Dreadnaught (1981) Dragon Dance Majesty from Yuen Woo-Ping (Review)

Even for the most ardent fans, martial arts cinema can get very samey. It’s not a criticism far from it; the same realisation happens with fans of other formally strict genres – like the western, slasher or fantasy movies. All-time classics are the DNA from which repetition and formulaic plotting spout: finding the titles that cut through the noise is what being a fan is about. This leads me nicely to Eureka Classics’ new release of Yuen Woo-Ping’s 1981 classic, Dreadnaught. On paper, it may seem like one of the crowd – cut through the surface, however, and you’ll find something that’ll satisfy even the most jaded for two wonderful reasons.

The film opens with a fight scene in which a woman and his mute husband (White Tiger (Sunny Yuen Shun-Yi) happen upon a restaurant, albeit one with a strangely large workforce for such an isolated spot. But it is too late – they’ve fallen into a trap left for them by the local police as they are a pair of dangerous criminals who have been murdering their way through the Chinese countryside. White Tiger kills everyone but not before they’ve killed his wife. The only clue he has is that two of his attackers escaped and one of them wore a set of bells. The mute murderer skulks off scowling like Vincent D’Onofrio in Men in Black. Elsewhere in town, Yuen Biao is a long-suffering brother to his sister – together, the pair run by-hand clothes cleaning service. He is also best friends with Bryan Leung, a student of an ageing Wong Fei-Hung (legendary Chinese folk hero, Kwan Tak-Hing). Leung (Foon) is constantly pulling stunts to help him with his confidence – he is referred to as Mousy as he is scared of his own shadow – and make his master take him on as a fellow student. One more thing, Mousy also wears a set of bells – can you see where this is going yet?

Mousy and his sister both clean clothes by hand, which also happens to be a martial art passed down by their grandfather – so unimpressed is he, he doesn’t realise he knows martial arts. It is only during the final fight that the penny drops for Mousy, making for a fun subversion of the idea that the hero finally masters kung fu to overcome the big boss in one final confrontation. His clothes wrenching martial arts delivers one of the most unique and brilliantly paced fight scenes that is up there with my favourites. A true testament to Yuen Biao’s acrobatic abilities. As part of that final fight, there is a practitioner of duplicates that fights both backwards and forward, another unique spin. And, honestly – it’d tickle me no end if James Wan was inspired by when he directed Malignant. And the second aspect is how closely events follow the DNA of the Slasher – albeit repackaged with the goofy comedy of 1980s Hong Kong action cinema. White Tiger stalks Mousy with demon face paint, there can be no doubting the slasher credentials.

The last and most spellbinding feat that Dreadnaught pulls off, ensuring it sticks out from the crowd, is the Lion and Dragon scene. Whether through other martial arts films or cultural displays, you will likely be familiar with these dances, where a group of martial artists or dancers use a mythical Chinese lion or dragon costume to emulate the creature in question. It’s something I’d love to see live, and it was only through this Yuen Woo-Ping film that I came to such a conclusion. There are two such extended scenes. In the first, Wong Fei-Hung’s rivals put together an extended lion dance, showing off their abilities. Then, in a second, we see a display by Fei-Hung’s students dancing with the dragon, only it is interrupted by the rival’s Lion forcing it to become a fight in full theatrical costume. To call these instances anything but spellbinding would grant them a great disservice.

Dreadnaught is fast becoming a firm favourite of this lifelong martial arts cinema fan – each time I watch it, it grows in my estimations. It has a unique martial art in a beautifully choreographed sequence by master choreographer/director Yuen Woo-Ping. Then, there’s that healthy injection of slasher DNA. The standalone value of how it arrives at the final fight, with the cowardly lead constantly surprisingly himself with how good his martial arts are, without practising a day in his life – as far as he sees it. And those incredible lion and dragon dances. Simply. This is the best release Eureka has put out as part of their continued slate of Hong Kong action classics. The biggest crime is why this has such a humble reputation among fans. Hopefully, this release helps with that perception – we can only hope.

Rob’s Archive – Dreadnaught (1981)