Ronnie Khoo I disagree with most of the other reviewers. Dance of the Dragon is a terrible, terrible movie. It is all form and little substance, like one long beer commercial. Too much emphasis is given to making the movie look pretty. This indulgence would not have been so painful if the rest of the movie lived up to the cinematics and incessant, evocative score.The lead characters are vacuous and 1-dimensional, spouting lines that could be written by teenagers for a bad school play. There is little to no screen chemistry between them, and the film editing makes it hard to believe some of them can even dance (my guess is they cannot).Nothing about the movie seems grounded in anything meaningful, even clinically clean Singapore is crassly reinterpreted. The characters appear to have found a nook in modern Singapore caught in a 1930s time warp. One gaffe is the portrayal of a dingy public toilet, there is no such thing in Singapore!It is unfortunate that the director provides such a cursory and unrealistic rendition of the film's location when there is so much more unspoken commentary to explore. If moss-stained walls and run down furnishing was the intended setting, then the film should have been set in true-to-life Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur. Please reference Tsai Min- Liang's I Don't Want to Sleep Alone. Perhaps the most unforgivable flaw of this film is its inability to evoke any excitement or deeper comprehension for the world of Dance. It could be argued that the film is about the pursuit of dreams, not about dance per se. All the best movies about dancing were also about the pursuit of dreams, and much much more (Flashdance, Strictly Ballroom, Saturday Night Fever, Billy Elliot). Even Kung-Fu Panda showed us more about kung-fu than this movie did with dance.For a film with the word 'dance' in its title, the glaring omission of anything remotely informative about dance itself is a real shame. Again, form trumped substance, and where we could have passionate dialogue expounding the hidden philosophies of dance, instead we were treated to one Korean pretty boy flexing biceps in slow motion. The directors treatment of the film's driving point was much like his treatment of the film's location: cursory and superficial. I just don't see people signing up in droves for dance lessons after watching this film.Ultimately this movie's undoing was in taking itself too seriously, its pretension only served to magnify all its obvious shortcomings. As far as pretty Asian cinema is concerned, far more capable directors have made far better films: Wong Kar Wai, Shunji Iwai, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang.

cleo_ella99 This movie cannot be appreciated by those of a superficial nature. It is a profound drama with tales of romance and passion. Most of the show consists of scenes with the main characters in deep thought, leaving much of these thoughts to the viewer's imagination. In line with the typical Korean drama, this show may seem slow-moving but in actual fact is rich in emotions which one must delve deep into to understand. The three main actors have put on stunning performances, with Fann Wong still looking fabulous at her age. Her part as an ex-champion and dance instructor comes across most aptly through the pain one can notice in her eyes. Jang Hyuk does a very convincing portrayal of Tae, with his deep passion for dance able to successfully strike a chord in viewers. The soundtrack for the final scene was very appropriately selected, with fitting and moving lyrics. Beautiful cinematography. Good art-house fare.

TeganFrancis Singapore is the setting of this beautiful English-language film with a distinctly European feel and treatment to it. The film, a furious interplay of martial arts and ballroom dancing routines decorating the relatively simple storyline of a love triangle, showcased some very good acting, notably from Jang Hyuk and Fann Wong. I liked it that the film was driven by a core of humanity, viewing the protagonist and his struggles through realist and dreamy lens alternating to indicate the interplay between reality and dreams. The cinematography framed various ambient shots of the Asian city state in a slate of soft pastel colors easy on the eye. The beautiful and talented cast fleshed out a plethora of naturalistic emotions, with Jang Hyuk and Fann Wong particularly outstanding. Jason Scott Lee's presence was noteworthy too. Dance of the Dragon is a film that calls for repeated viewing, to appreciate the timeless quality of universal emotions, to appreciate the classic elegance of a beautifully shot film.

Robert Drew I attended the premiere at the Cathay cinema, it was a complete full house 8 cinemas completely sold out. From the opening frame this is eye candy for everyone. Cinematography is gorgeous, music is moving with a full orchestra, sounded very Hollywood. I love films like this, concentrating on the performances rather then just being a martial arts film. It really moved me in many scenes. Fann Wong is stunning, I have not seen her pull off a role like this in her past films, very challenging. Jason scott Lee proves he can act again and the Korean guy really impressed me. It felt very much like an Asian Magnolia, I especially was impressed with the scene inter-cut with the fight and the Korean Guy dancing.. very well done.