New Dragon Gate Inn
Encyclopedia
New Dragon Gate Inn is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia
film directed by Raymond Lee and produced by Tsui Hark
, starring Tony Leung Ka-fai
, Brigitte Lin
, Maggie Cheung
and Donnie Yen
. It was released as Dragon Inn in North America.
The film is a remake of Dragon Gate Inn
(1966). New Dragon Gate Inn was shot as a standard wuxia action thriller, with fast-paced action including martial arts, sword fighting and black comedy
set in ancient China.
in the desert region of China.
Tsao Siu-yan is a power-crazed eunuch
who rules his sector of China as if he were the Emperor and not a mere official. He has built up an elite army of skilled archers and horsemen who receive intensive training and powerful weapons. This ruthless body is known as the Dong Chang (東廠; East Factory).
When elements of his administration plot against him and his despotic rule, Tsao comes down ruthlessly. One such plotter is defence minister Yang Yu-xuan, who is executed along with his family. Tsao does spare two of the younger children in order to lure Yang's ally, rebel general Chow Wai-on, into a trap.
Escorted by a couple of rather poorly East Factory soldiers, the children are sent out into the desert. Rebels, led by Chow's lover, swordswoman Yau Mo-yan, arrive to free them, but are attacked by East Factory troops. Tsao later calls off the attack when he realises that Chow is not among the fighters.
The rebels and the children then proceed to the Dragon Gate Pass through which they will cross the border.
They reach the Dragon Gate Inn, which is a meeting place for brigands run by brigands. The innkeeper, the lively Jade, runs a sideline in which she seduces and murders her more plump guests, drops them down a chute to the kitchen and has them served as the meat in buns. Jade also keeps whatever money the customer has.
The cutting up is done by her cook Dao, an expert at stripping meat to the bones.
Mo-yan and her followers arrive at the inn. She is disguised as a man, but Jade is not fooled, claiming that only a woman would pass her without so much as a glance. That night she confronts Mo-yan and the pair engage in a lively acrobatic fight with both women trying to remain clothed, while stripping the other.
Rebel leader Chow arrives and is re-united with Mo-yan. They plan to cross the border with the children but the bad weather delays their departure. Furthermore Jade takes a liking to Chow and resolves to get him for herself (she probably also has in mind the reward offered for his capture). Things are made even more complicated when East Factory officials led by Cha arrive at the inn posing as merchants.
The scene is set for a vicious battle of bodies and wits between both sides, with Jade trying to keep the peace and getting every advantage, monetary or otherwise, that she can get out of it. Meanwhile, the bulk of the East Factory forces, led by eunuch Tsao himself, are on their way to the inn.
Chow believes that, like most den of thieves, the inn has a secret passage through which his comrades can escape. Jade agrees to show them the passage if Chow will sleep with her. He agrees if they marry first. Jade, a practical girl, is rather surprised at having to marry for a one-night stand but proceeds anyway, with Cha acting as host for the wedding. The heart-broken Mo-yan drowns her sorrows in drink.
The growing tension inside the inn breaks out into open battle when Cha and his men realise that the rebels want to use the secret passage to escape. The fight that follows results in the deaths of all the Dong Chang at the inn and most of the rebels and brigand hosts. Mo-yan herself is seriously injured.
Tsao and his army arrives and lays siege to the inn. Inside there is only a handful of survivors: Jade the innkeeper, Dao the cook, Chow the rebel leader, Mo-yan his lover and the children. They escape through the passage, but a loose ribbon gives them away and Tsao himself sets off in pursuit.
There then ensues a vicious one-on-three battle amidst a desert storm as Tsao fights Jade, Chow and Mo-yan. Weakened by her wounds, Mo-yan perishes in quicksand. Just as Tsao is about to finish off Jade and Chow, Dao suddenly appears and takes him on with his carving knife. He carves away at Tsao, leaving the warlord with a skeletal arm and leg. Chow then moves in for the kill and Tsao is finished.
Chow and the children make their way to the border. Jade knows his heart will always be with Mo-yan. However she and Dao set off to rejoin Chow after burning down the infamous inn.
and Swordsman II
.
in Europe in Region 2
.
Four and a half years later, the Fantasy Swordplay Collection DVD was released on February 14, 2005 in a three-disc set. The set included two other films: The Swordsman and Moon Warriors.
One year later, The Donnie Yen Collection DVD was released on May 29, 2006 in a four-disc set. The set included two other films: Once Upon a Time in China II
, and a two-disc platinum edition of Iron Monkey.
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
film directed by Raymond Lee and produced by Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, starring Tony Leung Ka-fai
Tony Leung Ka-Fai
Tony Leung Ka-fai is a three-time Hong Kong Film Award-winning Chinese film actor.Because he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony", while Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is known as "Little Tony", nicknames which correspond to the actors' respective...
, Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin
Brigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies...
, Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
and Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
. It was released as Dragon Inn in North America.
The film is a remake of Dragon Gate Inn
Dragon Gate Inn
Dragon Gate Inn, also known as Dragon Inn, is a 1967 Taiwanese wuxia film directed by King Hu. The film was remade in 1992, as New Dragon Gate Inn, and is again being remade as The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, which is to be released in 2011.-Plot:Tsao, the emperor's first eunuch, has successfully...
(1966). New Dragon Gate Inn was shot as a standard wuxia action thriller, with fast-paced action including martial arts, sword fighting and black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
set in ancient China.
Plot
This is a period film set during the Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
in the desert region of China.
Tsao Siu-yan is a power-crazed eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
who rules his sector of China as if he were the Emperor and not a mere official. He has built up an elite army of skilled archers and horsemen who receive intensive training and powerful weapons. This ruthless body is known as the Dong Chang (東廠; East Factory).
When elements of his administration plot against him and his despotic rule, Tsao comes down ruthlessly. One such plotter is defence minister Yang Yu-xuan, who is executed along with his family. Tsao does spare two of the younger children in order to lure Yang's ally, rebel general Chow Wai-on, into a trap.
Escorted by a couple of rather poorly East Factory soldiers, the children are sent out into the desert. Rebels, led by Chow's lover, swordswoman Yau Mo-yan, arrive to free them, but are attacked by East Factory troops. Tsao later calls off the attack when he realises that Chow is not among the fighters.
The rebels and the children then proceed to the Dragon Gate Pass through which they will cross the border.
They reach the Dragon Gate Inn, which is a meeting place for brigands run by brigands. The innkeeper, the lively Jade, runs a sideline in which she seduces and murders her more plump guests, drops them down a chute to the kitchen and has them served as the meat in buns. Jade also keeps whatever money the customer has.
The cutting up is done by her cook Dao, an expert at stripping meat to the bones.
Mo-yan and her followers arrive at the inn. She is disguised as a man, but Jade is not fooled, claiming that only a woman would pass her without so much as a glance. That night she confronts Mo-yan and the pair engage in a lively acrobatic fight with both women trying to remain clothed, while stripping the other.
Rebel leader Chow arrives and is re-united with Mo-yan. They plan to cross the border with the children but the bad weather delays their departure. Furthermore Jade takes a liking to Chow and resolves to get him for herself (she probably also has in mind the reward offered for his capture). Things are made even more complicated when East Factory officials led by Cha arrive at the inn posing as merchants.
The scene is set for a vicious battle of bodies and wits between both sides, with Jade trying to keep the peace and getting every advantage, monetary or otherwise, that she can get out of it. Meanwhile, the bulk of the East Factory forces, led by eunuch Tsao himself, are on their way to the inn.
Chow believes that, like most den of thieves, the inn has a secret passage through which his comrades can escape. Jade agrees to show them the passage if Chow will sleep with her. He agrees if they marry first. Jade, a practical girl, is rather surprised at having to marry for a one-night stand but proceeds anyway, with Cha acting as host for the wedding. The heart-broken Mo-yan drowns her sorrows in drink.
The growing tension inside the inn breaks out into open battle when Cha and his men realise that the rebels want to use the secret passage to escape. The fight that follows results in the deaths of all the Dong Chang at the inn and most of the rebels and brigand hosts. Mo-yan herself is seriously injured.
Tsao and his army arrives and lays siege to the inn. Inside there is only a handful of survivors: Jade the innkeeper, Dao the cook, Chow the rebel leader, Mo-yan his lover and the children. They escape through the passage, but a loose ribbon gives them away and Tsao himself sets off in pursuit.
There then ensues a vicious one-on-three battle amidst a desert storm as Tsao fights Jade, Chow and Mo-yan. Weakened by her wounds, Mo-yan perishes in quicksand. Just as Tsao is about to finish off Jade and Chow, Dao suddenly appears and takes him on with his carving knife. He carves away at Tsao, leaving the warlord with a skeletal arm and leg. Chow then moves in for the kill and Tsao is finished.
Chow and the children make their way to the border. Jade knows his heart will always be with Mo-yan. However she and Dao set off to rejoin Chow after burning down the infamous inn.
Cast
- Tony Leung Ka-faiTony Leung Ka-FaiTony Leung Ka-fai is a three-time Hong Kong Film Award-winning Chinese film actor.Because he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony", while Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is known as "Little Tony", nicknames which correspond to the actors' respective...
as Chow Wai-on (周淮安) - Brigitte LinBrigitte LinBrigitte Lin or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies...
as Yau Mo-yan (邱莫言) - Maggie CheungMaggie CheungMaggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
as Jade (金鑲玉; literal meaning: gold engraved with jade) - Donnie YenDonnie YenDonnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
as Tsao Siu-yan (曹少欽) - Lau Shun as Cha (查捕頭)
- Yuen Cheung-yanYuen Cheung-YanYuen Cheung-Yan is an actor, director, stuntman, and fight choreographer who has worked for many years in the Hong Kong film industry. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he worked with Yuen Woo-Ping and other members of the Yuen family on several films, some of them bizarre kung fu comedies such as...
as Iron - Hung Yan-yan as Ngai
- Yen Shi-kwan as Ho Fu
- Lawrence NgLawrence NgLawrence Ng Kai Wah is a popular TV actor in Hong Kong. His more famous works include the television series Healing Hands and the films Fate Twisters and Sex and Zen.-Career:...
as Siu-chuen - Ngai Chung-wai as Dao (阿刀)
- Yuen Bun
- Chan Chi-fai
- Elvis TsuiElvis TsuiElvis Tsui , also known as Tsui Kam-kong, is a Hong Kong-based Chinese film and television actor.-Biography:...
- Wong Wai-shun
- Cheng Lit-king
- Choi Ho
Themes
This was a one of a number of films in which Brigitte Lin is a woman passing off as a man. Others included Peking Opera BluesPeking Opera Blues
Peking Opera Blues is a 1986 Hong Kong film directed by Tsui Hark. The movie combines comedy, Hong Kong action, and serious drama with scenes involving Peking Opera...
and Swordsman II
Swordsman II
Swordsman II, also known as The Legend of the Swordsman, is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film. It was directed by Ching Siu-tung and Stanley Tong and written by Hanson Chan, Tang Pik-yin and Tsui Hark. The film was the second part of a trilogy. It starred Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan and Michelle...
.
DVD release date
On July 17, 2000, the film was released on DVD by Hong Kong LegendsHong Kong Legends
Hong Kong Legends was a United Kingdom DVD distribution company, based in Hertfordshire and operating from the UK and Australia between 1999 and 2007...
in Europe in Region 2
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
.
Four and a half years later, the Fantasy Swordplay Collection DVD was released on February 14, 2005 in a three-disc set. The set included two other films: The Swordsman and Moon Warriors.
One year later, The Donnie Yen Collection DVD was released on May 29, 2006 in a four-disc set. The set included two other films: Once Upon a Time in China II
Once Upon a Time in China II
Once Upon a Time in China II is a 1992 Hong Kong martial arts action film written and directed by Tsui Hark and starring Jet Li returning as Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung. It is the second film and first sequel in the Once Upon a Time in China film series...
, and a two-disc platinum edition of Iron Monkey.