"Heart of Dragon" (sometimes titled "Heart of a Dragon") is one of the most unique Jackie Chan movies for the simple fact that it’s not a Martial Arts flick. It has a little bit of action particularly at the end but not enough that I would actually drop it in the action genre.

Sammo Hung (Dodo), who is also the director, is Jackie’s (Tat) mentally retarded brother. Dodo has the mind of a child and is constantly getting into trouble because he simply doesn’t know any better. The enormous responsibility of taking care of such a person is taking its toll on Tat. He’s had to give up on his dreams, and though he would never abandon his brother, he is looking for a way out. When Dodo commits a robbery, without knowing what he’s doing, the police want him, and a gang of criminals kidnaps him. Though Tat could use this as his way out he realizes the depths of his love and is willing to risk everything to save his brother.

It is a touching story with a heartwarming end. There are some emotional moments earlier on as well. Heartwarming, yes, heartwrenching, no. The impact isn’t such that I get tears in my eyes or even a lump in my throat. There are several things that weaken the mood: cultural differences making some comments and actions feel out of place, acting that is not terrible but not strong enough to drive the performances home, and a less than stirring score.

Usually what carries a Jackie Chan movie is the combat. Beautifully choreographed hand-to-hand fights with stunning feats of agility, light-hearted comedy, and unexpected odd weapons can carry even the weakest of Chan's movies for a fan like me. "Heart of Dragon" contains none of what I expect to see. Except for a few minutes at the very beginning the first hour has very little action at all. The excitement picks up near the end, but it’s mostly guns and knives – standard, in other words, rather than classic Jackie Chan. Although, having said all that, whenever there is a moment of action Jackie's stunt team makes it look more intense than the average movie.

What makes the lack of combat interesting is that there are several renowned Martial Artists that don’t do anything. Sammo is the most notable since he is the most widely known after Jackie and holds the co-starring role. He doesn’t do much more than kick a chair although he does use his exceptional agility to execute a terrific fall and tumble. James Tien, the crimelord, has faced off against Jackie in older movies but doesn’t so much as throw a punch here. I kind of expected him to be the final challenge for Tat, but not so.