Dragon Inn
- Saturday, Mar 30, 2024, 4:30pm
- Sunday, Mar 31, 2024, 8:00pm
Presented by Kung Fu Clubhouse!
A masterclass in tension and release, King Hu's DRAGON INN may be one of the sole masterpieces in martial arts cinema from which all modern entries draw inspiration. After the movie's release, the Chinese Wuxia picture was never the same.
The children of an executed general have been exiled from China. The emperor's eunuch, Cao, plots to kill them before they leave the country after his army is ambushed by two warriors. Cao commands secret police who lie in wait at the dismal Dragon Gate Inn to kill the late general's remaining children. But as the men wait for the two siblings, a lone martial arts expert, Xiao (Shih Chun), comes to Dragon Gate Inn to visit the innkeeper. While Cao's secret police struggle to maintain their cover until the prisoners arrive, Xiao investigates on his own to unveil the reasons behind the strange new presence at the inn.
In Mandarin with English subtitles.
“Camera, actors, props, even wind are all set against each other in contrast and harmony, held together by editing that displays a profound understanding of when to let things draw out and when to speed up into a flurry of motion so wild that it becomes almost psychedelic.” Jake Cole, Slant
“The formal strategies wouldn’t be worth scrutinizing, however, if DRAGON INN weren’t one of the most entertaining films of all time. Even before the action takes off, Hu gets you rooting for the good guys and jeering the baddies, setting up the characters and their rivalries with an expert knack for building tension.” Ben Sachs, Cine-File
“Elementally perfect. Enough to make you want to work at a movie theater where it’s all they ever show.” Matt Lynch, Scarecrow Video