Dance of the Dragon (2008)

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

This movie is the story about a man that is passionate about dancing and it's basically his dream to be a ballroom dancer. The director picked a good actor for this role which is Jang Hyuk who is an actor that is passionate no matter what role he takes. And it really shows in this with his dancing and all. I am not a fanatic when it comes to these types of dancing but the build up is good enough to make me care about the protagonist and what he is going through. Especially since his character is very peaceful one. The main plot of this movie revolves around the protagonist named Tay Kwan...Glad there is no "Do" at the end and his relationship with father and his female dancing instructor who is also passionate about dancing. And also bonds with through dancing. But a bit of a conflict comes in when the dancing instructor's ex-boyfriend gets in the picture, although he isn't a real bad guy, he is forceful, aggressive and a bit of a bully. And the character is played by Jason Scott Lee which is another great choice because he brings this presence of masculinity and charisma to make him somewhat likable. Even if his character has a forceful exterior he can be a wuss. Since I believe if a man loves somewhat he should try to win her heart even if there is competitors after that person as well. Instead of trying to bully or try to get rid of the competitors. But that is my thought anyways. Also Tay has a difficult time accomplishing his dream because of financial reasons. Jang Hyuk still slightly speaks English with a bit of Korean accent like in "Please Teach Me English" except not as bad. But because of his circumstance in the movie, it makes it work. This is a good romantic dance movies that has to do with the passion of dancing and a bit of rivalry even if the build up is a bit slow at times. It's a well made movie with some good build up that shows the distance some people would go even if they have to risk a lot to accomplish their dream.7.2/10

I found the movie to slow for my taste. But I should admit that this movie is an interesting movie. With a fort and back story line, little dialogs, and beautiful dance, the movie is worth to watch.It has some memorable scene and dialog and I still have it in my mind for some time, which indicates that the movie was able to bring a lot of my attention.There is another movie in the same genre entitled Billy Elliot, and in my opinion Billy Elliot provide much more interesting storyline and ending. But some aspects in the movie are totally different so we can not really compare the two of them.Anyway, the movie is worth to watch. If you like a slow dance, you will love this movie.

Warning: This film is not for the hot-blooded, short-tempered or action addicts.Much to my surprise! I have to congratulate the producers and the directors/writers of this movie. It is a quiet film with a slow steady pace. All the actors portrayed their characters really well.If this is the type of films that are coming out of Singapore production companies, I say bring them all out! The only thing I found a bit unexplained would be the relationship between Jason Scott Lee's character and that of Fann Wong's Emi. Are they supposed to be a married couple? Sure feels like it.

In case you haven't read about it, ST Life gave this film a miserable half a star. Why wasn't I surprised? I was looking forward to this movie. After all, it is an interesting collaboration with the Koreans, Americans and Singaporeans, and touted to be Jang Hyuk's big break into Hollywood. Being constantly fascinated by dance forms, films like Strictly Ballroom, Mad Hot Ball and Take the Lead were mostly enjoyable.The film started rather promisingly, with picturesque scenes of a Korean village, and engaging conversations of father-son tensions. But once Korean village boy Tae (Jang Hyuk) received a dance audition letter out of nowhere from a dance school set in washed-out Chinatown Singapore, the movie is on its route to ridiculous mockery."Where. Did. You. Learn. That. Dance. From?" as judge/dance teacher Emi (Fann Wong) asked rather awkwardly and slowly. You will also start to realise that this graceful teacher not only dances slowly, but speaks, walks, picks her clothes, looks into the sky at an amazingly dawdling tempo. (It reminds me of dance teachers I know who dances unhurriedly, but scolds students at the top of their voices. Fann, we need some attitude!) Jason Scott Lee is completely wasted with his only one black-faced 'you-owe-me-lots-of-money' look. Fann Wong has that perpetual dazed gaze, and Jang Hyuk's charm is the saving grace.The three gets tied in a love triangle. Martial arts principal gets beaten up for $20,000. He then challenges Korean boy to a duel for dancing with his girl. Korean boy learns martial arts from a DVD. Fann Wong joins a dance competition with somebody she never really practiced with. Do we really care? During the final act, Fann and Jang get into yet another slow tango, dancing to Enrique Iglesias's fast tempo Hero, while the audience clap constantly at slow-mo. Sigh… The only thing worth watching is perhaps the Francis Cheong diamond studded red dress. Nice.Dance of the Dragon – This dance is out of the rhythm