Dragon Blows

It starts out in rip roaring fashion, with our heroine (genre veteran Chiao Chiao) watching an out of control man rip the bodice from a struggling farm girl. Incensed by this brutality and no doubt offended by the film's one and only topless scene, she rams her fist through a brick wall and kills the man with her distinctive 'dragon blow'. Enter the film's male hero, her brother, who scolds his sister for using this deadly and forbidden weapon. The story then commences in earnest, as brother and sister end up protecting a poor orphan girl who has a valuable jade necklace that a nefarious criminal syndicate is desperate to obtain. Much mayhem ensues, though the film remains chaste and relatively bloodless after its promising beginning.

Directed by Wong Tin-Lam, Dragon Blows leans on a strong ensemble — Lisa Chiao Chiao, Charlie Chin Chiang-Lin, Hu Chin — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1973.