Cebalord
Very best movie i ever watch
Nonureva
Really Surprised!
Catangro
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Portia Hilton
Blistering performances.
Ronnie Khoo
I disagree with most of the other reviewers. Dance of the Dragon is a terrible, terrible movie. It is all form and little substance, like one long beer commercial. Too much emphasis is given to making the movie look pretty. This indulgence would not have been so painful if the rest of the movie lived up to the cinematics and incessant, evocative score.The lead characters are vacuous and 1-dimensional, spouting lines that could be written by teenagers for a bad school play. There is little to no screen chemistry between them, and the film editing makes it hard to believe some of them can even dance (my guess is they cannot).Nothing about the movie seems grounded in anything meaningful, even clinically clean Singapore is crassly reinterpreted. The characters appear to have found a nook in modern Singapore caught in a 1930s time warp. One gaffe is the portrayal of a dingy public toilet, there is no such thing in Singapore!It is unfortunate that the director provides such a cursory and unrealistic rendition of the film's location when there is so much more unspoken commentary to explore. If moss-stained walls and run down furnishing was the intended setting, then the film should have been set in true-to-life Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur. Please reference Tsai Min- Liang's I Don't Want to Sleep Alone. Perhaps the most unforgivable flaw of this film is its inability to evoke any excitement or deeper comprehension for the world of Dance. It could be argued that the film is about the pursuit of dreams, not about dance per se. All the best movies about dancing were also about the pursuit of dreams, and much much more (Flashdance, Strictly Ballroom, Saturday Night Fever, Billy Elliot). Even Kung-Fu Panda showed us more about kung-fu than this movie did with dance.For a film with the word 'dance' in its title, the glaring omission of anything remotely informative about dance itself is a real shame. Again, form trumped substance, and where we could have passionate dialogue expounding the hidden philosophies of dance, instead we were treated to one Korean pretty boy flexing biceps in slow motion. The directors treatment of the film's driving point was much like his treatment of the film's location: cursory and superficial. I just don't see people signing up in droves for dance lessons after watching this film.Ultimately this movie's undoing was in taking itself too seriously, its pretension only served to magnify all its obvious shortcomings. As far as pretty Asian cinema is concerned, far more capable directors have made far better films: Wong Kar Wai, Shunji Iwai, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.
TeganFrancis
Singapore is the setting of this beautiful English-language film with a distinctly European feel and treatment to it. The film, a furious interplay of martial arts and ballroom dancing routines decorating the relatively simple storyline of a love triangle, showcased some very good acting, notably from Jang Hyuk and Fann Wong. I liked it that the film was driven by a core of humanity, viewing the protagonist and his struggles through realist and dreamy lens alternating to indicate the interplay between reality and dreams. The cinematography framed various ambient shots of the Asian city state in a slate of soft pastel colors easy on the eye. The beautiful and talented cast fleshed out a plethora of naturalistic emotions, with Jang Hyuk and Fann Wong particularly outstanding. Jason Scott Lee's presence was noteworthy too. Dance of the Dragon is a film that calls for repeated viewing, to appreciate the timeless quality of universal emotions, to appreciate the classic elegance of a beautifully shot film.
kenganderson
This film is probably Jang Hyuk's best film to date, his acting is subtle and effective... and he looks hot!!. I really enjoyed the story very original idea and the shots are really nicely done. I really loved the music especially, and I love the end song Hero.. I have also loved Jason scott lee for years great to see him back on the big screen... he is a very talented actor. The Korean Scenes are also very realistic ... the family scenes are very believable. The costumes are very well designed specially the final ballroom dance scene. Fann wong is a really accomplished actress in this film... I had seen her in many local films but this is the best so far....this film is both happy and sad ... loved it!
angiechan31
I went to the sneak peaks screening of this film on the weekend at the cathay. I can't believe the Korean scenes were filmed in Singapore. I have been to Korean villages just like the one in the film, very authentic, well done, also the Korean family scenes are exactly the way I experienced it, most Singaporeans may not have seen these villages in Korea, the film is spot on!.. Jang Hyuk in this film gives his best performance to date, very different from the tough rolls in his series. Fann looks beautiful and I cried in two of her scenes. Jason Scott Lee is looking great and his performance is both touching and rewarding. well worth seeing this film!!!!!