''Twin Dragons'' (also known as ''Shuang long hui'' and ''Brother vs. Brother'')
is a 1992
Hong Kong action comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Ringo Lam
Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (, Cantonese: Lam Ling-tung, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a Hong Kong film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Hong Kong in 1955, Lam initially went to acting school. After finding he preferred making f ...
and
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, and starring
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
in a double role as identical twin brothers separated at birth.
Plot
In 1965, a
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
couple (
Sylvia Chang
Sylvia Chang (born 21 July 1953) is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, she was one of the jury members of the main competition ...
and
James Wong) are doting on their newborn identical twin boys. Meanwhile, a dangerous gang leader named Crazy Kung (
Kirk Wong
Kirk Wong (黃志強; born March 28, 1949) is a Hong Kong film director and actor. Wong is best known for action films '' Crime Story'' and ''The Big Hit''. Wong's other films like ''Health Warning'', ''Organized Crime & Triad Bureau'', and '' R ...
) is being transported as a captive in the same hospital. Crazy Kung escapes and attempts to take one of the twins hostage, and in the ensuing chaos the twins are permanently separated. One of the twins, named Ma Yau, is taken to America by his parents and grows up to be a concert pianist and conductor. The other twin, Ma Wan, is found and raised by an alcoholic woman named Tsui (
Mabel Cheung
Mabel Cheung (, born 17 November 1950) is a film director from Hong Kong. She is one of the leading directors in Hong Kong cinema and is considered one of the three women (along with Ann Hui and Clara Law) to achieve acclaim in the New Wave/Se ...
), and becomes a street racer and martial artist named Bok Min. For years, neither of them is aware that he has an identical twin brother.
26 years later, the twins' (
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
) lives intersect again: Bok Min and his best friend Tarzan (
Teddy Robin
Wai Pang Kwan (; born 20 March 1945 in Guilin, Guangxi), known professionally as Teddy Robin (), is a Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director and producer. He began his music career in mid 1960s when Hong Kong English pop w ...
) get mixed up with a dangerous gang, while Ma Yau prepares to conduct a major concert in Hong Kong. In addition, the twins gain romantic interests: Bok Min meets Barbara (
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong former actress. Raised in Hong Kong and Britain, she started her career after placing second in 1983's Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She achieved critical success in the late 1980s and in ...
), a club singer Tarzan is interested in, and Yau becomes acquainted with Tong Sum (
Nina Li Chi
Nina Li Chi (born December 31, 1961) is a retired Hong Kong actress. She is married to actor Jet Li.
Early life
Li was born on December 31, 1961, in Shanghai, China. Her father was a stage actor.
Career
In 1986, Li was the winner of Miss Asi ...
), a young woman from a respectable family who has a secret passion for fighter types. Eventually, the twins meet and discover that they
share a strange connection with each other. As a result, a string of hilarious mix-ups ensues when Ma Yau is accidentally enlisted by the gangsters to participate as an escape driver in the liberation of none other than Crazy Kung; Bok Min in turn is forced to conduct Yau's concert (which becomes a smash hit despite him having absolutely no musical talent); and the two of them end up with the other's girl as their respective love interest.
Eventually, things come to a head when the gangsters kidnap Tarzan to make Ma Yau surrender a briefcase meant for Crazy Kung, which Ma Yau had accidentally nabbed. The twins join up to defeat the gang that has turned their lives upside down, and in a showdown in a vehicle testing center Crazy Kung dies in a runaway
crash test
A crash test is a form of destructive testing usually performed in order to ensure safe design standards in crashworthiness and crash compatibility for various modes of transportation (see automobile safety) or related systems and componen ...
car. The film ends with the impending double wedding of the twins to their girls and Bok Min's introduction to his real parents; but when Bok Min gets cold feet and Ma Yau goes looking for him, a final gag falls into place when the wedding guests catch the two twins together and are unable to tell them apart.
Cast
*
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
as Ma Yau / Bok Min
(John Ma / Boomer in the American release)
*
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong former actress. Raised in Hong Kong and Britain, she started her career after placing second in 1983's Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She achieved critical success in the late 1980s and in ...
as Barbara
*
Nina Li Chi
Nina Li Chi (born December 31, 1961) is a retired Hong Kong actress. She is married to actor Jet Li.
Early life
Li was born on December 31, 1961, in Shanghai, China. Her father was a stage actor.
Career
In 1986, Li was the winner of Miss Asi ...
as Tong Sum
(Tammy in the American release)
*
Teddy Robin
Wai Pang Kwan (; born 20 March 1945 in Guilin, Guangxi), known professionally as Teddy Robin (), is a Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director and producer. He began his music career in mid 1960s when Hong Kong English pop w ...
as Tarzan
(Tyson in the American release)
*
Anthony Chan as hotel staffer
*
Philip Chan Philip Chan may refer to:
* Philip Chan (actor)
Philip Chan Yan-kin (born 25 January 1945) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, screenwriter and music composer of Taishan area origin.
Career
He worked as a Royal Hong Kong Police F ...
as hotel manager Chen
*
Sylvia Chang
Sylvia Chang (born 21 July 1953) is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, she was one of the jury members of the main competition ...
as the twins' mother
*
James Wong as the twins' father
*
Alfred Cheung
Alfred Cheung '' (; born 28 December 1955) is a Chinese actor, director, writer and producer.
Early life
Cheung's mother, with one suitcase and two children, left their hometown in China in order to find better opportunities in Hong Kong. Cheung ...
as Boss Wing
*
Jacob Cheung
Jacob Cheung Chi-leung is a Hong Kong film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His credits include '' A Battle Of Wits'' (2006), which was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Golden Bauhinia Awards, and ''Beyond the S ...
as cafe cashier
*
Cheung Tung-jo as orchestra member
*
John Keung as hotel security officer
*
Chor Yuen
Chor Yuen (), born Cheung Po-kin (; 8 October 1934 – 21 February 2022), was a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and actor. Chor is credited with over 120 films as director, over 70 films as a writer and over 40 films as an actor.
Early ...
as Uncle Tang (Tammy's father)
*
Lau Kar-leung
Lau Kar-leung (28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013), was a Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer, and martial artist from Hong Kong. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. His most famous wor ...
as doctor
*
Kirk Wong
Kirk Wong (黃志強; born March 28, 1949) is a Hong Kong film director and actor. Wong is best known for action films '' Crime Story'' and ''The Big Hit''. Wong's other films like ''Health Warning'', ''Organized Crime & Triad Bureau'', and '' R ...
as Crazy Kung
*
Wong Lung-wai as Wai
* Lai Ying-chow as Tsao
* Jamie Luk as Rocky
*
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...
as priest
*
Tsui Siu-ming
Tsui Siu-ming (; born 1953) is a Hong Kong-based actor, screenwriter, film producer, assistant director, Unit production manager, production manager, and stage combat, action choreographer.
Career
A native of Guangdong, Tsui was once a recogniz ...
as priest
*
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show ''Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently holds ...
as man talking on the phone
(Man on Phone in the American release)
* David Wu as waiter
* Pa Shan as thug
*
Ringo Lam
Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (, Cantonese: Lam Ling-tung, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a Hong Kong film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Hong Kong in 1955, Lam initially went to acting school. After finding he preferred making f ...
as car mechanic
*
Ng Sze-yuen as car mechanic
*
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
as car mechanic
*
Clifton Ko
Clifton Ko (; born 6 August, 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, actor, producer and scriptwriter.
Background
Clifton Ko graduated from Kwun Tong Maryknoll College, and entered TV and film industry in late 1970s, firstly worked with director C ...
as sports shop owner
*
Tai Kit Mak
Production
According to co-director
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
,
Ringo Lam
Ringo Lam Ling-Tung (, Cantonese: Lam Ling-tung, 8 December 1955 – 29 December 2018) was a Hong Kong film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Hong Kong in 1955, Lam initially went to acting school. After finding he preferred making f ...
handled most of the action scenes in the film.
The action in the film has a larger focus on actual martial arts than on
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
's usual comedic style.
Music
Ma Yau's Concert depicted in the movie is the
Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture, by Mikhail Glinka.
Release
The film received an American release on 9 April 1999 in a dubbed version.
The American release of the film cuts 16 minutes of scenes involving
Wong Jing
Wong Jing ( born 3 May 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, actor, presenter, and screenwriter. A prolific filmmaker with strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, Wong Jing played a prominent role in Hong Kong cinema duri ...
and
Lau Kar-leung
Lau Kar-leung (28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013), was a Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer, and martial artist from Hong Kong. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. His most famous wor ...
in a hospital and a fantasy scene involving
Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong former actress. Raised in Hong Kong and Britain, she started her career after placing second in 1983's Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She achieved critical success in the late 1980s and in ...
singing.
Reception
Box office
On the film's release in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, ''Twin Dragons'' was the ninth highest-grossing film of the year, earning 33,225,134 during its theatrical run.
[Morton, 2009. p.186] In
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, it was the twelfth top-grossing film of 1992, earning .
In Japan, the film grossed . In South Korea, it was the third top-grossing film of 1992, selling 768,951 tickets and grossing .
Upon release in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, the film grossed US$8,332,431 in the United States,
ending its North American run with a total of US$8,359,717 in the United States and Canada. In total, the film grossed worldwide,
equivalent to US$86,265,362 adjusted for inflation.
Critical response
At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 54, based on 15 reviews. The ''
Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
'' gave the film a positive review of three and a half stars out of five, noting that the film is "only for those who are fully on the bus with Jackie's approach...and who won't let a little bad (okay, execrable) English-language dubbing get in the way of their movie enjoyment." ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave a positive review, but noted that it "probably won't make anyone forget ''
Dragons Forever
''Dragons Forever'' () is a 1988 Hong Kong martial arts action-comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the film and co-directed by Corey Yuen. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Deannie Yip, Pauline Yeung, and Crystal Kwo ...
'', ''
Wheels On Meals
''Wheels on Meals'' () is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung, with action choreographed by Jackie Chan. The film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lola Forner, Benny Urquidez and José ...
'', ''
Project A'', or any number of other excellent Chan films" Some reviews critiqued the special effects, such as in ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' which noted "the camera trickery is glaringly cheesy in some shots, greatly undercutting the illusion of twin brothers in the same frame. When the two brothers first meet in a hotel lavatory, it's easy to see how two shots have been overlapped." ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' gave the film one star out of four, noting that it "suffers from some very dicey twinning effects when the brothers are in frame together. Only die-hard and undemanding Chan fans need apply."
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
was unhappy with how ''Twin Dragons'' came out to be primarily based on the special effects. Chan stated that he worked with
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
who he felt would provide the film with better special effects. Chan was so soured with the results of the special effects that he decided he would only attempt more special-effect based work in his American productions.
Remakes
The film spawned several
Indian film
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
remakes. ''
Hello Brother'' (1994) is a popular
Telugu film
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
based on ''Twin Dragons''. In turn, ''Hello Brother'' was remade into the popular
Hindi film
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
''
Judwaa
''Judwaa'' () is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film, directed by David Dhawan, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and starring Salman Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Rambha (actress), Rambha with Kader Khan, Dalip Tahil, Shakti Kapoor, Deepak ...
'' (1997) starring
Salman Khan
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...
,
which in turn spawned a reboot ''
Judwaa 2
''Judwaa 2'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by David Dhawan. A reboot of the 1997 film ''Judwaa'', which itself is a remake of Telugu film '' Hello Brother'' (1994). The film stars Varun Dhawan playing twins Raj ...
'' (2017). ''Hello Brother'' was also remade as the
Kannada film
Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...
''
Cheluva
''Cheluva'' is a 1997 Kannada comedy-drama film directed and enacted by V. Ravichandran in dual roles. The rest of the cast includes Gautami,Meena, Suman and Tiger Prabhakar among others. The film is a remake of Telugu film '' Hello Brother' ...
'' (1997).
See also
*
Hong Kong films of 1992
*
Jackie Chan filmography
Jackie Chan began his film career as an extra child actor in the 1962 film ''Big and Little Wong Tin Bar''. Ten years later, he was a stuntman opposite Bruce Lee in 1972's ''Fist of Fury'' and 1973's ''Enter the Dragon''. He then had starring r ...
*
List of action films of the 1990s
This is chronological list of action films released in the 1990s. Often there may be considerable overlap particularly between action and other genres (including horror, comedy, and science fiction films); the list should attempt to document f ...
*
List of comedy films of the 1990s
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
*
*
Twin Dragons' at
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
*
*
{{Tsui Hark
1992 films
1992 martial arts films
1992 action comedy films
1990s buddy comedy films
1990s Cantonese-language films
Films about twin brothers
Films directed by Ringo Lam
Films directed by Tsui Hark
Films scored by Michael Wandmacher
Films set in Hong Kong
Golden Harvest films
Hong Kong action comedy films
Hong Kong buddy films
Hong Kong martial arts comedy films
1990s Hong Kong films