Dragon Reviews
Top CriticThe large canvas and pseudo-superhero tactics work for a bit, but then the action gets sidetracked in place of myth-building.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5
As a whole, it does not quite work, especially at the end, when Mr. Chan tries for a Shakespearean climax of filial rebellion and paternal rage.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2.5/5
Cinemalogue.com
An exhilarating opening fight scene sets the stage for this otherwise cheesy chop-socky Hong Kong saga.
This is London
There are good action sequences but it has been ham-fistedly cut for UK distribution.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5
Examiner.com
Dragon delivers a few swift kicks and a barrage of bone crunching punches to the standard expectations of a remake. Dragon is a stunning display of martial arts action, mesmerizing detective work, and engaging performances.
Full Review
| Original Score: 8.5/10
The movie hurtles along at a pitch of sentiment and melodrama that would make MGM blush, and it's mostly very diverting.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
A fun collision of "A History of Violence," traditional over-the-top Hong Kong martial arts pictures and sort of a "C.S.I.: Yunnan Province."
Slant Magazine
Peter Ho-Sun Chan and Deonnie Yen Chan are too resourceful to let things remain dull for long.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2.5/4
Movie Chambers
A superior martial arts film with excellent cinematography and a story to match.
Full Review
| Original Score: A
AV Club
Yen's strengths have never been in his expressiveness, and Dragon plods when it centers on dramatic struggles, then leaps exhilaratingly to life whenever the fighting begins.
Full Review
| Original Score: B-
Grolsch Film Works
a mannered mix of detective story, morality tale, family tragedy and Buddhist allegory, all wrapped in virtuoso visuals and some very tricksy action choreography... The story may be familiar, but wuxia has never quite looked like this before.
Urban Cinefile
It's been described by its makers as 'Colombo meets CSI' but this doesn't fully capture the epic tone and the brilliant images that fuel one of the most interesting of recent Chinese films with martial arts traditions
PopMatters
Gracefully acted, brilliantly shot, and effortlessly combining both character study and superb butt kicking, Wu Xia is an excellent post-modern subgenre gem.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Empire Magazine
Full of blistering action sequences worthy of the Shaw Brothers legacy. A treat for martial arts fans.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
It's an adept genre exercise with rare primal depths.
The List
Chan's film may be derivative of plenty of other films (most notably David Cronenberg's A History of Violence) but it manages to keep things fresh and exciting.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Hi-ya!-accentuated kung fu smackdowns make everything better.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Guardian [UK]
Yen again proves one of the few martial artists equally adept with subtler emotional beats.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
A martial-arts morality play as lithe as it is forceful.
