Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Dragon Fist is perhaps my favorite of Jackie Chan's old dramas.  The fight sequences aren't the best, but the story is much more original than the norm.  It starts pretty typically; a student sets out to avenge his slain master.  The twist: the murdered man is killed for other reasons than the common we're-from-different-clans-therefore-we-must-fight-unto-death storyline.  OK, maybe I'm generalizing a bit too much, not all old Kung Fu movies follow that, but the revenge thing is done so much that when almost any original twist is thrown in there's bound to be a positive impact.

But wait, there's more.  Order now and we'll throw in some manipulation of the student sworn to revenge, a few traitors, and a drug lord to produce a result beyond what the typical Martial Arts movie of this era could manage.  The biggest downfalls I can think of are the poor editing (several bad jump cuts) and the drawn-out fight scene at the end.  It's a Martial Arts movie, it better have fighting, but this one gets too long. 

Here's the lowdown on the plot.  **SPOILERS**
Tang's (Jackie) master has won a competition between schools.  At his awards ceremony he is challenged and killed by a master that was not part of the regular competition.  It turns out that the whole battle is because of a jealous grudge.  The slain master and the wife of the killer had a thing at one time, and even though it was before either were married, the killer, Chung, can't stand it. 

Feeling somewhat responsible and ashamed, Chung's wife kills herself.  Her death makes Chung realize what he has done, and out of grief and shame he severs his own leg. 

Tang, his master's widow, and her daughter Su Ming set out to find Chung and extract revenge, but it takes them some time to get the money and make the journey.  They get to his place and find out all that has happened.  The widow doesn't feel revenge need be taken out on a repentant, crippled man, and Tang, though in disagreement, leaves Chung alone. 

During this time, Chung has become a man of justice.  His students come across several murders, and when they find an eye-witness, they set out to stop the villain.  The leader of the murderous clan is a drug lord and all-around bad guy.  His students cause trouble in town and get a taste of Tang's skills. 

The leaders of the clan want that skill for themselves and instigate a plan to make that happen.  They poison Tang's master's widow and lead Tang to think she's just fallen ill.  They have something that will help her and give it to Tang in small enough doses to keep her alive but still sick so that they can blackmail Tang into helping them. 

The plot thickens when Chung's clan finds the murderer and imprisons him.  The villainous clan has an inside man, Fang, who is also Chung's most trusted student, and has him kill the captive before legal action can be taken.  This opens a window of opportunity for the drug clan to attack Chung for the man's "unjust" death.  They drag Tang into it for muscle, and the irony of him going after the man he had come here to kill in the first place is not lost. 

Chung's daughter has figured out what is going on, though, and fills the widow in on the details.  When the clans collide Tang's heart is not in it, but still Chung's clan is decimated.  In fact, it's down to a few key people including Chung, his daughter, and a few others. 

The widow shows up and challenges Tang to do the right thing.  He is torn between wanting her to be well and carrying out her wishes.  She takes her own life so that Tang will not do evil for her sake.  The drug clan, feeling pretty sure of themselves fill Tang in on what exactly has been happening (kind of a stupid and unrealistic move on their part, but I guess they figure he's solidly in their clutches by now).  He's been their puppet.  Who will Tang fight for now?
**NO MORE SPOILERS**

I like the themes of redemption, honor, and justice.  It might not have the dramatic impact of something like Braveheart, but it's touching in many ways.  The boy getting murdered, Jackie feeling trapped between wanting to help his master's widow and being pushed into things he knows are wrong, it all works towards something more than a movie with fight scenes.  I don't however, like the suicides.  I'm sure it goes along with Chinese culture at the time, an honorable death and all that, but it doesn't sit well with me.  Besides that, the last suicide just doesn't make any sense.  Are we to think someone has such willpower that they can drop dead because they want to or did I miss something? (Gotta raise my hand on that one as my brother-in-law would say).

Content:
I don’t think this has an actual rating, but I would say PG at worst. There’s some violence (being a Martial Arts movie and all) but little else that’s questionable.

DVD:
I imagine there is more than 1 DVD release of this movie. I’m going to be telling you about the Columbia Tristar release. The video looks cleaned up though it's still pretty bad by current standards (at least it’s Widescreen).  The original Cantonese soundtrack is provided with English subtitles for those of us who like seeing the movie in its original form, though the dubbing isn't too bad.  The audio claims to be 2.0 surround, but it's no more than cleaned mono.  Unless there is a version released later that includes some extras, this release is the best out there that I can find.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Any fan of Jackie Chan or older Chinese movies should definitely check this out.  You can probably get it for very cheap so grab it up.  Even if these old movies are normally too campy for you, this one rises above.  3* for being a decent movie +1 for Jackie Chan (sorry, I’m just that big a fan).

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older