Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

R

Released Aug 31, 2012

2 hr. 2 min.

Action

Adventure

List

68%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

48%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A Ming Dynasty freedom fighter (Jet Li), a female warrior (Zhou Xun) and a corrupt eunuch (Kun Chen) are among those who converge on a remote desert hostel that sits atop a city of treasures.

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Wuxia movie starring Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Tony Leung Ka Fai and Maggie Cheung. Tornadoes and Eunuchs in the famous desert outpost of Dragon Inn.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

All of the ridiculous flying sword play and poor CGI incorporation are very distracting to a story that was overly and unnecessarily complex to begin with. This movie was made for the grandeur of IMAX and probably can only be enjoyed in that format.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Audience Member

Its nice to see Jet Li back in martial arts stardom, but unfortunately Flying Swords of Dragon Gate suffers from CGI overload. The effects are sloppy and very noticeable, to the point of full on distraction. Some of the lower key fight scenes are solid, but the lack of practical effects really drags down the overall product. The movie is averagely entertaining, but there's a fine line between blind ambition and doing too much when you don't have the budget.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

Awesome film one of the best 3D films yet

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

Review: I really tried my utmost to understand what the hell was going on in this movie but the director kept on introducing new characters who belonged to different clans. On top of that, the characters kept on throwing up all these different names so it was hard to work out who was who. On the plus side, the production looked impressive and you could tell that there was quite a bit of money spent on some of the scenes, but I couldn't take the flying on strings, action scenes along with the crazy sword fights which went way over the top. Personally, I might have enjoyed it more if I knew what was going on, but I found it way to confusing and I lost the plot near the beginning. Disappointing! Round-Up: Jet Li is quite an impressive actor because he does his own stunts and he has an unique fast fighting style, but his performances aren't that emotional and some of his choice of films are really strange. He isn't in the same category as Jackie Chan because of his earlier contribution to Asian cinema, but there yet to find someone with the charisma and martial arts skills like Bruce Lee. I suppose it's like people like Bob Marley who really can't me imitated. Anyway, I really did have high hopes for this film, but I got totally let down because of the confusing storyline and unrealistic action scenes. Budget: $35million Worldwide Gross: $100million I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a clan, fighting against evil doers to save some hidden treasure from getting in the wrong hands. 2/10

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

You are a master of treachery. Some new leaders have taken over an Inn in the middle of the desert in hopes of finding the fabled lost city and its riches. The leader of the inn has very strict rules on everything from his servants, to his women, to his guests, to who can search his desert for the lost city. When a group of travelers who do not wish to follow his rules cross his path, and one is pregnant, all hell breaks loose in the desert again. "Your ladyship is the only one allowed to get pregnant around here." Tsui Hark, director of Once Upon a Time in China I, II, III, & V; Seven Swords; Zu Warriors; Dragon Inn; The Master; The Swordsman; and the upcoming The Taking of Tiger Mountain, delivers Flying Sword of Dragon Gate. The storyline for this picture was just okay but had some cool elements and a mixed bag of good action with too much CGI action. The acting was fairly solid and the cast includes Jet Li, Liu Chia-Hui, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, and Li Yuchun. "What's in your belly?" "Let's take a look." I grabbed this off Netflix because I am a fan of Jet Li and Tsui Hark. I will admit Tsui Hark is very inconsistent, but every once in a while he'll nail it. This wasn't one of those instances. I did enjoy most of the action scenes, but there was definitely a ton of wire work here and not much natural martial arts. Overall, this is entertaining and worth a viewing but far from Li or Hark's best work. "Give me some wine and some time to taste some pickled flesh." Grade: C+

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Hark Tsui

Director

Jet Li

Zhou Huai'an

Xun Zhou

Ling Yanqiu

Kun Chen

Yu Huatian

Guey Lun-Mei

Buludu

Yuchun Li

Gu Shaotang

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

It's fun in the moment, but hardly one for the ages.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 24, 2012

Full Review

Steve Rose

Guardian

It's nonsense, but somehow irresistible.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 18, 2012

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Guy Lodge

Time Out

Amounts to a lavishly mounted series of airborne sword fights - each one more spectacular (and silly) than the last ...

Rated: 3/5

Oct 16, 2012

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Charles Webb

MTV

Relentlessly, impossibly improbable and fun.

Jul 3, 2018

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Edmund Lee

Screen International

Visually inventive yet dramatically lacking.

Mar 30, 2016

Full Review

Philip French

Observer (UK)

The movie is beautifully designed and the action sequences are violent and truly spectacular in a hallucinatory way.

Oct 21, 2012

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Synopsis

A Ming Dynasty freedom fighter (Jet Li), a female warrior (Zhou Xun) and a corrupt eunuch (Kun Chen) are among those who converge on a remote desert hostel that sits atop a city of treasures.

Director: Hark Tsui
Executive Producer: Dong Yu, Sanping Han, Ruigang Li
Screenwriter: Hark Tsui
Distributor: Indomina
Production Co: China Film Co-Production Corporation, Film Workshop Ltd., China Film Group Corp.
Rating: R (Some Violence)
Genre: Action, Adventure
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 31, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $127.7K

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