A lesser-known movie from the early Seventies – Blood of the Dragon – has earned important reward from Quentin Tarantino. Launched in 1971, Blood of the Dragon is an old-school martial arts film that starred Jimmy Wang Yu, one of many style’s main actors throughout that period.
Blood of the Dragon matches right into a class of martial arts movies the place there’s gratuitous violence. After all, violence is on the coronary heart of the martial arts style, however for an important most of the heroes on this specific medium, merely defeating an opponent is not sufficient. Some would moderately kill people who oppose them, permitting for some bloody and really grisly motion sequences.
A number of martial arts films – together with Quentin Tarantino’s personal foray into the style through Kill Invoice and Kill Invoice Vol. 2 – are sometimes characterised by their liberal use of gore and blood. Additionally amongst that checklist are the Ong Bak films, The Raid: Redemption, and Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. However in Tarantino’s thoughts, the one which represents that aspect of the style higher than every other is Blood of the Dragon.
In accordance To Quentin Tarantino, Blood Of The Dragon Is The Finest Of The Extremely-Violent Martial Arts Films
A interval piece set in historic China, Blood of the Dragon stars Jimmy Wang Yu as White Dragon, a mysterious drifter and unmatched swordfighter who saves a lady and a younger boy, who had been tasked with delivering an vital message. White Dragon guarantees to assist him, establishing an intense battle with a military of Mongolian invaders.
Throughout an look on the Pure Cinema Podcast in 2020 during which he mentioned his appreciation for old-school kung fu films, Quentin Tarantino shared his ideas on Blood of the Dragon, describing it as “probably the most violent” of the movies of its sort. The director elaborated, saying it is “within the, if not ‘the’ high of probably the most violent of the martial arts films.“
Tarantino additionally had sort phrases for the film’s director, Kao Pao-shu, and the primary feminine filmmaker to helm martial arts films. Commenting on her work on Blood of the Dragon, Tarantino stated it was “fairly f****** nice” {that a} feminine director was answerable for one of many violent kung fu films ever made.
Tarantino’s view of Blood of the Dragon appears to be formed largely by the ultimate battle, which takes up a considerable portion of the movie. He described the final hour of the movie as “a blast.” Throughout a large-scale battle within the film’s closing act, Jimmy Wang Yu’s character makes use of his spear to basically bloodbath the enemy’s forces, stabbing and slicing by way of them one after the other.
White Dragon kills a whopping variety of folks within the battle, and does so in an unforgiving, brutal style. For one specific kill, White Dragon stabs and cuts his opponent a number of instances, greater than what was truly essential to convey him down. It is moments like these that separate Blood of the Dragon from the pack when it comes to its deal with violence.
Blood Of The Dragon Did not Straight Affect Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Invoice Films, However Jimmy Wang Yu’s Work Undoubtedly Did
Given Tarantino’s fondness for Blood of the Dragon and his personal propensity for incorporating excessive violence in his movies, it is not shocking that the query of if Blood of the Dragon had an affect on Kill Invoice was addressed. There are completely similarities, however Taratino defined on the podcast that Wang Yu’s movie did not even have a direct influence on his method to Kill Invoice.
Nevertheless, Tarantino did say that Blood of the Dragon was a part of a “collective” of movies he was desirous about in the course of the making of Kill Invoice. That is sensible, contemplating that Quentin Tarantino is thought to be a fan of dozens of old-school kung fu films; Blood of the Dragon is only one of them.
Slightly have a look at Blood of the Dragon particularly, Tarantino drew on his wealth of information of the style when placing collectively the plan for each Kill Invoice and Kill Invoice Vol. 2. Nevertheless, there are some movies with said influences on Tarantino’s two martial arts epics, reminiscent of The Chinese language Boxer, the primary true kung fu film.
Like Blood of the Dragon, The Chinese language Boxer was a Jimmy Wang Yu film. However whereas Blood of the Dragon was directed by Kao Pao-shu, The Chinese language Boxer was additionally directed and written by its star, that means he had a a lot heavier hand on this movie, which impressed certainly one of Kill Invoice’s finest motion sequences.
Apparently, Wang Yu was the main actor in a number of kung fu films which are favorites of Tarantino; along with Blood of the Dragon and The Chinese language Boxer, there’s additionally A Man Referred to as Tiger, The One-Armed Swordsman, The One-Armed Boxer, Grasp of the Flying Guillotine, and Seaside of the Warfare Gods.
Jimmy Wang Yu’s involvement in films like Blood of the Dragon and The Chinese language Boxer goes to point out that whether or not he was the director of the movie or just the star, the actor was pumping out top-the-line martial arts films that proceed to be widespread at present.