Son of the Dragon
2006; directed by David Wu

Originally made as a mini-series for the Hallmark network, a basic cable channel best known for aiming for America's geriatric audience by showing Matlock and Murder She Wrote reruns several times a day, Son of the Dragon brought in a good number of veterans of the Hong Kong movie scene, but failed to really capitalize on any of their talents.

While the selection of Hong Kong cast and crew wouldn't really be considered A-list level by most, especially more casual Western viewers, there is still some considerable talent involved. The film was helmed by David Wu, who has worked primarily as an editor on films such as Hard Boiled and The Bride With White Hair, while long time action director Philip Kwok (best known for playing Lizard in The Five Deadly Venoms) handles the fight co-ordination. With a cast that includes Theresa Lee, Michael Chow, and the venerable Eddy Ko Hung in fairly meaty roles, one might rightfully expect Son of the Dragon to have at least a bit of Hong Kong flavor.

But that's really not the case at all. Like most productions made for television, Son of the Dragon seems to be aiming for the lowest common denominator, resulting in a bland finished product that's not going to make you groan, yet it's not exactly going to inspire any real excitement, either. This is the sort of film that's perfect to randomly put on and leave playing in the background while you're doing household chores on a weekend afternoon.

Son of the Dragon's other major stumbling block is its' length. While it may have been more tolerable in its' original airings, where it was stretched over multiple nights, taking in the nearly three-hour home video version in one sitting would probably require Herculean patience and a bucketful of cold adult beverages. And, even then, one would be forgiven if they had to take a few breaks in order to give their brain a much-needed rest.

RATING: 4