Movie Review: The White Dragon

The White Dragon (Fei hap siu baak lung) a.k.a The Flying Heroine: Little White Dragon 

China Film Co-Production Corporation, China Film Group, China Star Entertainment, One Hundred Years of Film Company, Singing Horse Productions, Hong Kong, 2004. 

Black Phoenix (Cecilia Cheung) has reluctantly joined the world of martial arts. Masquerading as White Dragon Jr., she has to fight blind assassin Chicken Feathers (Francis Ng) who has a contract on Second Prince Tian Yang (Andy On). Chicken Feathers is like Zatoichi, only goofier. 

Black Phoenix

Chicken Feathers

A week ago Phoenix was a rich and spoiled student. She dreams of Second Prince who also begins to like her. The prince has older brother First Prince Tian Sheng (Liu Lei). Chicken Feather kills schools lecherous principal. Martial arts heroine and school's janitor White Dragon (Nei Suet) tries to catch him but fails. White Dragon gives her powers to Black Phoenix, the sequence looks like Windows XP copying bar.

Rock 'n' roll

Second Prince Tian Yang and Phoenix

Phoenix gets acne. Only way to cure it is to make good deeds, Robin Hood style. When Chicken Feathers targets Tian Yang, she must try to fight against him. Phoenix begins to sympathize Chicken Feathers when he treats her broken leg. She plays her flute to describe the surrounding world to Chicken Feathers. Chicken Feathers has only one friend, physician Deer Tail (Shiu Hung Hui) who arranges him the contracts. Phoenix tries to solve the conspiracy and save both Second Prince and Chicken Feathers.

The story varies from sentimental drama...

...to silly comedy

Starting as a wuxia-film, the film then morphs into high-school comedy. This is partly a parody of Wuxia-films with some contemporary references. Phoenix plays lute like a rock star, McDonalds sells buns and there is basically medieval China's equivalent of Louis Vuitton. However as the movie switches the genre from wire-fu film, to comedy to romantic drama and back to wuxia drama, the result is uneven experience. Although mixing comedy, romance and action is usual in Hong Kong films, the seams are a bit too obvious. Still the main love story is sweet with some quirky humour so it is hard to dislike. The action scenes are acceptable, although not best of the genre as the movie seems to have quite low budget. The chemistry between the main actors is good and the story does not take itself too seriously.

McBun

Wuxia fight!

Rating: Good 

Starring: Francis Ng, Andy On, Lei Liu, Cecilia Cheung, Xiao Lung Ding, Avi K. Garg, Shiu Hung Hui, Zhangjin Shi, Nei Suet, Patrick Tang, Kitty Yuen,  Huang Xiao-Xu, Dang Chi-Fung, Xia Tai-Li, Meng Kai, Zhang Jia-Jun, Liu Jing-Cheng, Wen Wen, Hu Dan-Feng, Bi Yuan-Biao, Xu Chen Jun Lei, Shen Zun-Ying, Hu Xiao-Lin, Wang Yi-Qiu, Huang Di, Zhu Ming-Ming, Li Su-Qin, Zhang Deng-Ke, Dai Tian 

Director: Wilson Yip