There's a special place in my heart for old school Jackie Chan films. For some reason, when I look to my JC collection for something to watch, I tend toward the older fare.
On the surface, DRAGON FIST is pretty average. But if you're an old school fan, you can't help rooting for virutally everyone in the film. Yan Yee Kwan (sometimes Yam Sai-kun) is one of my favorite bad guys; he was also excellent in Fearless Hyena, Once Upon a Time in China, Iron Monkey, and Heroic Trio. James Tien and Nora Miao bring a lot of respectability to the cast as well.
The plot offers some nifty twists. The fights are strong. I have to agree that the film takes itself just a little too seriously. If Jackie's early work could be measured on a "stiff-o-meter," DRAGON FIST would fall squarely between TO KILL WITH INTRIGUE and FEARLESS HYENA. Not coincidentally, that's about where it falls in his chronology.
Much of the charm of these films for American viewers -- and it can't be disregarded, especially for those of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s -- is the afternoon matinee "Kung Fu Theater" nostalgia factor. It imbues them with a quality that I can't ascribe to many of Jackie's later films. I love POLICE STORY, etc. -- the production values are generally much higher, the stunts are mindblowing -- but those are a different breed altogether. They occupy a different place in film history, and in my esteem.
