Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Destroyer Wod I seem to give a lot of 5 recently, i am not sure if its because my standards are higher or i stumble across many ordinary movies. Lets just say that my opinion of Dragon Heat is a roller coaster. In some part i was getting into the story, in other parts i was bored, i could say the same for the action as some gun fights where nice, but some others where ridiculous(snipers can't hit anything for example). The fist fights where not that numerous, but when there was one, they where pretty fine...But the problems reside in 2 things, the plot and the bad cinematography. The director tried to give the movie a special touch or i dunno, using all kinds of blurry filters and effects, and it end up just being a mess. Also the movie kinda use the old formula of presenting every character with a 5 secs clip and name on screen, because there is a lot of them, yet those clips are used and re-used in the movie, which is way too much.The plot itself is confusing a bit, hard to follow, not the worst i ever saw but its hard to get into it and understand who do what in it. At some point you just give up and tell yourself, well good cops must kill bad guys, end of the story...As for the lead roles, i would say Sammo Hung has decent screen time, he appear first like a side character but at the end your kinda thinking he is more or less one of the lead. As for Maggie Q, she only play a bad guy with not much personality. She is the Sniper who can't hit anything... lol. No fight scene either. Don't let the cover fool you.

zv300 There have been quite a few people that did not like this film and expected some sort of deep meaning from it and the characters, well that ain't gonna happen! Know why? It was not DESIGNED to be that way! It's a big budget shoot-em-up fest with an international cast, and it FAR and away succeeds at that! Most Asian film buffs are used to "Fireworks" or "JSA" or something with a solid story line and emotions, this film ain't it, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying it partway into it. Everybody is right, the characters are disposable for the most part, except strangely for the bad guys, they seemed to have all the personality which of course was not explored at any length, especially the female sniper. So why do I recommend a movie with stiff characters, a lame plot and little story? Because the action was so kinetic and fast-paced FUNNN! The gun battles were AMAZING and the concept of pitting two evenly matched Special Forces teams against each other was so strong almost anybody could have played the parts. I, like others were actually rooting for the bad-guys as they were more interesting and actually seemed to have some sort of motive to what they were doing. People complained about the stylish nature of the film, uh HELLO, we are talking Hong Kong here! And Mr. Biehn made for a good, believable villain, very convincing acting, he should get more credit for not phoning-it-in as some actors do when they are not on an A-List movie. In conclusion no, this movie is not "Masterpiece" and nor should it be judged as such, but for a HK shooter, it's at the top of it's class. Recommended.

rmj1971 Daniel Lee must have watched too many Michael Bay films, such is the speed of the editing in Dragon Squad. On top of that, the director throws in a myriad of cinematic tricks and gimmicks in an obvious attempt to try and capture a hip audience for his picture. Slow-motion, fast-motion, filters, crazy camera angles, bloody violence, a group of young actors that could pass for designer clothes store mannequins; your average thirteen year-old would probably think this is one of the best films ever made. Maybe that's the point. To a more (ahem) mature viewer, however, the movie plays like an extended pop video, where a long fringe or moody look is supposed to give our anguished heroes some depth. It doesn't. In fact as you watch the film, it begins to resemble an ultra-violent version of the A-Team. For surely only in that classic of 80s t.v. could almost a dozen protagonists firing automatic weapons in a narrow alley not hit each other with a single shot for five minutes. Aren't these people supposed to be highly trained cops and ex-special forces nutters? Duh? But then it happens. One of our paper-thin leads takes a bullet to the brain and suddenly Lee's film hits the ground running, becoming a darker and more twisted bastard of a film. So what's to recommend to the curious viewer about this movie? Well, the last half-hour is certainly more satisfyingly gritty, if just as silly, as all that has preceded it. On top of that, with our fledgling super-cops a charisma-free zone, it's up to old hands to give Dragon Squad some bite. Fortunately, (though given little to work with) Maggie Q, Michael Biehn, Sammo Hung and Jun-ho Heo managed to interject some weight into proceedings through sheer force of personality. Sammo and Heo's characters personal battle within the narrative is the film's highlight, culminating in a decent punch-up that is well choreographed by Hung protégé Chin Kar Lok. The numerous gun battles are also finely staged, certainly more brutal and bloody than the balletic shootouts of John Woo's justifiably lauded Hong Kong output. The film also has an excellent original soundtrack and there are some fun cameos, including Simon Yam (somewhat wasted), Kung-fu legend Gordon Lui (funny) and Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan (wooden). So if you're looking for a popcorn action flick with an Asian flavour, I guess you could do worse than Dragon Squad. You could also do a lot better.

Lee Alon Amalgamate improbable characters speaking a multitudinous mishmash of languages, laughably OTT action, insane dramatics and a hokey story. Of course the result would be a travesty. Not! Such a concoction can only lead to 2005's best shot at a seminal HK action flick, courtesy of dependable helmsman Daniel Lee, who previously provided us with good but wholly underrated Star Runner (2002).Better yet, Dragon Squad erases much of the bitterness left after Election cast a pall on local crime-oriented cinema, and successfully brings to the fore almost all the celebrated ingredients we love so much and have been yearning for. Chief among these are guns, which here come in almost every imaginable shape or form, occupying a huge chunk of proceedings, to the extent of bullets flying as if typhoon season had no inclination to end. This leaden deluge culminates in one of the longest gun battles on record, a scene that does drag on a bit but when viewed in the proper context surely warrants our respect. Indeed, it has been too long.Make no mistake, DS also includes a sharp touch of choppers for good measure, and characters that can take numerous slices as well as gunshot wounds before even hinting at going down. What more on any planet could you possibly ask for in a gung-ho action bonanza? All this comes as both a surprise and drought-breaker, for too much of an interval passed since the last of this blessed breed of motion picture emerged from HK, and kudos to Mei Ah for supporting the project. Cast, crew and producers apparently made sure every classic detail made it, down to smoking, an activity so cherished from bang-bang watersheds like John Woo's, despite the anti-lighting-up trend currently sweeping the globe.So you clamor for story. Silly! At any rate, there is one if you insist. Sammo Hung, one of our favorite heroes when he's not meddling with crap like Legend of the Dragon, does veteran and almost retired cop Kong Long ("Dinosaur"), who gets called upon to mentor a posse of brash Interpol agents on their most vital task to date. The titular Dragon Squad consists of Shawn Yue as special Hong Kong police officer Lok, Lawrence Chou in the role of left-handed US SWAT shooter Andy Hui, Xia Yu (In the Heat of the Sun) as smooth mainland military sniper Cheung and Eva Huang, who depicts undercover hottie Suet. In addition, former F4 member Vanness Wu comes in to help save the day as UK SAS trooper Chang, and the whole kit and caboodle apparently showcase some kind of international cooperative effort, hence the resultant linguistic snafu, with Cantonese, Putonghua and English mixed to deliciously HK-ish effect. It's all way better than Star Trek's universal translator.And while none of the good guys really excel (save maybe Sammo, who's back to form with his ubiquitous cigar in tow), it's the villains that steal the show. Facing off against the Dragon Squad, our baddies arrive in the city to take care of personal vendettas aimed at local triad maestro Tiger Duen, causing the Dragons to step in as protectors of law and order.On the evil squad we have chilling Maggie Q (Naked Weapon and the upcoming MI:3) as somewhat-demented Vietnamese sniper Song, and what a marvelous job this girl does. She definitely comes in as a natural for the bitchy-murderous type. To bolster things further, Korean actor Heo Jun Ho appears as sadistic but honorable Colonel Ko, plus action stalwart Michael Biehn (Aliens, Terminator, The Abyss) puts his two cents in via Colombian assassin Petros, leader of the bad guy cartel. All of the above generate highly distinct characters with an ominous feel, while at the same time making sure we realize they're not truly wicked, but rather driven by genuine, even valid motives. The movie goes on to depict camaraderie among the opposition, something it does not achieve in dealing with the good people.Certainly, there is an attempt here to convey more than violence, and DS spends time on sentimental content periodically, flirting with love interests and Kong Long's relationship with his daughter (Isabella Leung). While not superfluous, these segments surely play second violin to the meaty action portions, at best amounting to a harmless variation.What this picture boils down to is top-notch gun battles, done with impressive attention to detail. There's almost none of the glaring continuity problems often afflicting HK products, so things make sense, and exchanges, no matter long or short, feel and sound substantial. Compliments must go to the sound department: audio-wise, Dragon Squad makes one believe they're being shot at. And while some cast members don't convince as bonafide weapons handlers (most notably Eva Huang), others come across totally skilled, as observed in Maggie Q and Biehn.Most importantly, DS is one violent movie, drenched in crimson start to finish. With that and several gratifying mature language moments, it probably deserves a Category III rating more than Election ever did. Speaking of which, Dragon Squad also features memorable cameos, including one by Election star Simon Yam (as police captain Hong Sun). Others join the fray, too, with both Daniel Lee favorite Andy On (Black Mask II, Star Runner, New Police Story) and Li Bingbing (World without Thieves) adding to the already intoxicating recipe.Perhaps it has to do with opting for world-acclaimed supervision (Steven Seagal co-produced), or maybe we were just due for some karma adjustment. Either way, this amounts to an action experience straight from the textbooks, and should not be missed by anyone hankering for old-fashioned bullet-infused antics with more than a modest dollop of Hong Kong mannerisms.Rating: * * * *