Shuang long hui (1992)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Directors:

Ringo Lam
Hark Tsui

Writers:

Barry Wong (writer) and
Hark Tsui (writer) ...

Release Date:

9 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

Twice the action!

Plot:

On holidays in Hong Kong, Mrs Ma gives birth to identical twins. A criminal in the same hospital attempts to escape...

Plot Keywords:

Hong Kong | Twins | Farce | Martial Arts | Concert Film

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Ma Yau / Die Hard (John Ma / Boomer in US version)
Maggie Cheung	...	Barbara
Teddy Robin Kwan	...	Tarzan (Tyson in US Version) (as Teddy Robin)
Anthony Chan	...	Hotel Staffer Chan
Philip Chan	...	Hotel Manager
Sylvia Chang	...	Twins' Mother
Alfred Cheung	...	Boss Wing
Chi Leung 'Jacob' Cheung	...	Cashier
Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung	...	Orchestra Member
David Chiang	...	Hotel Security (as John Keung)
Yuen Chor	...	Uncle Tang (Tammy's Father)
Ringo Lam	...	Car Mechanic
Nina Li Chi	...	Tammy
Chia-Liang Liu	...	Doctor
Guy Lai	...	Gang Leader (as Lai Ying Chow)

Also Known As:

Brother vs. Brother
Double Dragon
Duel of Dragons
Seung lung wui (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
The Twin Dragons (Hong Kong: English title)
Twin Dragons (USA) (recut version)
When Dragons Collide

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some shootings, non-stop martial arts violence, and sensuality.

Runtime:

100 min | USA:89 min (1999)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (US version) | Mono (original release) | Dolby Digital (US version)

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (1999) | Canada:14A (Alberta) (1999) | Canada:G (Quebec) (1993) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (1992) (1999) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Manitoba) (1999) | South Korea:12 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Cameo: [Tsui Hark]Card player

Goofs:

Continuity: The large registration numbers on the side of the speedboats in the chase scene change several times. Tyson and Boomer's boat is initially registration number 27838, however when it hits the ramp and skids across the land into the back of the truck, the registration number changes to 23108. Of the two boats giving chase, registration numbers 43738 and 24118, the former boat crashes and explodes - the number being clearly visible whilst it is on fire. In later scenes, the remaining boat should be 24118, but the number seen several times is 43738.

Movie Connections:

References Rocky (1976)

One of the better Chan films

Please note--this review is for the English-dubbed version. It's about 11 minutes shorter than the original film and I have no way of knowing how close it stuck to the original vision. It seemed to be dubbed reasonably well, but having never seen the original Chinese version, I am only guessing.

The idea of making a Corsican Brothers-like film with two Jackie Chans sounded pretty dumb when I read about this movie. And, while in parts it is awfully silly, the overall effort was far better than I expected and was one of the better Chan movies I have seen.

The movie begins with a prologue which shows how two twins were accidentally separated just after birth. The parents cannot locate the lost child and are forced to raise the remaining child. The second is fund by what appears to be a prostitute and this child is raised in a poor household. Many years later, when the rich and privileged Jackie returns to Hong Kong, he accidentally is mixed up for the poor one--the one that the local mob wants to kill! Now had this just been an action film with fight scene after fight scene, I think it wouldn't have worked as well. But, given that Jackie Chan did the movie a huge amount of comedy and clever situations involving two separate girlfriends were infused into the plot. Several times, I found myself laughing at some of the silliness of it all, but I also was impressed by how well the film all worked together pretty seamlessly.

There were only two complaints about the film. First, the poor Jackie snorted a lot. Why? Couldn't there have been a better way to distinguish between them than making one of them sound like he's a pig or has a really bad cold? Secondly, the film seemed to go on a bit too long--particularly at the action-packed conclusion. Knocking five or ten minutes off would have probably made the film a bit better--as the fight scene just went on and on and on. Still, this is a decent martial arts film and is worth a look and a laugh.

FYI--The film's second billing went to Maggie Cheung--a relatively famous Asian actress who has made a variety of excellent films. However, her role was no bigger or more prominent than the other lady in the film who didn't appear until much further in the credits. Bummer.