Twin Dragons is a 1992 comedy and martial arts film, starring Jackie Chan in a dual role as twins Separated at Birth.
In 1965, a pair of twin boys are born as heirs of a wealthy family. Unfortunately, the boys are inevitably separated when a lunatic escaping from the police bursts into the hospital where they are born, and tries taking the babies hostage. Eventually, only one of the baby boys, John (Jackie Chan) is recovered, who grows up into a musician and conductor. But unbeknownst to the family, the other baby is found by the roadside and raised by a lonely woman, who names him Boomer (Jackie Chan) and raises him as a foster child, eventually growing up becoming a mechanic and street-fighter.
26 years later, John is preparing to conduct a major concert in Hong Kong, but as fate would have it, Boomer and his friend Tarzan, being pursued by triads led by Boss Wing, ends up crossing path with John. Hilarity Ensues.
Twin Dragons provides examples of:
- Bad Date: The date between John and Tammy didn't go on well, to say the least. Due to Synchronization from proximity with Boomer, John ends up spilling, flipping, and knocking over food and drinks on their dinner table leaving Tammy covered in food and looking all pissed off...
- Bandage Mummy: Tarzan, after the boat chase gone wrong and crashing on the pier.
- Briefcase Full of Money: The ransom money to be delivered to Boss Wing. It turns out to be a dummy briefcase, full of blank paper.
- Celebrity Cameo: Long-time Shaw Brothers action icon and former badass David Chiang as a hotel security chief.
- Car Fu: John gets into a car chase while making his way to Tarzan, and crashes through plenty of surrounding vehicles.
- Cartoon Conductor: Invoked in the scene where Boomer had to conduct an orchestra on John's behalf while John is busy in a vehicle chase. Due to Synchronization, John's rapid movements behind the wheel translates to Boomer kicking, punching and fighting thin air as well as summersaulting in the middle of an orchestra. And the audience loves it!
- Convenient Escape Boat: Boomer and Tarzan, after being spotted by some mobsters out to get them, rushes to a nearby waterfront where there’s a boat they can quickly hop on. Unfortunately, the triads got on an adjacent boat.
- Cool Shades: Boomer and Tarzan wears these throughout most of their appearances.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The opening flashback depicting the twins' birth and separation is framed in black and white.
- Destination Defenestration: Happens constantly in fight scenes, although most of the time it's Boomer who's doing this.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: During the climax, one of the criminals find out John can't fight, leaving another criminal to realize he's dealing with one that does.
- Human Pack Mule: Boomer, when first arriving in the big city with Tarzan. He's shown carrying five luggage at the same time (one per hand, two slung in his front and back, and one over his shoulder).
- Identical Stranger: John and Boomer, unaware of each other's existence, ends up seeing each other for the first time in a toilet while doing their business at adjacent stalls. Both men quickly does a Double Take at each other.
- Identical Twin ID Tag: The only way to tell John and Boomer apart? Boomer have a Steven Seagal-style ponytail.
- Improvised Weapon: When your movie has two Jackie Chans in it, this is expected. In the finale Chan uses a vacuum hose as a weapon.
- Karma Houdini: Rather unfortunately, the criminal who tries to kidnap the twins and is responsible for their separation didn't get any comeuppance onscreen, the movie just forgot about him after the opening scene.
- The Piano Player: John is shown to be a really accomplished piano player, with more than one scene depicting him playing in a concert.
- Sexy Backless Outfit: Tammy (played by the gorgeous Nina Li a.k.a Miss Jet Li) wears a backless gown in her first appearance.
- Ship Out of Water: The boat chase against mooks ends with Boomer leaping on an adjacent boat to fight off pursuing gangsters, while Tarzan steers their boat all the way up to dry land and on the streets of Hong Kong. The boat does slow down after friction on the road though, and comes to a complete stop after hitting a parked lorry without exploding.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Calm and cool John against rough and impatient hothead Boomer.
- Squashed Flat: Boss Wing's fate, after being shoved in the front seat of a car to be crash-tested (with Boss Wing on where a crash test dummy would usually be at) and then sent into a wall at max speed.
- Synchronization: Used in an odd manner. If John and Boomer are too close to each other, their actions can affect each other’s movements uncontrollably. Used in a later scene when John can fight off mooks while Boomer is trapped in a cage because Boomer starts making the correct punch and kick motions.
- Separated at Birth: John and Boomer, right in the beginning of the movie, when an escaped convict breaks into the hospital the twins are born and tries taking Boomer as a hostage. Boomer was never recovered until the two men encounters each other for the first time 26 years later.
- Staircase Tumble: Frankie Lo, after losing a fight to Boomer in a shopping mall and slipping on some balls left on the top of some stairs.
- Twins Are Special: No explanation is given for their Twin Telepathy and Synchronization which suggests that it's because of their shared connection as twins.
- Twin Telepathy: When the twins are within a 100-mile radius from each other they will respond to each other’s actions without them noticing it. While Boomer is in the Bay of Hong Kong in a boat chase against gangsters, John, in a posh hotel by the beach, inexplicably feels like he’s being thrown around as if he’s on a motorboat!
- Unwilling Suspension: Tarzan, being tied to a large chunk of metal and suspended on a giant electric-powered construction magnet by Boss Wing. Hollywood Magnetism combines with Rule of Funny applies, when Boss Wing opts to repeatedly activate and deactivate the magnet, causing Tarzan to be dropped and lifted and dropped and lifted like a human yo-yo.
- Weddings for Everyone: The movie ends with John and Boomer getting married at the same time, to Barbara and Tammy.
