Sun Dragon | aka A Hard Way to Die (1979) Review

“Sun Dragon” Theatrical Poster

Director: Hua Shan
Cast: Billy Chong, Carl Scott, Louis Neglia, Ma Chung-Tak, Hsiao Sung Liang, Joseph Jennings, Gam Biu, Lam Hak-Ming, Hau Chiu-Sing, Lai Sau-Kit
Running Time: 90 min.

By Henry McKeand

Two decades before Hollywood tasked the Andrzej Bartkowiaks and Brett Ratners of the world with melding Hong Kong action with Hip-Hop aesthetics, Shanghai-born director Hua Shan was crafting his own successful Black-meets-Asian action creations. Thanks to martial artist Carl Scott, a Black American who moved like he studied at the Peking Opera School, Hua was able to make two movies that fully capitalized on the popularity of martial arts cinema in the States. The first was Soul Brothers of Kung Fu, a crime-revenge flick that found Scott teaming up with Bruce Li and Lo Ming. The second was Sun Dragon (also known as A Hard Way to Die), a Kung Fu western co-starring Willy Dozan (or Billy Chong, as he was often billed).

With Sun Dragon, Hua and his crew were able to film entirely on-location in Phoenix, Arizona. The fact that some of the American posters and DVD covers even brag about this is telling; Hua was clearly thrilled to shoot in the American West. The film opens with footage of vast Canyon-filled vistas, and many scenes begin with people walking through forests and deserts. There are chases on horseback and standoffs in wooden-walled saloons and paranoid bandits digging holes in the sandy ground to hide their loot. The plot is ostensibly set in the 20th-century, but it’s hard to tell in most scenes. Instead, this plays out like an honest-go-God western with hands and feet instead of six-shooters.

Sadly, this doesn’t mean it’s a work of visual splendor on par with John Ford. This was a down-and-dirty B-movie even in 1979, and decades of relative obscurity have not been kind to its audiovisual presentation. This is the kind of movie that’s mainly available through two low-quality rips on Tubi, both uniquely ugly. And, as this is a genre movie from the late-70s, the plot is unsurprisingly aimless and patchwork, with far too few scenes of the two leads actually getting to know each other or working towards a clear goal. For better or worse, this might be one of the most 70s movies ever made. It has everything—hillbilly villains, Chuck Norris haircuts, a spaghetti western soundtrack, bar fights, Bruce Lee facial expressions, horrible English dubbing, an elderly Kung Fu master—all coated in blaxploitation and excessive film grain.

Your enjoyment, then, is dependent on your tolerance for actually seeing this play out for 90 minutes. The lack of any real modern sensibility makes it hard to recommend to the average action fan, and there are certainly narrative flaws that go beyond a lack of polish. But for you, City on Fire Reader, who has likely seen at least one Brucesploitation movie and knows what it means to search for obscure Wuxia films sketchy sites with Russian text? Sun Dragon very well may be your next great weekend escape: a scrappy Kung Fu movie that actually delivers on its promise of consistent action.

Billy Chong is Sung Shan Chong, a Chinese-born martial artist coming to America to visit his old friend. It isn’t long before he finds himself at odds with a gang of violent criminals making life in the desert hell for honest people. He ends up crossing paths with Carl Scott’s Tommy, the son of a family of Black farmers who were killed by ruthless bank robbers. Tommy miraculously learns Kung Fu in a day from the resident Elderly Martial Arts Master (Hsiao Sung Liang), putting him in a position to fight alongside Chong for revenge.

Neither Chong nor Scott are skilled dramatic actors, but they have a relaxed and charming chemistry (they would go on to co-star in Lin Chan-Wai’s Kung Fu Executioner). It’s a shame then, that they get so little time together to actually develop their relationship. Instead, they’re each siloed in their respective subplots for most of the runtime. The good news is that they’re each more than skilled enough to carry their own fight scenes. Chong is a remarkably athletic and nimble performer, often going the extra mile to incorporate acrobatic dodges and spring-loaded jumps into his choreography. Scott, despite playing the less experienced American, is just as exciting to watch. He has the intensity and physicality of a young Yuen Biao, and he knows how to sell the power of every blow.

The film culminates with both men squaring off against the main villain, played by real-life World Kickboxing Champion Louis Neglia. Despite rocking the aforementioned Chuck Norris haircut, Neglia is an imposing presence who brings a genuine credibility to his fight scenes. His showdown with the two heroes is a masterclass in old school HK action.

You could say many unking things about Sun Dragon: it’s cheap and formulaic and dated. But it’s also loaded with small, kinetic flourishes that remind you just how magical martial arts films are. And when Chong and Scott clasp hands—a gesture of true cross-racial brotherhood long before it was common in the mainstream—with the Arizona sun shining hard in the background, it’s transcendent.

Henry McKeand’s Rating: 7/10