Dragon Heart

Directed by: Rob Cohen
Screenplay by Charles Edward Pogue
Produced By: Raffaella De Laurentiis
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, David Thewlis, Pete Postlethwaite, Dina Meyer, Julie Christie
Music by: Randy Edelman
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Release dates: May 31, 1996 (North America), October 18, 1996 (United Kingdom)
Content: General

Plot: Sir Bowen, an English knight of 'The Old Code', mentors the Saxon Prince Einon in his ideals to make him a better king than his tyrannical father, King Freyne. While suppressing a peasant rebellion, Freyne is killed by rebels. Then a young peasant girl named Kara accidentally mortally wounds Einon's heart. Einon's Celtic mother, Queen Aislinn, has Einon taken before a dragon and asks him to save the boy's life. The dragon makes Einon promise to rule with honour and replaces Einon's wounded heart with half his own. However, Einon proves more oppressive than his father by enslaving the former rebels that killed Freyne and forcing them to rebuild a Roman castle. Einon also has Kara's father, who led the rebels, blinded. Believing the dragon's heart corrupted Einon, Bowen swears vengeance on all dragons by hunting them down.

Twelve years later, Bowen has become a skilled dragon slayer Meanwhile, an adult Einon has rebuilt his castle. Kara asks that he free her father after years of slavery; Einon agrees but instead kills him to "release" him. Monk and aspiring poet Brother Gilbert witnesses Bowen's prowess and follows him to record his exploits. Bowen stalks a dragon to its cave, not knowing it's the one who shared his heart with Einon. The confrontation ends in a stalemate, during which the dragon states that he's the last one alive; they agree not to kill each other and instead form a partnership to defraud local villagers with staged dragon "slayings." Bowen later names the dragon after the Draco constellation, unaware of Draco and Einon's connection, through which they feel each other's pain.

As the relationship between Brother Gilbert and Draco becomes closer as they collaborate to fake Draco's death they draw the attention of Kara. She learns of the partnership and begins to work with the information to coerce Gilbert to assist her with her plans of revenge.

End of Spoilers

Review: The story takes on a trail of revenge and revelation. Where traditional and cultural stories of dragons and their place in the universe are more than just myth for those who believe in them. This is a heartfelt story that will be felt and enjoyed by the whole family. With some interesting insights into the oldest conflict that continues through out time. The conflict of good verses evil. As well as a deeper question of where evil within the heart comes from.

M J Flack