Bullet Points: Mission for the Dragon
Cannon Films had Chuck Norris. The Seasonal Films Corporation had Loren Avedon. PM Entertainment had Gary Daniels. And Asso Asia Films had Dragon Lee.
In this edition of Bullet Points, I will be looking back at one of Dragon Lee’s numerous Asso Asia Films, 1980’s Mission for the Dragon…
- Anger Management: The first thing established in Mission for the Dragon is that Wong Kwok (Martin Chiu, Kung Fu Fever) is something of a hot head. Wong Kwok goes knocking on the door of a man who has accused his father of being a grave robber. Wong Kwok ends up kicking the accuser’s ass and then heads home in a huff… where he bumps into his father, Master Kwok, who is on his way to a late night meeting with Master Lei, the village antique expert…
- Antiques Road Show: Master Kwok and Master Lei meet in a secluded cave that legend has it is haunted. Master Kwok has brought a rare statue with him that he’s looking to sell to Master Lei… but Master Lei takes one look at it and knows it is a statue that went missing from the nearby temple and believes that is where it should be returned. Master Kwok (who apparently is a grave robber) disagrees and that’s about the time a “ghoul” shows up and kills Master Kwok. Master Lei and the statue disappear into the dark of night. And when Wong Kwok gets wind of his father’s death and the disappearance of Master Lei, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that Master Lei killed his father.
- When Dragon Comes Marching Home: We get our first glimpse of Master Lei’s son, Lei Lung (Dragon Lee, Golden Dragon, Silver Snake) as he is practicing his kung fu techniques near a waterfall. Lei Lung’s practice is interrupted by a mysterious masked man wearing a cape who attacks from out of nowhere. At first I thought it may have been Frank Costanza’s lawyer, but it turns out it was Lei Lung’s teacher and that by thwarting the attack the way he did, Lei Lung passed his final test and is now at expert level… but there’s no time for celebration because Lei Lung has another unexpected visitor in the form of Shang. Shang is one of Master Lei’s servants and he has come with news of the disappearance of Lei Lung’s father. Lei Lung and Shang waste no time making their way back to Master Lei’s home… but they are met halfway by some henchmen that were dispatched by Wong Kwok. Wong Kwok’s plan was to hold Lei Lung hostage until Master Lei came out of hiding… the plan would have worked too, except Lei Lung kicked all of the henchmen’s asses!
- The Peacekeeper: It is obvious that there’s going to be some trouble between Master Kwok and Lei Lung until the murder of Master Kwok and the disappearance of Master Lei can be solved. And there is one man who inserts himself between the two sides and tries to reason with them, that man was Master Kwan (Carter Wong). First, let me say that the voice over for Master Kwan is something that needs to be heard to be truly appreciated because simple words can’t describe it. Some other things we learn about Kwan…. he has light sensitivity and his sister has the hots for Lei Lung. For a good portion of the movie it really does seem like Kwan is doing his best to keep the peace… but as the movie goes on *SPOILER ALERT* we find out that Master Kwan is the man who orchestrated all the trouble to begin with!
- Mirror, Mirror: When Wong Kwok finds out that it was Master Kwan who ordered the death of his father, he tries to avenge his father’s death unsuccessfully… and that is an understatement because Wong Kwok ends up dead at the lethal hands of Master Kwan! This Kwan victory was well placed… we already knew Kwan was the kind of bastard who would order his right hand man to dress up like a ghoul and kill people, but now we know Kwan is a superior fighter as well and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. This established Kwan as a threat for our hero Lei Lung… but Lei Lung is no dummy and comes to his final confrontation with Master Kwan wearing a vest made out of mirrors!
If your mission is to watch a Dragon Lee movie, you could do worse than Mission for the Dragon. Dragon Lee is more subdued in this one in regards to his Bruce Lee mannerisms, but he still shines in the fight scenes (complete with enhanced sound effects) and having a final foe the caliber of Carter Wong certainly helps elevate Mission for the Dragon.
If your mission is to read some Bonus Bullet Points, keep scrolling…
- AKA: Mission for the Dragon is also known as Rage of the Dragon.
- Now I Know: Mission for the Dragon taught me that if your father is a grave robber that makes you a thief’s bastard.
- Bastard Count: Speaking of a thief’s bastard, I counted at least 8 “bastards” in Mission for the Dragon.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Dragon Lee kick the ass of a dine and dasher, then Mission for the Dragon is the movie for you.
