Year of the Dragon (1985)
Genre: Action / Crime
Duration: 134 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Michael Cimino
Stars: Mickey Rourke, John Lone and Leonard Termo
IMDb score:
6,8 (19.806)
Releasedate: 16 August 1985
Year of the Dragon plot
"It isn't the Bronx or Brooklyn, it isn't even New York. It's Chinatown... and it's about to explode."
Using excessive force, Joey Tai becomes head of the Chinese mafia in New York. Stanley White, the highly decorated agent in New York, is put in charge of Chinatown. The inevitable confrontation between the two ruffs leads to a bloody conflict.
Actors and actresses
Capt. Stanley White
Joey Tai
Tracy Tzu
Angelo Rizzo
Louis Bukowski
Connie White
William McKenna
Ronnie Chang
Harry Yung
Milton Bin
Reviews & comments
Filmkriebel
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- 10133 messages
- 4740 votes
Tough and unfortunately misunderstood crime film by Michael Cimino. Oliver Stone worked out the script. The Chinese mafia practices in New York's Chinatown are central. A lot of things happen: a godfather is murdered, a restaurant is blown to pieces... and Commissioner Stanley White, a racist (how could it be otherwise) guy, wants to bring order with a heavy hand and the man responsible for the tackling the takeover in the Chinese district. The tone is set with a long intro scene.
Cimino's film goes beyond just a story about mafia and drug trafficking , and also shows what lousy relationship White is in, with a woman who doesn't love him anymore and is basically neglected by his selfish attitude. Not unimportant, because as his colleague says , he lives out his aggression in his job when things are not going well at home .
The racism of Rourke/White is an obligatory number: I wonder why cops in such films have to be. Then there is also his attraction to the journalist Tracy. Then he dives under the covers with her and returns to madam with the explanation "I didn't know what I was doing". Who takes something like that? At the time, the film was nominated several times for roundups. I could forgive these weaknesses.
Year of the Dragon is a decent and aggressively directed crime film ( good climaxes ) that comes with some good plot twists and also digs a little deeper than other genre films. Also a film on which one eagerly awaits the final confrontation... Recommended DVD.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Leno
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- 5922 messages
- 4449 votes
The leading role in this film is for the setting: Chine Town in New York. Beautifully placed. The story is just a bit too messy and the role of Rourke, well acted, is too exaggerated. He plays a huge asshole. In addition, the sentiment sometimes gets the upper hand and the film actually lasts a little too long. Entertaining nonetheless and a must for lovers of the 80s / NYC setting
Translated from Dutch · View original
blurp194
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- 5681 messages
- 4306 votes
unbalanced.
It is clear that the intention was to make an epic film, and the production did not seem to suffer from a limited budget. But Cimino and Stone lose themselves too much in side issues, too much worry that takes the momentum out of the film and distracts attention. And Rourke doesn't get enough counterplay to cope with the excess of energy he brings - not from the mafia, not from his colleagues, not from his wives. Too bad, it's not his fault.
What is nice is that it is clearly an 80s film, but that it does not seem really dated anywhere. Surely there aren't that many films from this genre and that era where that can be said.
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