Dragon Tiger Gate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dragon Tiger Gate | |
|---|---|
 The Hong Kong poster. |
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| Directed by | Wilson Yip |
| Produced by | Nansun Shi |
| Starring | Donnie Yen Nicholas Tse Shawn Yue |
| Distributed by | Mandarin Films |
| Release date(s) |  July 28, 2006 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| IMDb profile | |
Dragon Tiger Gate (Traditional Chinese: 龍虎門; Simplified Chinese: 龙虎门) is a 2006 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Wilson Yip and featuring fight choreography by Donnie Yen, who also stars. It is based on the popular Hong Kong manhua, Oriental Heroes, which bears the same Chinese name as the movie.
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[edit] Plot
Dragon Tiger Gate (龍虎門) is a martial arts academy established by two powerful martial artists (one specializing in attacks with the hands, and the other, attacks with the feet and legs) to stand up for righteousness, so that citizens of the city will no longer be bullied by the triad gangs. The school also acts as a haven for children who have have become orphaned as a result of gang activities.
Wong Xiao-Long ("Little Dragon") and Wong Xiao-Hu ("Little Tiger") are the sons of one of the school's two founders, each from a different mother. Dragon's mother chose to leave the gate and live with her son. She gives him a jade amulet pendant, which has the character "dragon" written on it, and tells him that Tiger wears a matching half of the pendant, so that they will always know that they are brothers. She also tells Dragon not to be evil when he grows up and to achieve greatness. Dragon goes out to stroll around, thinking about what his mother meant, but then fire starts and Dragon runs towards his house to attempt to save his mother, but Ma Qwun, a triad boss working for Loushu Gate, a rival martial arts gang, prevents him from doing so, and in the process saving him. Ma Qwun then raises Dragon and Dragon becomes his bodyguard.
Years later, Little Tiger and his "brothers" from the martial arts academy are dining at a floating restaurant. In an upstairs room, Ma Qwun and the leader of another gang are there arguing over who gets the Loushu medallion, which proves that Ma Qwun is top the Triad Boss in Loushu Gate. Downstairs, a family is being bullied by Ma Qwun's underlings. Little Tiger cannot take the bullying anymore and attacks the underlings with his high-flying kicks. He throws the underling boss into the ceiling and the impact causes the ceiling to break and the Loushu medallion falls through. One of Tiger's brothers picks up the medallion and sneaks it into his pocket. When the whole gang attacks Tiger, Tiger really lets his kicks fly, demolishing the restaurant. Suddenly, someone attacks Tiger and he is knocked back; it is Dragon. Unaware that they are brothers from Dragon Tiger Gate, Tiger and Dragon fight, with Dragon showing he has superior fighting skills. But Ma Qwun, embarrassed because Tiger defeated all his underlings while another gang leader was watching, calls the fight off.
After a few days, Tiger and his brothers eat at a Japanese restaurant, and Dragon comes to take the medallion back. Dragon and Tiger start to spar but suddenly Tiger and his brothers collapse, having been drugged by another of Ma Qwun's retainers, one who is vying with Dragon to be the next in line to take over the triad. He mocks Dragon for only using his brawn and not his brains and Dragon suddenly knocks him down and attacks his gang. The underlings take out their swords and attack Dragon, but Dragon breaks the swords. Tiger and his brothers can only roll and evade the blows that hit them. Tiger gets hit and breaks through the wall. Shek Hak Long (literally "Stone Black Dragon", though he is referred to as "Turbo" in the movie) is eating while Tiger breaks his table. A pair of red nun-chaku's hover in the air and Shek catches them, helping Tiger defeat the underlings. Eventually, the fight ends and Dragon walks over to Tiger and Shek, with the medallion in his pocket declaring to Shek that his skills arent good enough and leaves. Shek follows Tiger to Dragon Tiger Gate to learn martial arts, but is kicked out by the leader of the Gate, who is also Tiger's uncle. Eventually, Shek is allowed in. Shibumi, the evil warlord who is the mastermind over the Luoshu Gate, takes notice of Dragon and Dragon Tiger Gate after Tiger's fight at the restaurant....
[edit] Cast
- Donnie Yen as Dragon Wong
- Nicholas Tse as Tiger Wong
- Shawn Yue as Turbo Shek
- Louis Koo as Shibumi (Voice-over)
- Ella Koon as Lousha (Voice-over)
- Yuen Wah as Wang XiangLong
- Dong Jie as Ma Xiao Ling
- Li Xiao-ran as Lousha
- Wong Yuk Long as Master Qi
- Vincent Sze
[edit] Trivia
- A punching bag constructed for the film, measuring about 8 feet high, 5 feet wide and weighing about 400 pounds was certified as the world's largest by Guinness World Records. [1]
- The movie has been acquired by The Weinstein Company, which will handle its release in all English-speaking territories. [2]
- The movie is rated Category IIB (not suitable for young persons and children) in Hong Kong.
- Wong Yuk Long, the creator of the Hong Kong manhua Oriental Heroes, makes a cameo appearance as Master Qi
[edit] References
- ^ Dragon Tiger Gate Enters Guinness World Records, CRIENGLISH.com, July 9, 2006 (retrieved July 26, 2006).
- ^ Weinstein Watch: Dragon Tiger Gate, Twitchfilm.net, April 11, 2006 (retrieved July 26, 2006).
