CHALLENGE THE DRAGON is a 1973 Taiwanese kung fu story with an original translated title of THE WAY OF THE TIGER. It stars the unknown-to-me Tang Lung as the usual hard-hitting fighter who finds himself up against a gang of thugs who have been stealing local ginseng supplies that are supposed to be used to provide medicine for the villagers.
Everything about this film is cheap, from the outdoor filming to the performances. Lung is somewhat undistinguished as an actor and the main thing about him is that he looks like Shaw Brothers star Sun Chien. However, he's pretty good in the fighting stakes, and given that this film is overloaded with action, that's important. The twist is that CHALLENGE THE DRAGON is a well shot film throughout, featuring brisk pacing and snappy action scenes. The director uses slow motion to good effect and plenty of camera fluidity to give the fights energy and motion. It's surprisingly good given the quality of most contemporary fare.
Everything about this film is cheap, from the outdoor filming to the performances. Lung is somewhat undistinguished as an actor and the main thing about him is that he looks like Shaw Brothers star Sun Chien. However, he's pretty good in the fighting stakes, and given that this film is overloaded with action, that's important. The twist is that CHALLENGE THE DRAGON is a well shot film throughout, featuring brisk pacing and snappy action scenes. The director uses slow motion to good effect and plenty of camera fluidity to give the fights energy and motion. It's surprisingly good given the quality of most contemporary fare.
