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Dragon Squad
Dragon Squad
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Dragon Squad
Original theatrical poster
Directed byDaniel Lee
Written byDaniel Lee
Lau Ho-Leung
Produced byMichael Chou
StarringVanness Wu
Shawn Yue
Xia Yu
Eva Huang
Lawrence Chou
Sammo Hung
Maggie Q
CinematographyTony Cheung
Edited byAzrael Chung
Music byYoung Chen
Henry Lai Wan-man
Distributed byMedia Asia Films
Release date
  • 10 November 2005 (2005-11-10)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguagesCantonese
English

Dragon Squad (Chinese: 猛龍) is a 2005 Hong Kong action film co-written and directed by Daniel Lee, co-produced by Steven Seagal,[1] and starring Vanness Wu, Sammo Hung, Michael Biehn, Maggie Q, and Simon Yam.[2]

Plot

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Interpol agent Wang Sun-Ho states that this is his first mission in a messy laundry hallway filled with fluff as if a gunfight had taken place there. The start shows a team of young INTERPOL agents arriving in Hong Kong to give testimony against recently captured crime boss "Panther" Duen. Among the agents are Officer Wang Sun-Ho, an ex-SWAT officer trained in the United States, two HKPD officers Hung Kei Lok and Pak Yat Suet, ex-PLA sniper Luo Zai-Jun, and ex-SAS operator James "Jie" Lam. They are greeted by Hon Sun, the one in charge of the case. However the escort of Tiger turns into a situation as the older Duen brother, "Tiger" Duen plans to rescue Panther. The rescue attempt is aborted when the agents mistake an innocent civilian as a criminal attempting to break Tiger free and also discover that the convoy they are guarding is a decoy. Tiger's crew pulls out and disappears. The agents commandeer a van, breaking their orders to find the real convoy.

Meanwhile, an HKPD surveillance squad is eliminated by 5 operatives all of whom have military training. Led by the Ex 707th Korean commander Ko Tung Yuen, along with his best friend American Petros Angelo (Former Colombian Armed Forces), Yuet Song a Vietnamese sniper, Joe Pearson another ex-US Navy SEALS and Lee Chun Pei another Korean operative. The real convoy transporting Panther is ambushed and the operatives eliminate 7 officers on the scene. The INTERPOL agents arrive but are unable to prevent their escape due to the operatives training and superior firepower.

Back at the HQ, Commander Hon Sun reprimands the agents for disobeying orders but lets them off the hook. Lok visits his sick brother while off duty, Ho decides to do some of his own investigations and Jun, Jie and Suet are later introduced to Kong Long a retired police officer. It is revealed then that Petros is seeking revenge for the death of his brother Dominic. Kong Long was involved on a mission to take down Dominic and Tiger but because Kong did not wait for backup it resulted in Tiger killing Dominic and the deaths of 6 officers. Later Lok, Ho and Suet save Kong's daughter from a fight in her own restaurant but it is then revealed that Kong's daughter hates him for a past event. The team then practice for their mission by improving their shooting accuracy in a local bar.

After several team introductions and attempts from both sides to getting to know the "players" Captain Ko meets Petros in a cafe to initiate 2 phases of their mission. Ko will attempt to keep tabs on the INTERPOL agents while Petros will attempt to retrieve a microfilm which, for unknown purposes, is their main objective. It is rumoured to be in the hands of Tiger Duen, and the only link is Yu Ching, Tiger's girlfriend. As soon as Ko leaves the cafe, Petro randomly just happens to spot Ho walking down the street. Ho tries to hide his identity by pretending to be a visitor from out of town. Petros then retreats to a fortune teller temple where Ho attempts to take Petros down but Petros escapes using his training.

Petros then finds Yu Ching being bullied and pretends to befriend her, Even letting himself get beaten up by 3 Chinese gangsters who finish their beating by throwing a dumpster on Petros. Yu Ching however is too trusting and even lets Petros into her house.

Meanwhile, it is revealed Ko has a rivalry with Kong which earned him his scar. Ko tries to kill Kong in a locker room with a machete but Kong manages to hold Ko off and Ko is forced to retreat after a team returned back to the station which alerted Ko.

Later Petros, Joe, Lee Chun Pei and Ko meet Tiger for a deal for the microfilm, they even threaten him showing Panther's ear cut of earlier. This only results in a gunfight with the operatives eliminating most of Panther/Tiger's Triads. Ho and Lok arrive on the scene attempting to fight Ko but Ko just defeats them and leaves saying "I don't have time for this" leaving Ho, Lok and Tiger in a Mexican standoff before the HKPD arrests them all. Tiger later gets released on lack of evidence and both Ho and Lok were bailed out by Kong pleading with Hon Sun.

The team then seeks advice from Kong on how to catch the operatives and asks Kong to lead them. Kong however, denies their request due to his trauma of losing his ex-team was still fresh in his memory and he did not want a repeat of what happened to the current team. Kong instead give them tips on how to counter the team that Ko had.

Eventually, Hon Sun prepares a sniper unit, and 3 teams of HKPD officers to ambush the operatives. Petros splits up with Ko after lying to Yu Ching he has to do something. Yuet easily eliminates the snipers, Petros takes out 2 of the HKPD teams and Ko eliminates the HKPD command squad. Hon Sun tries to fight back but is shot without mercy by Petros and is badly wounded.

Having enough of the operatives rampage, Ho, Lok, Jun, Suet and Jie attempt to ambush all the operatives at once. Yuet then engages in firefight with Jun, Petros, Lee Chun Pei and Ko enter a firefight as well against Suet, Jie, Ho and Lok. The operatives change tactics making it harder for the team to kill them. Joe Pearson breaks into a jeep in to evac Petros and Ko. Lee Chun Pei is killed by Suet with an MP5. Just as the battle was unwinding, Jun who was covering Suet gets distracted thinking that the battle is over, unbeknownst that Yuet was still around and with surprise, Yuet kills Suet. Thus both sides lose one member of their team.

Back at HQ, Hon Sun dies of his injuries but with his last breath told Kong to forgive the past and give the youngsters a chance at redemption and he was indeed over his head, just as Kong told him. Suet is remembered by her comrades and even her target (Cameo by Andy On). After condolences for Suet. The team decides to catch the operatives using all the training. A China agency attempts to deport them but they are saved by Kong who only recently discovers the operatives true intentions. The operatives want the microfilm because it contains the bank account numbers of the Duen brothers which contain millions of dollars. Their plan is then mobilized.

Ho gets to Yu Ching first luring her away from the operatives tricking her in believing he is a friend of Petros. Jun shoots Ching's car tire so Petros would pick her up. Ho then leads the operatives to an abandoned warehouse where Jun ambushes Yuet. Joe then enters the warehouse and is instantly rammed with a forklift driven by Jie. However Jie underestimated Joe and after a few struggles, Jie manages to impale Joe onto a large sign nail and electrocute him to death with a live wire. Jun enters an intense sniper battle against Yuet at a cemetery. Jun initially lost the fight and just as he was crawling away, Yuet tries to execute Jun but just as she was about to fire, Jun threw a glass vase at her direction and the bullet shattered the glass, impaling Yuet's eyes causing her to go blind and Jun grabs her rifle away from her. In a blind rage, Yuet draws her knife and charges at Jun. Jun eventually retaliates and guns Yuet down with her. Kong finally defeats Ko after an intense swordfight, and with Ko committing suicide by stabbing himself.

Petros is the only operative left. Lok posing as a taxi driver drives Ho and Yu Ching away to a mall where Yu Ching is to deliver the microfilm to Tiger. Lok tries to keep Petros off Ho's back but Lok is stabbed with a corkscrew whilst tussling with Petros in a supermarket and is seemingly killed. Using the performing lion dance troupe as a distraction while hijacking Lok's radio, Ho is pistol whipped by Petros and Petros meets back with Yu Ching. Petros decides to deliver the microfilm to Tiger himself. In the cinema, Tiger takes Petros hostage with a silenced pistol and taunts Petros with an empty box but Petros, having fallen in love with Yu Ching, was enraged with the way Tiger was talking about Yu Ching, disarms Tiger and kills him.

Petros then attempts to leave with Yu Ching, only to spot Ho who has regained conscious waiting to ambush him. Petros attempts to shoot Ho from a high deck, only to be shot in the back by Lok who survived the stabbing and was instead retaliated by Petros who shot Lok twice before fleeing. Lok tells Ho to go after Petros. Ho and Petros then engage in a gunfight where both men shoot each other in the same laundry room at the beginning until their guns are empty. Ho is heavily wounded in a narrow shootout with Petros but manages to shoot him dead and discovers the microfilm was hidden in Yu Ching's toy doll that she gave to Petros all along.

Lok, Ho, Kong, Jie and Jun who have all apparently healed arrive at the same bar and fire all their pistols at the same time at the screen.

Cast

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Filming Locations

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Man Mo Temple - Fight sequence between Wang Sun-Ho and Petros Angelo filmed at one of Hong Kong's oldest temples.

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Dragon Squad (Chinese: 猛龍; pinyin: Měng Lóng), also known internationally as Dragon Squad, is a 2005 Hong Kong action thriller film co-written and directed by Daniel Lee and co-produced by . The film centers on a team of five young agents from various countries who arrive in to provide testimony in the trial of a notorious Triad crime lord known as "Panther" Duen. During transport to the , Panther escapes in a violent led by his henchmen, including a rogue former SAS operative named Petros (). This triggers a high-stakes pursuit across the city, where the international agents must team up with a burned-out local police , Kong Long (played by ), to recapture the fugitive before he can regroup with his criminal network. Featuring a multinational cast that includes as the veteran cop, as the antagonistic ex-soldier, as one of the agents, and rising stars such as , , Xia Yu, Eva Huang, and Lawrence Chou, the movie blends intense action sequences with themes of cross-cultural cooperation. Clocking in at 109 minutes, it was produced by Visualizer Film Productions Ltd. in collaboration with several Chinese studios, emphasizing stylish gunfights, chases, and choreography typical of cinema.

Film Overview

Plot

The film follows a team of five elite agents—Wang Sun-Ho (Taiwanese), Hung Kei-Lok (), Luo Zai-Jun (), Pak Yut-Suet (female agent with skills), and James Lam (with covert expertise)—who arrive in to provide testimony in the trial of the notorious Triad crime lord Puma Duen. During their escorted convoy to the , the group is ambushed by a team of mercenaries led by the rogue ex-SAS operative Petros Angelo and Captain Ko Tung-Yuen, hired by Puma's brother Tiger Duen to kidnap him and seize a microfilm containing details of the family's illicit fortunes. The initial gunfight results in casualties among the escort, but the surviving agents escape and regroup with the aid of a jaded local police , Kong Long, who is nearing retirement and haunted by a past failed operation. As they pursue the kidnappers through Hong Kong's urban landscape, the team faces intense action sequences, including high-speed chases, warehouse shootouts with improvised explosives, rooftop sniper duels involving the antagonist Yuet, and hand-to-hand combats that highlight the agents' diverse training and emerging personal conflicts. The antagonists' plan unravels due to internal greed and betrayals over the microfilm's contents, particularly involving Yu Ching and the mercenaries. The agents exploit these divisions in a climactic on the fortified hideout, featuring gunfire, close-quarters fighting, and explosive confrontations. Kong Long and the team ultimately recapture Puma Duen, neutralize Ko Tung-Yuen and Petros, recover the microfilm, and dismantle the operation, underscoring themes of international cooperation against .

Cast

The principal cast of Dragon Squad features a multinational ensemble of Interpol agents, local law enforcement, and antagonists, drawing from , , , and international talent.
ActorCharacterRole Description
Wang Sun-HoTaiwanese agent and team leader with tactical expertise.
Hung Kei-Lok agent providing local knowledge.
Xia YuLuo Zai-Jun officer with precision skills.
Eva HuangPak Yut-SuetFemale agent specializing in marksmanship and intelligence.
Lawrence ChouJames Lam operative experienced in covert operations.
Kong LongBurned-out police inspector aiding the team.
Petros AngeloRogue ex-SAS mercenary leading the ambush.
YuetDeadly sniper working for the antagonists.
Commander Hon SunSenior police commander overseeing support.
Hugo NgPuma DuenCaptured Triad crime lord central to the trial.
The casting of Hollywood actors like and alongside Hong Kong stars emphasizes the film's theme of cross-cultural collaboration and conflict.

Production

Development

The script for Dragon Squad was co-written by its director Daniel Lee and Lau Ho-Leung, envisioning a high-octane action thriller centered on a team of young agents confronting international gangsters and North Korean mercenaries in . This concept drew from global crime narratives, emphasizing high-stakes operations and cross-border law enforcement dynamics to appeal to international audiences. The production team was led by director Daniel Lee, with producers including Michael Chou, Catherine Hun, and Ho Chak-Ming, alongside co-producer , whose participation highlighted a rare Hollywood-Hollywood East collaboration aimed at bridging markets. Executive producers Bey Logan and Jimmy Moy further supported the venture through Visualizer Film Productions and World Media, respectively. Lee's creative vision built on his prior works, such as Black Mask (1996), incorporating ensemble-driven action and diverse, multicultural ensembles to enhance the film's global scope. Development progressed into in early 2005, culminating in starting on March 23, 2005. The project was financed with a budget of US$4.5 million by Visualizer Film Productions and World Media, with Mei Ah Entertainment securing Asian distribution rights and Arclight Films handling international sales outside the region. This structure reflected strategic efforts to position the film for broader export, leveraging Hong Kong's action genre strengths.

Filming

Principal photography for Dragon Squad began on March 23, 2005, in , under the direction of Daniel Lee. The production primarily took place in various urban settings across the city, including streets for chase sequences and an aging industrial complex for a key gun battle scene. These practical locations contributed to the film's grounded aesthetic, emphasizing real-world environments over extensive digital effects. Cinematographer Tony Cheung Tung-Leung handled the visuals, employing dynamic camera movements, zoom-ins, and energetic framing to capture the high-octane action sequences effectively. His approach included fluid tracking shots during shootouts and confrontations, enhancing the intensity of the film's gunplay and . One notable example is a sequence filmed at City Super in Harbour City, where dailies captured tense pursuits amid everyday retail spaces. Action choreography was led by , who designed sequences blending gun fu-style shootouts with combat, incorporating practical stunts and explosions for realism. The production faced logistical hurdles in synchronizing stunts involving an international ensemble, including American actor alongside Hong Kong performers like . Outdoor shoots were occasionally impacted by 's variable weather, though the team prioritized authentic urban backdrops to maintain the story's high-stakes atmosphere. wrapped after several months, allowing time for ahead of the November release.

Release and Reception

Theatrical Release

Dragon Squad premiered in on November 10, 2005, marking the film's initial theatrical debut in its home market. The premiere event drew attendance from key cast members, including lead actor and co-star , who joined director Daniel Lee for promotional activities highlighting the film's high-stakes action sequences. Promotional trailers released ahead of the premiere emphasized the central theme of agents clashing with a Triad crime syndicate, underscoring the international scope of the story. The film saw primary distribution in Asian territories, including , , and , handled by Media Asia Films as the presenting company. A limited international rollout followed in 2005 and 2006, with non-Asian rights acquired by Arclight Films and releases in select markets such as (Cologne Cineasia Film Festival, December 9, 2005) and (October 14, 2006). Marketing efforts spotlighted action veterans like in a pivotal role and the production credit of , aiming to attract fans of and global thrillers. For Western audiences, English-dubbed versions were prepared to broaden accessibility, leveraging the film's bilingual elements. Originally shot in and English to accommodate its multinational cast, Dragon Squad has a runtime of 110 minutes and was released in standard theatrical format without special effects enhancements. In 2025, a Blu-ray edition was released in on September 26.

Box Office

Dragon Squad earned HK$2,170,000 in during its two-week theatrical run, which concluded on November 24, 2005. At the prevailing of approximately 7.75 HKD per USD in November 2005, this equated to about US$280,000. The film's worldwide gross totaled US$292,926, with the vast majority derived from its primary market in and only negligible earnings from limited international screenings in territories such as . The performance was modest compared to other Hong Kong action films released in 2005, where top earners like grossed over HK$37 million and The Myth exceeded HK$17 million, while Dragon Squad ranked near the bottom of the year's local releases with its earnings placing it outside the top 50 films overall. This underwhelming result was influenced by stiff competition from high-profile action titles and a shortened theatrical window, likely due to limited pre-sales interest.

Critical Response

Dragon Squad received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with praise centered on its action elements despite shortcomings. User-generated scores were somewhat more favorable, with an audience approval of 57% on select platforms and a 5.3 out of 10 rating on from over 1,700 votes, where viewers often highlighted its value as a mindless action flick. The limited number of professional reviews underscores the film's niche release and modest performance, which curtailed broader Western critical attention. Critics and audiences alike commended the film's fast-paced action sequences, crediting director Daniel Lee's kinetic style and the stunt coordination by for creating explosive set pieces, such as a chaotic and inventive hand-to-hand combats. In a 2018 retrospective, Kung-fu Kingdom praised these elements as highlights, noting Hung's versatile fight choreography, including a memorable improvised battle with everyday objects, which elevated the film's entertainment value despite its flaws. IMDb user reviews echoed this sentiment, frequently describing the movie as "highly entertaining" and "fun over depth," appreciating its high-energy pace and brutal intensity as a throwback to classic . However, the screenplay drew widespread criticism for its weak, predictable plot and formulaic structure, often likened to generic action tropes lacking originality or character development. Acting performances were uneven, with particular scrutiny on newer idols like , whose portrayal was seen as stiff amid the ensemble, while veterans like Hung and provided more reliable turns. Reviewers on platforms like AsianMovieWeb and Far East Films noted the film's overreliance on clichés and chaotic editing, which undermined the action's impact, ultimately positioning Dragon Squad as a flawed but sporadically thrilling B-movie effort.
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