{ "id": "epza8jz38g", "slug": "heart-of-dragon", "title": "Heart of Dragon (龙的心)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": 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"https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Heart of Dragon (龙的心, First Mission) is a 1985 Hong Kong action drama directed by Sammo Hung, starring Hung and Jackie Chan as brothers, released 16 October 1985, grossing HK$20,335,429 and winning Best Film Song at the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards.", "snippet": "Heart of Dragon (龙的心, First Mission) is a 1985 Hong Kong action drama directed by Sammo Hung, starring Hung and Jackie Chan as brothers, released 16 October 1985, grossing HK$20,335,429 and winning Best Film Song at the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-1980s-and-1990s", "markdown": "# Heart of Dragon (龙的心)\n\n**Heart of [Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-2025-film)** (龙的心, also released as *First Mission*) is a 1985 Hong Kong action-crime drama directed by [Sammo Hung](https://www.edgepedia.org/sammo-hung) and starring Hung and [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan) as brothers, in which a policeman gives up his dream of becoming a sailor to care for his mentally impaired older brother, who is later kidnapped by gangsters.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091427/) Produced by Golden Harvest and Bo Ho Films, it was a deliberate departure from the kung fu comedies that had made both stars famous, leading with family drama and saving its action for the finale.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [4](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/heart-of-dragon-blu-ray-review-jackie-chan-sammo-hung/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 龍的心 (Long de xin); English titles *Heart of Dragon* and *First Mission*; mainland Chinese title 不会松开你的手[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Directors | Sammo Hung; Fruit Chan is credited as co-director on IMDb, TMDb, and Apple TV[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091427/) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/hk/movie/%E9%BE%8D%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/umc.cmc.1hdig861125l3sjaiykl0r2pd) |\n| Release | 14 September 1985 (Japan); 16 October 1985 (Hong Kong)[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Box office | HK$20,335,429 in Hong Kong, fourth-highest of the year[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Awards | Best Film Song at the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards (1986); nominations for Best Director, Best Action Choreography, and Best Music[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/48190.shtml) |\n| Running time | 98 minutes per Baidu; the Arrow Video Blu-ray carries a 91-minute Hong Kong theatrical cut and a 99-minute extended Japanese cut[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [5](https://bandsaboutmovies.com/2023/03/15/arrow-blu-ray-release-heart-of-dragon-1985/) |\n| Ratings | IMDb 6.3/10; Douban 7.5/10 from 25,443 voters (as of 10 January 2026)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091427/) • [1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nTai (Jackie Chan) has wanted to be a free-spirited sailor since childhood, but his elder brother Dodo (Sammo Hung) was born with an intellectual disability, and caring for him has kept Tai from pursuing that dream; he works instead as an ordinary policeman, where his unrestrained temper makes him unpopular with his superiors.[7](https://www.iq.com/album/heart-of-dragon-1985-19rutizeo8?lang=en_us) After arguing with his boss he quits in anger to go to sea. Dodo, mistaking this for abandonment, tries to become self-reliant, and while playing a cops-and-robbers game in a park he takes jewelry left behind by robbers.[7](https://www.iq.com/album/heart-of-dragon-1985-19rutizeo8?lang=en_us) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/hk/movie/%E9%BE%8D%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/umc.cmc.1hdig861125l3sjaiykl0r2pd)\n\nThe gangsters return and kidnap Dodo, demanding a tainted police witness in exchange.[6](https://tv.apple.com/hk/movie/%E9%BE%8D%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/umc.cmc.1hdig861125l3sjaiykl0r2pd) To save his brother, Tai breaks the law himself, abducts the witness, and fights his way through the gang in an unfinished office tower; in some accounts he kills the robbers in the fight and faces prison as a result.[7](https://www.iq.com/album/heart-of-dragon-1985-19rutizeo8?lang=en_us) • [2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/48190.shtml)\n\n## Production and intent\n\nBy 1985, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung were at the height of their popularity with kung fu comedies and wanted to try something more literary.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) Hung was reportedly inspired by the success of the family tragedy *搭错车* (about a mute father and his adopted daughter), which had swept Hong Kong and Taiwan, and he engaged Su Rui (苏芮), who had become famous singing behind the scenes for that film, to perform the theme song 《谁可相依》.[8](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=457913) • [2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/48190.shtml)\n\nThe screenplay is credited to Barry Wong (黄炳耀).[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091427/) The action choreography team was a large one even by Hong Kong standards, including Sammo Hung, Corey Yuen, Mang Hoi, Yuen Wah, Yuen Biao, and Billy Chan Wui-Ngai.[9](https://jephmann.com/movies/film.php?id=18763) Producers were Chua Lam and Wu Ma, with Leonard Ho among the presenters, and cinematography by Arthur Wong.[9](https://jephmann.com/movies/film.php?id=18763) • [10](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/heart-dragon)\n\nDirectorial credit varies across databases: Baidu and the Australian Classification record Sammo Hung alone, while IMDb, TMDb, and Apple TV also credit Fruit Chan, who served as production manager on the film.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [10](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/heart-dragon) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091427/) • [9](https://jephmann.com/movies/film.php?id=18763)\n\n## Reception and versions\n\nThe film earned HK$20,335,429 at the Hong Kong box office, placing fourth for the year, and received four nominations at the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards alongside its win for Best Film Song.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/48190.shtml) At the same ceremony, Kent Cheng won Best Actor, but for Why Me? rather than for this film.[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/48190.shtml) • [12](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2016-9-1-25.html)\n\nCritics have consistently noted the film's split personality. A Mtime review cited by Baidu observes that the first half gives Chan extensive melodramatic material while the second half returns him to action, leaving the film somewhat inconsistent, though it credits both stars with sincerity in wanting to make a serious picture.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) The Slant Magazine review of the Arrow Video disc finds the dramatic scenes stiff but praises the finale, in which Chan's fight choreography conveys rage rather than comedy, and calls the group rescue sequence one of the best ensemble efforts by his stunt team.[4](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/heart-of-dragon-blu-ray-review-jackie-chan-sammo-hung/) A Douban reviewer reads the film as a portrait of caregiving families, noting that the brother's occasional emotional outbursts and his ultimate acceptance of responsibility give the drama its realism.[11](https://movie.douban.com/review/15874073/)\n\nTwo cuts of the film exist. When the Japanese wanted more mayhem, Sammo Hung obliged, producing a longer Japanese version with two extra stunt sequences; the Arrow Video Blu-ray released in April 2023 includes both the 91-minute Hong Kong theatrical cut and the 99-minute extended Japanese cut, restored in 2K from the original negative by Fortune Star.[4](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/heart-of-dragon-blu-ray-review-jackie-chan-sammo-hung/) • [5](https://bandsaboutmovies.com/2023/03/15/arrow-blu-ray-release-heart-of-dragon-1985/) The Australian Classification Board rated the DVD release M for moderate violence in December 2005.[10](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/heart-dragon)\n\n## Legacy\n\nHeart of Dragon stands as one of the mid-1980s attempts by Hong Kong action stars to cross into social drama, and it remains associated with the Hong Kong New Wave's broader current of social dramas about ordinary people.[4](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/heart-of-dragon-blu-ray-review-jackie-chan-sammo-hung/) The film was broadcast on CCTV6's movie channel on 2 February 2017 and is available on streaming platforms including LeTV, Youku, and [Tencent Video](https://www.edgepedia.org/tencent-video) in mainland China.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink) Its Best Film Song win, for Su Rui's performance of 《谁可相依》, tied the film to the same singer and the same family-melodrama moment that had inspired its production.[2](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/48190.shtml) • [8](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=457913)\n\n## References\n\n1. [龙的心（1985年洪金宝执导电影）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E9%BE%99%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/3126?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n2. [龙的心 详细资料, 1905电影网](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/48190.shtml)\n3. [Heart of Dragon (1985), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091427/)\n4. [Review: Sammo Hung's Hong Kong Action Drama Heart of Dragon on Arrow Video Blu-ray, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/heart-of-dragon-blu-ray-review-jackie-chan-sammo-hung/)\n5. [Arrow Blu-ray Release: Heart of Dragon (1985), B&S About Movies](https://bandsaboutmovies.com/2023/03/15/arrow-blu-ray-release-heart-of-dragon-1985/)\n6. [《龍的心》, Apple TV (HK)](https://tv.apple.com/hk/movie/%E9%BE%8D%E7%9A%84%E5%BF%83/umc.cmc.1hdig861125l3sjaiykl0r2pd)\n7. [Heart Of Dragon (1985), iQIYI](https://www.iq.com/album/heart-of-dragon-1985-19rutizeo8?lang=en_us)\n8. [龙的心, 搜狗百科](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=457913)\n9. [Heart of Dragon (1985), Jeffrey Hartmann film database](https://jephmann.com/movies/film.php?id=18763)\n10. [Heart of the Dragon, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/heart-dragon)\n11. [龙的心再次观影有感, Douban review by VanceChie](https://movie.douban.com/review/15874073/)\n12. [Why Me? - Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2016-9-1-25.html)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 1980s and 1990s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-of-dragon", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-of-dragon.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Heart of Dragon (龙的心)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-of-dragon. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Heart of Dragon (龙的心)](https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-of-dragon)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-of-dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-of-dragon). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Heart of Dragon (龙的心)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/heart-of-dragon. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Heart of Dragon is a 1985 Hong Kong action drama directed by Sammo Hung, starring Hung and Jackie Chan as brothers, released 16 October 1985, grossing HK$20,335,429 and winning Best Film Song at the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards." }