Superior fighting highlights this terrific action-comedy from the team of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. The plot of the film is unremarkable, and the comedy is only average. However, who goes to these movies for that?

This superior kung-fu film from three of the Seven Little Fortunes doesn't provide much of Jackie Chan's showstopping stuntwork, but the powerful fight sequences more than make up for it. Jackie Chan stars as a lawyer and Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung are his feuding friends. Plot: There's this lawsuit and some bad guy, and Jackie and Sammo like these two women (Pauline Yeung and Deannie Yip). However, the two women are at odds with the bad guy, and then Yuen Biao gets thrown into the mix.

Eventually something occurs which can only be resolved with knock-down, no-holds-barred fisticuffs. Sensing the need for audience satisfaction, our heroes oblige and proceed to open up a major can of whup-ass on your usual assortment of martial arts movie heavies (Dick Wei, Billy Chow and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez). Then everyone goes home happy.

Yes, all those who dial up Dragons Forever for a fight fix will be supremely tickled by what they see. By film's end the three stars engage in some straight-up kung-fu sequences that entertain with great choreography and sheer power. As usual, Jackie Chan gets most of the glory, but both Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung get their share, too. Yuen, in particular, comes off well thanks to some nifty stuntwork and an amusing comedic performance. He's the only one who seems to find the right comedic tone, which is great because the rest of the film is your typical HK mixture of silly comedy and not-so-spectacular drama.

Not that it truly matters. Evaluating this film on the basis of its narrative dexterity and deep socio-political commentary would be completely useless. Assuming that a plot even exists, it would still be unreasonable to think that people actually go to these movies to experience the fine drama of a Jackie Chan-Sammo Hung-Yuen Biao film. Director Hung injects some occasional emotion, but it's of the obligatory cute/sappy variety which only serves as a bathroom break for those who drank too much soda. Wait long enough, and those scenes will pass. By then there'll hopefully be more action. (Kozo 1994/1999)

DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 3 NTSC
Joy Sales
16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks
Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles
Various Extras
*Also Available on Blu-ray Disc

image courtesy of Universe Laser & Video Co., Ltd.