Dragon Inn

It’s 15th-century China. A noble minister has been executed and his children exiled by ferocious eunuch Cao (Ying). Despatched to murder the exiles before they reach the border, Cao’s secret police commandeer the isolated Dragon Gate Inn to await their quarry. They are met there by swordsman Xiao (Jun) who seems determined to get in the way.

Dragon Inn is a clear ancestor of films like Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Action blossoms from controlled, elegant moves into bursts of superhuman speed and agility. Bodies pirouette across vivid landscapes and through the air, the camera their graceful partner in motion. Its flowing sequences would be reason enough to seek out this wuxia landmark. But what sets Dragon Inn apart is the deadly precision of its dialogue – nimble wit that stalks, pounces and often prevails in tandem with the action, until the final scene, where it finds its mark. [Kirsty Leckie-Palmer]