Billy Tang Hin-sing's 1989 crime-actioner DRAGON FIGHT is another film lensed in San Francisco. Before Tang was the Tang that we all have come to know and love (the CAT III Tang), he tapped 2 rising young stars, Jet Li Lian-jie and Stephen Chow Sing-chi for this above par action film. Dick Wei stars as the baddie and also does the action directing. For some fans of the 2 stars, this film is seen as a lesser effort, or a hiccup, on their path to stardom. I say it's a pretty darn good flick for both Li and Chow that fits in nicely alongside other HK action flicks of the late 80's.Anyway, below are pics of a car chase scene through the streets of SF, a la Steve McQueen's BULLIT. These photos also show the intersection of Grant Ave. and California St, the same location I mentioned in my previous post about CHINATOWN KID. If you look toward the center of the picture, as Li and his wife Nina fly down California St, trying to elude a few of Dick Wei's dastardly henchmen, you will see a McDonalds. This is the exact same place that was the Chinatown Wax Museum back in 1977 and The Chinatown Food Court today! 1980's corporate greed take over a section of C-town. For a short while anyway. Mickey D's in C-town!? Did they serve General Tso's Chicken Nuggets? Durian Pie? Duck Egg Mcmuffin? A Big Mao? OK. that's enough of that. NYC's C-town still has a Popeye's Chicken and a Mickey D's smack dab in the middle of it. So I can't be too harsh on Mickey D's trying to gentrify SF's C-town once upon a time.
Li and wife take to the air at intersection of Grant and California (1989)
Touchdown on California
Same intersection today (2010)
Below is the video to the chase scene. Pick the scene up at around the 4:05 mark. As Chow gets his ass handed to him by Dick Wei, Jet and Nina hop into their cool-ass station wagon and take off down California St.....leaving Chow behind!!!??? With friends like these....??? Anyway, Jet and Nina soar through the breeze at the Grant/California intersection near the 4:30 mark. Finally, the baddies car flips and explodes in a fiery, and fitting, end at around the 5:30 mark. Great scene. Enjoy!
