Dragon Tiger Gate
A 2006 Hong Kong martial arts fantasy film based on Oriental Heroes.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Dragon Tiger Gate is a 2006 Hong Kong martial arts fantasy film. Wilson Yip directed it, and Donnie Yen handled the fight choreography while also playing the lead role. The cast includes Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, Dong Jie, Li Xiaoran, Yu Kang, Chen Kuan-tai, and Yuen Wah. The movie is based on the manhua *Oriental Heroes*, which shares the same Chinese title. The Weinstein Company managed its release in all English-speaking markets. A punching bag built for the film—about 8 feet high, 5 feet wide, and weighing roughly 400 pounds—was certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest.
The story centers on Dragon Tiger Gate, an academy founded by two powerful martial artists. It trains students in martial arts to uphold justice and fight the Triad, and it serves as a refuge for children orphaned by the Triad. The main antagonist is the Luocha Cult, a Pan-Asian heretic cult and drug trafficking organization led by Shibumi, the Jashin of Frame Cloud. Shibumi is the sole master of the legendary Yijin Jing and commands many fearsome kung fu masters. He controls the entire Asia-Pacific underground drug market, using Hong Kong as his base.
The narrative begins with the two sons of Fu Hu Wong, one of the academy's founders, each born to a different mother. The older son is Dragon, and the younger is Tiger. When they were young, Dragon's mother left the academy and gave him half of a jade amulet pendant, telling him that his half-brother Tiger had the other half. After Dragon's mother died in a fire, he was taken in by Triad boss Ma Kun and grew up to become his bodyguard. Ma Kun's gang answers to the Luocha Cult, which oversees Hong Kong's drug dealing. Tiger was raised by his uncle, Master Xian Lung Wong, after his parents disappeared.
Years later, Tiger and his friends are dining in a restaurant when they encounter Ma Kun and his men receiving the Luocha Plaque—a symbol of authority within the cult, second only to Shibumi. Ma Kun and the leader of the White Lions Gang argue over the plaque, and Tiger accidentally interrupts. One of Tiger's friends steals the plaque, and Tiger starts a fight with the gangsters. Dragon appears and fights Tiger, not recognizing him as his brother. Ma Kun calls Dragon off.
That night, Dragon confronts Tiger and his friends at a Japanese restaurant to retrieve the plaque. Tiger and his friends have been drugged by Scaly, one
- director
- Wilson Yip
- fight_choreographer
- Donnie Yen
- lead_actor
- Donnie Yen
- based_on
- Manhua Oriental Heroes
- release_territory_handler
- The Weinstein Company
- largest_punching_bag_weight
- about 400 pounds
Lore & Background
The film's plot centers on Dragon Tiger Gate, an academy founded by two martial artists to train students in justice and combat the Triad, also serving as a haven for orphaned children. The story follows Dragon and Tiger, half-brothers separated in childhood, who reunite amid conflict with the Luocha Cult, a drug trafficking organization led by Shibumi. Dragon, raised as a bodyguard for Triad boss Ma Kun, and Tiger, raised by his uncle Master Wong, eventually join forces with Turbo Shek to confront Shibumi.
Reader's Guide
Dragon Tiger Gate is significant as a Hong Kong martial arts fantasy film that adapts the popular manhua Oriental Heroes, bringing its characters and story to a live-action audience. The film features choreography by Donnie Yen, who also stars, and includes a notable Guinness World Record for the largest punching bag constructed for the film, measuring about 8 feet high, 5 feet wide, and weighing about 400 pounds. The film's legacy includes its international distribution by The Weinstein Company and its depiction of martial arts techniques such as the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms and the Golden Bell Armour.
Did You Know?
- A punching bag constructed for the film, measuring about 8 feet high, 5 feet wide and weighing about 400 pounds, was certified as the world's largest by Guinness World Records.
- Shawn Yue experienced an asthma attack during filming.
- The film is based on the manhua Oriental Heroes, which bears the same Chinese title as the film.
- Donnie Yen did the choreography of the fight stunts and also starred in the lead role.
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