Dragonwolf is a
Thai action film which appears to be heavily influenced by the poorly
constructed MMA and WWE fighting movies. Even without casting boxers as actors,
Dragonwolf manages some awful acting and an over-reliance on gruesome battles
and bare breasts to make up for the weakness in the screenplay. The worst part
about the entire ordeal is that it somehow also managed to have a running-time
of over two hours, which is far longer than this weak narrative can remain
remotely entertaining.
At the center of
the film is a contrived and cliché love triangle between two friends and
fighters and the girl who pit them against each other. As young children,
Mozart (Kazu Patrick Tang) and Julius (Johan Kirsten) become inseparable
friends, until the introduction of Mary (Macha Polivka) years later. Mary
begins as the hesitant girlfriend of Julius, but secretly begins to entice and
flirt with Mozart instead. Soon they have a relationship behind the back of
Julius, which leads to an inevitable conflict.
There might be
more to the story than this love triangle, but I couldn’t tell you what it is.
All I remember in the lengthy running time is an assortment of moderately
choreographed fight sequences which all conveniently take place in the same
derelict building, peppered occasionally with randomly topless girls. The
violence is often just as forced, utilizing a silly plot point as an
explanation for why weapons are never used in the battles. There is no logic in
this film, and yet that is far from the biggest problem in the filmmaking
process.
I’m not sure if
it was a decision made for international accessibility or (and I highly doubt
this) an artistic choice, but the broken English spoken by all of the
characters rather than resorting to dubbing or subtitles is easily the film’s
biggest hindrance. The acting in the entire film feels stiff and wooden, with
leads that do nothing in terms of garnering any sympathy from the audience. This
is a film for those who enjoy brutal fighting but have no interest in good
filmmaking. Period.
Entertainment Value:
3/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 2/10
Historical
Significance: 1/10
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