- Twin Dragons
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Twin Dragons 
Twin Dragons Hong Kong posterTraditional 雙龍會 Simplified 双龙会 Mandarin Shuāng Lóng Huì Cantonese Seong1 Lung4 Wui2 Directed by Ringo Lam
Tsui HarkProduced by Teddy Robin Kwan
Ng See-YuenWritten by Barry Wong
Tsui Hark
Joe Cheung
Wong Yik
Teddy Robin KwanStarring Jackie Chan
Teddy Robin Kwan
Maggie Cheung
Nina Li Chi
Philip Chan
Alfred Cheung
Guy Lai
Johnny WangMusic by Lowell Lo
Barrington PheloungCinematography Arthur Wong
Wong Wing-HungEditing by Marco Mak Distributed by Golden Harvest
Media Asia Distribution Ltd.Release date(s) January 15, 1992 Running time 100 min. Country Hong Kong Language Cantonese Budget $33,255,000 Twin Dragons aka. Brother vs. Brother, Double Dragon, Duel of Dragons, When Dragons Collide (Chinese title: 雙龍會) is a 1992 Hong Kong martial arts action film starring Jackie Chan, and directed by Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark. The film did not receive an international release until 1999.
Made as a benefit film with the proceeds going to the Hong Kong Directors Guild, The Twin Dragons features many cameos by noted Hong Kong directors including John Woo, Wong Jing, Kirk Wong, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark. David Dhawan remade this film in Bollywood as Judwaa with Salman Khan in a double role. Nagarjuna starred in a Telugu remake titled Hello Brother.
Contents
Plot
In the year 1965, two twins John Ma and Boomer were just born by their mother (Sylvia Chang) and father (James Wong). Meanwhile, a dangerous gang leader named Crazy Bull (Kirk Wong) was transported to the same hospital and starts to capture Boomer to take as a hostage, but fails and the twin ended up sitting alone in a wheelchair when a cop tried to protect him. Soon he was raised by Tsui (Mabel Cheung), a beautiful woman who was a alcohal addict and a good mother to Boomer. The other twin John was raised by his parents. 26 years later, they both ended up with very different personalities and jobs. John Ma (Jackie Chan) became a famous classical pianist and has master degrees on music living in New York while the other twin Wan Ma / Boomer (also played by Jackie Chan) became a crook and race car driver living in Hong Kong and hangs out with his partner and best friend, Tyson / Tarzan (Teddy Robin) in dealing with gang leaders for money raise.
As is inevitable in such a situation, when John Ma visits Hong Kong the perform his concert, he and Boomer encounter each other for the first time,unaware of each other's existance. They are mixed up with each other and are forced to assume each other's identity. Boomer eventually has to come to the rescue of John when he gets himself stuck in the middle of his gang war. John needed to help Boomer on performing his concert since Boomer didn't know what to do.
After defeating Crazy Bull and his men with Tyson's help, John and Boomer are engaged to be married to Barbara (Maggie Cheung) and Tong Sum / Tammy (Nina Li Chi), the two women the brothers encountered during their adventures. For the first time in so many years, Boomer was finally reunited with his father and mother, much to his father's fainting. The two brides couldn't figured out which groom is their's since the two identical men are dressed up and acted very much alike to playfully confuse them. Finally, Barbara happly declares that it doesn't matter and the four are happly married.
Cast
US poster
- Jackie Chan - Ma Yau / Wan Ma (Die Hard in subtitles) (John Ma / Boomer in US version)
- Maggie Cheung - Barbara
- Nina Li Chi - Tong Sum (Tammy in US version)
- Teddy Robin Kwan - Tarzan / Tai Son (Tyson in US version)
- Anthony Chan - Hotel Staffer
- Philip Chan - Hotel manager Chen
- Sylvia Chang - Twins' mother
- James Wong - Twins' father
- Alfred Cheung - Boss Wing
- Jacob Cheung - Cashier
- Joe Cheung - Orchestra member (as Cheung Tung Jo)
- David Chiang - Hotel security (as John Keung)
- Chor Yuen - Uncle Tang (Tammy's Father)
- Lau Kar-leung - Doctor (as Lau Ka Leung)
- Kirk Wong - Crazy Kung / Crazy Bull / Crazy Keung / Wong Fo Bo
- Johnny Wang - Ah Wai (as Wong Lung Wai)
- Guy Lai - Tsao (as Lai Ying Chow)
- Jamie Luk - Rocky
- John Woo - Priest (as John Wu)
- Tsui Siu-Ming - Priest (as Tsui Siu Ming)
- Eric Tsang - Man on phone
- David Wu - Waiter
- Shan Pa - Thug (as Pa Shan)
- Ringo Lam - Car mechanic
- Ng See-Yuen - Car mechanic (as Ng Sze Yuen)
- Tsui Hark - Car mechanic
- Mabel Cheung - Tsui (uncredited)
- Dennis Chan - Boatman (uncredited)
- Gordon Chan - Violinist (uncredited)
- Ching Siu-tung - Violinist (uncredited)
- Jacob Cheung - Cafe Cashier (uncredited)
- Clifton Ko - Clerk in sports section (uncredited)
- Rocky Lai - Speed Boat Gangster (uncredited)
- Wong Jing - Supernatural doctor (cut in US version) (uncredited)
- Lau Kar Wing - Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Teddy Yip Wing-Cho - Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Fung Hak On - Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Allan Fung - Orchestra Member (uncredited)
- Yonfan - Orchestra Member playing the Banjo(uncredited)
- Mars - Goon / Street Rascal (uncredited)
- Benny Lai - Night Club Thug (uncredited)
- Wan Faat - Night Club Thug (uncredited)
- Lam Wai - Night Club Thug (uncredited)
- Chris Li - Thug (uncredited)
- Johnny Cheung - Thug (uncredited)
- James Ha - Wai's Man (uncredited)
- Chan Tat-kwong - Thug (uncredited)
- Anthony Carpio - Thug (uncredited)
- Chris Chan - Thug (uncredited)
- Nicky Li - Thug (uncredited)
- Wu Ma - Wai's Man (uncredited)
- Stephen Tung - White van driver (uncredited)
- Angela Mak - Party Guest (uncredited)
- Sing-Pui O - Party Guest (uncredited)
- Andy Chin - Party Guest (uncredited)
- Peter Chan - Party Guest (uncredited)
- Chi-Ngai Lee - Party Guest (uncredited)
- Terry Tong - Twins' Relative (uncredited)
- Eddie Fong - Twins' Relative (uncredited)
- Yueming Shen - Twins' Relative (uncredited)
- Francis Sung - Ma Yau's Limo Driver (uncredited)
- Raymond Lee - Street Chef (uncredited)
- Clara Law - Woman at Graveyard (cut in US version) (uncredited)
- Lowell Lo (uncredited)
- Roman Tam (uncredited)
Box office
The Twin Dragons was a box office hit in Hong Kong, earning HK $33,225,134. Profits were supposed to go to building a headquarters for the Hong Kong Directors' Guild, but the headquarters was never built. Ironically, it was very well received among the architects in 3 East.
The Twin Dragons was released in 1,129 North American theatres on April 9, 1999. Reviews were poor, and the film barely made a dent at the box office, earning US $2,829,990 ($2,506 per screen) in its opening weekend, on its way to a total of just $8,359,717. Of Chan's films that were re-edited for North American release, this was the least successful.
US version
The version of The Twin Dragons that was released in North American theatres by Dimension (a subsidiary of Miramax) was given a new musical score, and its dialogue was dubbed to English with participation by Jackie Chan. In addition, this version is 11 minutes shorter than the Hong Kong version.
Critical reception
The version of The Twin Dragons released by Dimension received generally poor reviews from North American critics. Currently, it has a 40% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 33% with the 'Cream of the Crop.'[1]. Tellingly, the film was not screened in advance for critics.
Jeff Vice of Desert News was particularly negative:
"Even an entire army of Jackie Chans couldn't make this lame martial-arts comedy watchable. It's filled with dumb jokes, unfunny shtick and long boring stretches between the film's only real highlights, the fight scenes. And frankly, there are not nearly enough of them to justify seeing the movie. To say that 1992's 'The Twin Dragons' isn't one of Chan's best is an understatement. In fact, it makes you wonder why, of all the Chan products out there, a movie studio chose to re-release this one."[2]
One of the more positive reviews came from Lawrence Van Gelder of the New York Times, who wrote:
"Made as a fund-raising project for the Directors' Guild of Hong Kong, this enjoyable blend of action, romance and humor requires only that the audience suspend its disbelief at the popcorn counter, ignore the paper-thin plot and dubbed dialogue and watch the two Chans work out their destinies as twins separated at birth."[3]
See also
External links
- Twin Dragons at the Internet Movie Database
- Twin Dragons at AllRovi
- Twin Dragons at Metacritic
- Twins Dragons at Rotten Tomatoes
Films directed by Ringo Lam 1980s Esprit d'amour (1983) · The Other Side of Gentleman (1984) · Cupid One (1985) · Aces Go Places 4 (1986) · City on Fire (1987) · Prison on Fire (1987) · School on Fire (1988) · Wild Search (1989)1990s Undeclared War (1990) · Touch and Go (1991) · Prison on Fire II (1991) · Twin Dragons (1992) · Full Contact (1993) · Burning Paradise in Hell (1994) · Great Adventurers (1995) · Maximum Risk (1996) · Full Alert (1997) · The Suspect (1998) · Victim (1999)2000s Films directed by Tsui Hark 1970s The Butterfly Murders (1979)1980s Dangerous Encounter - 1st Kind (1980) • We're Going to Eat You (1980) • All the Wrong Clues (1981) • Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) • Shanghai Blues (1984) • Aces Go Places 3 (1984) • Working Class (1985) • Peking Opera Blues (1986) • A Better Tomorrow 3 (1989) • The Master (1989)1990s The Swordsman (1990) • King of Chess (1991) • Once Upon a Time in China (1991) • The Raid (1991) • Once Upon a Time in China II (1992) • Swordsman II (1992) • Green Snake (1993) • Once Upon a Time in China III (1993) • The Lovers (1994) • Once Upon a Time in China V (1994) • Love in the Time of Twilight (1995) • The Blade (1995) • The Chinese Feast (1995) • Tristar (1996) • Double Team (1997) • Knock Off (1998)2000s Time and Tide (2000) • The Legend of Zu (2001) • Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002) • Seven Swords (2005) • The Warrior (2006) • Missing (2008) • All About Women (2008)2010s Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) • The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)Collaborating director Cinema of Hong Kong Actors · Directors · Cinematographers · Ocean Shores · Producers · Shaw Brothers Studio · Films A–Z · Action films · WritersFilms by year:
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