Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Stephen Abell I've been a fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme films since No Retreat No Surrender back in 1986, in fact, that's when my interest in martial arts movies started to grow. To be honest, Van Damme has done some bad films in his time and this has to be one of the worst, though not because of him... Van Damme is the strongest actor in the cast.This is a strange story of police corruption and gang warfare which flares up out of control when Hong, played by Cung Le is released from prison and drives into St. Jude. So that premise alone should allow for great drama and martial arts action, especially as Cung Le is a mixed martial arts champion and the cast sports Peter Weller as the crooked cop Mister V. However, the story is weak and full of plot holes, whereas the martial arts scenes are all fought in slow motion and is easier to spot the fakes and the fluffs - the thrown punches that miss their opponent. The slowness also distracts from the action. There was a reason some 80's martial arts films speeded up the action, they knew it made it more exciting. Hence, you slow it down and it gets boring. This was a major fubar by director John Hyams - the other was to try and make the film stylish and cool, it was too obvious and failed miserably.Then there's the set's these are so cheap and tacky they look as if they were either abandoned buildings or somebodies garage. Should have paid for a location scout, people.It's Weller as the over-the-top Mister V and Van Damme as Tiano who actually appear to give a damn about the film as they both get into their characters pretty well, though it's nowhere nearly enough to raise this out of the toilet it should be flushed down.Yet another movie that could have been so much better had things been done differently.I wouldn't even recommend this to Van Damme fans as he's just not in it fo long enough. If you're thinking of making a martial arts film then you could watch this to see how it shouldn't be done!

sydewynder033 Just plain god awful, Im a big JCVD fan and this was very misleading as he did nothing to add anything to this film. Story was plain stupid, the scenes were confusing and murky, Wasted an hour and half of my life watching this, would have turned it off halfway thru but kept thinking it would get better. NOPE!!!! The acting was stilted, the lines were cheesy, it was like a 7th grade attempt at a homemade video for drama club. The music score was also nothing but rap crap, not even good rap, like there is such a thing , but this was bad!!!! I can only say this, JCVD, see my boy Stallone, he can show you how to make a comeback. I will admit the main Character, Cung Le is pretty decent martial arts actor, just needs better writers and producers my friend.

rgblakey Fan or not, there is no denying Jean-Claude Van Damme's action star status throughout the 90's. Over the years he has made a name for himself in the straight to video market, but unlike some out there his movies have held a sense of quality on some level. His latest film Dragon Eyes brings along MMA fighter Cung Le, but takes Van Damme in a different role than we are used to seeing him in.Dragon Eyes follows a man who moves into neighborhood living in fear thanks to the rival gangs at war. Slowly he begins playing them against each other using his martial arts skills he learned from his mentor while serving time in prison. Just as he starts gaining control in the neighborhood he is thrust into a war with a corrupt police chief as well as the gangs to try and defend the scared people of this desperate neighborhood. While the story here isn't anything all that original it still gives it that old school feel. It kind of goes all over the place at times and seems to suffer a bit due to editing, but not enough to hurt the overall film. This film is very much like most martial arts films of the 80's and 90's. Cung Le takes the lead and does a decent job. His acting skills are slowly but surely getting better, but this is his first time out carrying one on his own shoulders and he does a fine job. Van Damme takes a back seat approach playing more of a Mr. Miyagi to Cung Le with very little dialogue, but still delivering an effective character through action. This film is clearly more about the martial arts and there is no shortage. Le does a great job with the fights delivering some well-choreographed entertaining fights.This is an old school martial arts film that fans of the genre will have fun with. Cung Le has made numerous films, but his turn as the lead here showcases a new generation of action star that he could easily fill. Van Damme serves his purpose here very effectively and gives you just enough of what he does best to tide you over until he steps it up as the villain in The Expendables 2.http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

zardoz-13 This pugnacious criminal melodrama about a taciturn Asian who smashes a drug running operation qualifies as standard-issue stuff from start to finish. Nevertheless, "Universal Soldier: Regeneration" director John Hyams doesn't let the low budget undercut his gripping but formulaic thriller. Basically, "Dragon Eyes" is a modern day town-taming western. An enigmatic loner, Mr. Hong, is dispatched to the small town of St. Jude as a favor to a cell mate that served as his mentor. St. Jude is seething with anarchy. Pushers are selling drugs on the street, and the authorities are crooky. Although the setting and the characters are different, Hyams and scenarist Tim Tori have appropriated the Dashiell Hammett's novel "Red Harvest" as the template for this brawny slugfest as our reticent protagonist (former MMA champion Cung Le of "Pandorum") infiltrates the local gangs and manages to turn them against each other. The main villain cuts a flamboyant figure in a fedora named Mr. V (Peter Weller of "Robocop"), and he delivers a first-rate performance as a murderous crime lord who has no qualms about killing in cold blood. Martial arts legend Jean Claude Van Damme appears in our hero's flashbacks and serves as our hero's mentor. Hyams never lets the action slacken, and he stagess several effective, knuckle-smashing fights. Of course, the action supersedes plot, and the characters are strictly one-dimensional. "Dragon Eyes" contains some earthy dialogue, consistently cynical attitudes, and free-flowing violence that generates a body count. The amazing thing about "Dragon Eyes" is that Hyams keeps everything down-to-earth and believable. The action occurs in rooms, around apartments, but never ventures out into sprawling cityscapes. This is a no-nonsense brawling that doesn't wear out its welcome at 92 crisp minutes.