born in Hong Kong, the younger brother of actor and ...

as Lok *

as SWAT Team Member *

as SWAT Team Member * Melvin Wong as Inspector Wong * Dennis Chan as Waiter * Anthony Chan as Private Teacher *

as Moose / Cho Yee-fat / Fa *

as Mr. Kim *

as Kim's Man * Phillip Ko as Kim's Man * Shan Tai as Kim's Man * Kao Sau-leung as Kim's Man * Kong Chow as Kim's Man * Billy Ching as Kim's Man * Tai San as Kim's Man *

as Cafe Owner *

Soh Hang-suen Soh Hang-suen (10 October 1951 – 12 June 2013), (alternatively romanised as So Hung-shuen), was a Hong Kong actress. Soh worked for TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. ...

as Cafe Owner's wife * Lam Ying-fat as Edmond Pang Kwok-wah * Lee Ka-ho – Heung Chi-ming * Tze Man-ha – Mrs. Chee / Grandma * Tai Bo as Kenny * Lee Hoi-sang as Thug at restaurant * Fung Hak-on as Thug at restaurant *

Chiu Chi-ling Chiu Chi-ling (; born 1943) is a martial artist and actor who appears mostly in Kung Fu style movies produced in Hong Kong. He also teaches Hung Gar Kung Fu at Chiu Chi-ling Hung Gar Kung Fu Association, a San Francisco-based martial arts schoo ...

as Thug at restaurant

Versions

As this was intended as a dramatic film, showing a different side of Hung's acting abilities, it contains comparatively few action scenes. Two additional fight scenes were filmed, but these were cut from both the domestic Hong Kong print and the international print of the film. Due to the demands of certain markets, these scenes were included in some prints of the film, notably the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese release. They are included as additional features on the US, UK and Australian DVD releases of the film.

Box office

This film grossed HK$20.3 million at the Hong Kong box office. Although a commercial success, it was considerably low compared to the other

action blockbusters of the 80's.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Sammo Hung 1985 films 1980s action thriller films 1980s action drama films 1985 martial arts films 1980s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Sammo Hung Golden Harvest films Hong Kong action thriller films Hong Kong drama films Hong Kong martial arts films Police detective films Films about intellectual disability Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong 1985 drama films 1980s Hong Kong films