poe426 Certainly vastly superior to the over-hyped MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (which has its moments, to be sure, but which also boasts as many negatives as positives), BLOOD OF THE DRAGON is Wang Yu at his heroic best. He was never nobler than he is here, and the storyline is reasonably coherent (not always the case with Old School kung fu movies). The only real problem I have with this one: I've seen it three times, now (once during its initial theatrical run and twice on DVD), and there's an abrupt jump-cut during the final showdown that's still jarring, after all these years. One would think that some enterprising distributor could find a decent print of this one after all these years... (And, no sooner do I lodge the complaint than I come across a print that features the missing action: it shows Wang Yu's opponent, impaled on the tip of the steel spear that he carries, being waved about like a banner before being discarded. It was worth the wait.)

Space_Mafune A young boy plans to carry a bamboo, which lists the names of all the men who support a Chinese rebellion against Mongol occupation, to a young prince named Ma Tung, one of the leaders in the rebellion, at the dying request of the man who gave it to him. When two men working for the Mongol cause attack him and steal the bamboo, the "White Dragon" Lung Ti comes to his defense. Soon the two become good friends and the "White Dragon" agrees to accompany the boy on his journey to the palace of the young prince. However, when they arrive Ma Tung immediately recognizes Lung Ti as the man who defeated and humiliated his father Ma Chin, master of the "magic sword", in a previous duel which so shamed his father than Ma Chin shortly thereafter took his own life. Ma Tung makes the mistake of thinking Lung Ti has come for a fight and a battle between the two ensues leaving Lung Ti wounded but still standing. He and the boy then leave but when the "white Dragon" realizes just what the bamboo contains, he knows he must somehow get the information back to Ma Tung or at the very least keep it out of Mongolian hands or that of their supporters for Lung Ti also supports the cause of the rebellion and despite Ma Tung's feelings towards him, Lung Ti admires Ma Tung's stand against the Mongolians and plans to lend his support to the cause as only he can.Lung Ti is a master at controlling the spear and it is his weapon of choice in this story. This movie's true strong point is its many battles featuring Lung Ti's spear and/or Ma Tung's "magic sword" against an army of sword-wielding Mongolians, lead by General Tai who himself has a most unusual sword in that it can be turned into a whip, and their supporters. I've rarely seen more entertaining battles of this sort and they generally are very well shot (even if on occasion they do slip up and you see guys actually taking the spear under the arm). This story of patriotism and one man standing tall against an army is the stuff of heroic legend. This certainly doesn't fail to deliver in any fashion it promises. Wang Yu is fantastic as the "White Dragon" and the language barrier is not really a problem here as his actions and his body language speak so loudly.

InjunNose I've seen many of Wang Yu's films, and I think that "Blood of the Dragon" (aka "The Desperate Chase") just might be his finest moment. It's certainly one of the only independent films he made that can hold its own against Chang Cheh-directed epics like "The Magnificent Trio" and "The Assassin" in terms of excitement and tragic scope. The fights (very little empty-hand action, but plenty of spears, swords and more exotic weapons) are well-choreographed, the tone of the movie is appropriately grim, and Wang's character Lung Tai is a hero you actually care about and root for. The dubbing is slightly better than what I've heard in most Hong Kong and Taiwanese martial arts flicks, and the hard-rocking American soundtrack--recorded by Flood--enhances the action. "One man, one weapon, one hell of a movie"...that's what "Blood of the Dragon" promises, and it delivers! (Especially in the no-holds-barred climax.)

Son_of_Mansfield Ah-ha, foreshadowing! A strong lead, elaborate fight scenes, semi-bad dubbing, silly facial hair, and a weak musical score add up to Blood of the Dragon. I had never heard of Jimmy Wang Yu until I saw Screaming Ninja and this. He definitely deserves his status as a name in the martial arts genre. He is quite impressive both physically and in his acting. White Dragon(Yu) faces Red Wolf, Golden something, wussy prime minister, and Kang Fu(Fei Lung - Evil Betty). Of course, they are no match for the defender of the rebellion. Fun as only a seventies martial arts movie can be. The twenty minute final battle could have inspired a scene in Kill Bill. A different soundtrack and some less silly supporting vocal talent would elevate this a lot.