BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

An area for discussion of Dolph's past, present & future movies!

Moderator: Moderators

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby dolphage on 02 Dec 2014, 22:49

I concur, it's odd how many people hail this as a "hidden gem" of Dolph movies. I'm mean it's not terrible but I feel like the Big Guy has done a lot better as well.
Spring, era jävlar!
User avatar
dolphage
Regular
 
Posts: 1198
Joined: 15 Jun 2007, 16:05
Location: Spain

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 10 Dec 2014, 11:58

U.S. home video trailer

User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby dude hallenbeck on 11 Dec 2014, 14:32

This would've been a lot better with a different director. Florentine's personal touches are always so cheesy and bad.
User avatar
dude hallenbeck
Member
 
Posts: 440
Joined: 21 Aug 2013, 15:06

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby waxman on 11 Dec 2014, 19:51

I thought Florentine's direction is the reason why this movie has been praised by quite many genre fans over the years (including myself). I believe he is one of the few directors who can actually make the most of the small budgets he is given, and his movies are always very entertaining. Sure, the plot of BoD is all over the place and it doesn't make sense, but that's probably due to the typical low budget production problems (which I assume, out of Florentine's control) rather than the director's fault. When you see his name as a director, you know the movie is going to deliver in action department. Without him directing it, BoD could have been just one of so many forgettable low budget features out there.
waxman
Newbie
 
Posts: 11
Joined: 30 Oct 2011, 07:40

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 11 Dec 2014, 20:10

Mostly two things influenced the way it turned out:

- Nu Image had the script rewritten before Dolph and Florentine came to location and fought over it. The script they both signed for was more ambitious (too much?), more futuristic, and likely more coherent, without this mismash of elements / time periods

- back in 1998 this was the first film Nu Image (and Americans?) made in Bulgaria, and there was a lot of problems due to the crew lack of experience working on international productions and the studio being like it was under the communist regime, so there were some communication problems, technical problems etc.

I'm not a huge fan of Florentine's style and gimmicks (but I respect him as an authentic/traditional karateka and a very nice person) but this is not the movie he wanted to make and one of his least favorites for sure.

That said, being a low budget (even though Nu Image had allowed good money to both THE PEACEKEEPER and SWEEPERS) so it would probably have looked cheap and cheesy anyway...
User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 22 Feb 2015, 13:47

Original trailer in 720p HD
User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 09 Jul 2015, 17:40

Brazilian VHS

Image
User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby ShawnWatson on 23 Mar 2016, 03:27

Added a couple of pics to the IMDb.
User avatar
ShawnWatson
Member
 
Posts: 110
Joined: 29 Feb 2012, 03:00
Location: Engstrom Ranch

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Travis on 28 Mar 2016, 22:40

I think it's a great movie and I was about to give up on Dolph until this film. Sadly though, Dolph doesn't look his best. He looks old, tired, and out of shape. Strangely, he got in really good shape in the early 2000's after this movie. Not sure how he did it or what motivated him all of a sudden.
User avatar
Travis
Regular
 
Posts: 480
Joined: 13 Jan 2004, 22:22

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 29 Mar 2016, 01:56

Travis wrote:He looks old, tired, and out of shape.

Do you really think so? You can't be serious, come on...!

Well the real story is that Dolph actually wanted to pass his 3rd Dan black belt right before filming BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (remember director Isaac Florentine is Shito Ryu karate expert and they clicked when they first met) and make sure he was in top shape for it (and "top shape" doesn't necessarily being "big" muscles-wise like I think you mean). So he trained in Sweden with his instructor for a couple of months, did the 3 hours exam and 20 kumite fights like everybody else, earned the grade, and they started to shoot the film soon after that summer of 1998...

Looks can be deceiving then huh?



I got these pics in a Swedish mag and believe they were taken at the examination:
http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/gallery/n ... hter-1.jpg
http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/gallery/n ... hter-7.jpg
http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/gallery/n ... hter-8.jpg

and this one all in sweat during training before the exam
http://www.dolph-ultimate.com/gallery/n ... er%203.jpg
User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Travis on 29 Mar 2016, 09:53

I mean he doesn't look in shape to be shirtless in a movie. He surely doesn't look as good compared to his other movies made even a little bit before and sometime after.

Early 2000's, whenever he me The Defender, he was super ripped, almost too ripped because his face got sunken in. He also looked like he was lifting again.

Also, you posted some magazine cover that had a snapshot of him in the early 2000's and I was surprised he looked as good as he did.
User avatar
Travis
Regular
 
Posts: 480
Joined: 13 Jan 2004, 22:22

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 04 Aug 2016, 10:45

New German edition
https://www.amazon.de/Die-Akte-Warchild ... h+lundgren

(widescreen 1.78:1? Would be too good to be true given the low price)

Image

EDIT:
Filming was taking place 18 years ago in August 1998.
User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03

Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 24 Aug 2016, 17:07

The DVD above is 4/3 fullscreen, it's a repackaging of this one with PENTATHLON and THE SHOOTER on the same disc...
https://www.amazon.de/Dolph-Lundgren-Ic ... h+lundgren
User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03


Re: BRIDGE OF DRAGONS (Isaac Florentine, 1999)

Postby Jox on 11 Dec 2016, 15:08

Canadian VHS

Image

Image
User avatar
Jox
Site Admin
 
Posts: 23038
Joined: 08 Nov 2003, 23:03

PreviousNext

Return to Dolph's Movies

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 49 guests