Customer Reviews

The Last Dragon

5 star:		(213)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have always loved this movie. Sure, it's a little bit kooky, but Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon just about has it all: plenty of kung fu action, comedy, romance, great vintage mid-80s music, a little bit of funk styling, and plenty of tributes to the great Bruce Lee; it is also the only film I know of whose two main characters are known by only one name in real life. I actually saw this film twice in the theatre back in 1985, and I can say that of only a few movies. Taimak plays Leroy Green, better known around the New York streets as Bruce Leroy for his impressive kung fu skills. His pursuit of the martial arts is a search for truth and mastery of self, and he is only one step away from acquiring "the glow," a state of being wherein mind and body are one. His pursuit of a new and final "master" keeps getting sidetracked, however. Sho'nuff (Julius Carry III), a particularly nasty dude who proclaims himself to be the Shogun of Harlem, is constantly provoking him and baiting him to fight. Then he finds himself the fated protector of star video jockey Laura Charles (Vanity), who is constantly being kidnapped and pressured into showing a certain video on her show. Eddie Arkadian (Christopher Murney) is determined to make a star of his untalented, Cindy Lauperized squeeze Angela (Faith Prince), and he will stop at nothing to get her video on the air. All of Leroy's enemies, naturally enough, come together for a slam-bam martial arts extravaganza finish.

Laura Charles naturally quickly develops some affection for her knight in flowing Asian robes, and a pretty darn innocent Leroy struggles to overcome his shyness in the ways of love. It makes for a rather sweet as well as comical budding relationship. There is ethnic humor scattered throughout the film, all of which I found funny and in no way offensive - by way of example, there is the somewhat Asian fellow trying to act like Bruce Lee because he thinks that alone will scare away any opponents. The music is great; Debarge's video for his hit song Rhythm of the Night gets prominent placement in the film, as does a rather illuminating performance by Vanity which seems a lot sillier now than it did 18 years ago. Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson contribute to the soundtrack, and Willie Hutch provides a couple of great tracks.

The best thing about The Last Dragon, though, has to be the martial arts. I know this was a somewhat cheesy martial arts film, but I still enjoyed all of the action. This is due in no small part to the fact that clips of Bruce Lee movies are shown at several points in the film, and a scene reminiscent of the huge melee that took place late in Lee's Enter the Dragon is a really nice touch. The whole thing with "the glow" was cartoonish in conception and execution, yet it too was pretty cool. I think The Last Dragon is just a great, entertaining film, but it is probably not for everyone. If you have no interest in martial arts, the romance and sometimes goofball comedy of the film may not be enough to satisfy you, but anyone who enjoys seeing everyone kung fu fighting should have a heck of a fun ride over the course of this somewhat underrated movie. It always leaves me feeling pretty juiced up and positive about life, which is a pretty nice feeling to take away from any movie.

SHO'NUFF! THE SHOGUN......OF HARLEM!

This has got to be one of the funniest and cheesiest Kung Fu movies I have ever seen. However, don't let that disuade you from looking into this title. I gaurantee you'll have a blast watching it!

Martial Arts student Leroy Green is on a quest to obtain an elusive power known as 'The Glow'. However, in his search to find the one Kung Fu Master who can teach him this final level of Kung Fu greatness, Leroy must contend with the evil, powerful Shogun of Harlem, known as Sho'Nuff!! Aside from that, Leroy must also rescue a beautiful singer from the clutches of an obsessed record producer, who dreams of his no-talent wife having the spotlight! Now, Leroy has two foes to contend with, as well as strive to obtain The Glow!

It sounds cheesy...but don't let that fool you. This movie, quite surprisingly, is a ton of fun to watch! The action is actually pretty good, with some surprisingly decent special effects toward the end. Julius J. Carry III is hilarious as Sho'nuff, the meanest, the prettiest, baddest mo'fo in all of Harlem! And there is no denying it...when 'The Glow' song begins to play later on in the movie, you will find yourself wanting to do karate kicks right out of your seat!

My only gripe: For a DVD, the picture quality could've been ALOT better. The sound is restored very nicely, but the picture suffers from dark overtone, making scenes that take place in dark areas very difficult to see. Other than that, the disc has two sides, one of which is Widescreen, the other Standard. There are a few extras, such as the theatrical trailer, and very small theatrical bios of Taimak(the main character) and Vanity.

With a great soundtrack..., featuring music from the early 80's (such as Stevie Wonder and DeBarge) and the original track 'The Glow', crazy hijinks, great fighting sequences and decent special effects, any kung-fu fighting fan should enjoy this movie. Whether its the fighting, the comedy, or just the Shogun of Harlem, Sho'nuff himself, you should have a BLAST watching this movie. Definitely watch with a group of friends!

'Bow down...and kiss my Converse!'

Notice: At one point in the movie, we see a very brief and early performance by one of today's more popular actors, William H. Macy!

Just like so many others who have seen this movie, I fell in love with it. Everyone fantasies of having a special talent, gift or power. The GLOW is it, its what everyone wanted as kid when being bullied. The ability to take you skills to a supreme level. Not to mention the choreography is wonderful. The acting is good and unlike many movies today. You find yourself cheering at the end for the good guy! I have see The Last Dragon at least 50 times and it never gets old.

RERELEASE IT ON DVD, PLEASE!

Why have this movie got so low a rating? It is a clear 10/10. Probably the most funky martial arts movie ever made. An absolute 80s masterpiece. Full of honour for Bruce Lee and that period as well as containing the spirit of Van Damme and the 80s - and afro- american funk as well as Saturday night fever dance movies. This movie definitely got the glow!

There are BAD CHEESY and GOOD CHEESY films. This is good cheesy. You love it's cheesiness but it's funny as hell. Classic & unforgettable 80's witty kung foo movie. I use to watch this flick when I was a kid and me and my brother use to crack up when we'd watch it 80 million times. I am 23 now, and I own it. It still makes me laugh. The 80's movies had something you dont see anymore in films. I dont know what it is, but they dont make movies like this anymore. One thing that is quite obvious, is the the fact is, NOW the world is so much more shallow and narrow minded when it coes to BEAUTIFUL WOMEN. Now, you see big boobs and blonde haired models like pamela lee. Never ridding the stereotype of a hot woman. Laura Charles was constantly referred to as a goddess, and a babe, but this was in the early 80's. When the world was not as shallow. First of all, not that it matters but she is brunette, and does not have much of a chest, but she is still beautiful. Anyways, my point is I wish it was more like the old days when women of all types are noticed for their beauty because no one is perfect.

I had such a HUGE crush on Leroy when I was a kid. I'd watch this movie over and over and I thought he was so hot. I still think so too, even though I dont know what he looks like in present day. He was just so fit, and polite, and always speaking properly, and his shyness and romantic inexperience is such a turn on. Not to mention he is a very talented kung foo master. He did most of his own stunts, so this wasnt a fake kung foo movie. It is the real deal. And I love the tribute to Bruce Lee. They referred to legendary Bruce Lee alot which made the movie even better. Like showing clips from his movies and fists of fury etc. Richie, who constantly makes you laugh, had a very important role too which contributed to most of the film's humor. The mouth on that kid, and him being only what 13? The fact that he was giving his older brother sex advice, was one of the funniest scenes in the movie. Witty, entertaining, action-packed, and the one and only "last dragon" is one of my all time favorite 80's movies, and I reccommend it to anyone who hasnt seen it. I suppose it's hard for people to suddenly see it for the first time and appreciate it in such ignorant times, especially if you never saw it in the 80's. But plain and simple, the 80's was about fun, freedom, experiementing, and the movies are simple. 80's humor will always be in 80's films, and the comedies of today wont ever come close to what movies were back then.

Has Berry not heard our cries? Why has this not been re-released for the newer generations to enjoy? Disney re-releases their classics for each new generation. Have we been forgotten? Have our chads gone uncounted? Because we all have been so faithful in our loyalty to this movie, Berry should return the loyalty by giving us the opportunity to own this on VHS or DVD(prefer DVD). We want the GLOW! We want the GLOW! We want the GLOW!

This is my ALL-TIME favorite movie. I can quote this movie word for word. I have seen it over 100 times and absolutely love it. Sho'nuff and his "Crew," Bruce Leroy fighting for Laura Charles' Love, Richie trying to get with her, Edie Arkadian's girlfriend from Que Gardens...how could you not love this movie! The plot just goes on and on! The best part has to be when Leroy finally admits "I AM" when Sho'nuff asks him "Who's the master?" Just like Richie said at the very end..."He ain't no cornball. That's my brother and he's the master!" PLEASE RE-RELEASE THIS MOVIE!

Hi I'm Scott Lane and i'd just like to say that I love Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon. The first time I saw it I fell in love with it. I wonder how can I find the soundtrack to this movie? Can anyone help me? It would greatly be appreciated. I get so pumped when I watch the movie and hear the music. Remember it's all about the Golden Glow! I've probably seen this movie over 100 times and I never get tired of it.Some one please get intouch with me on this. Thanks

As a kid growing up in the 1980s, I used to watch this movie all the time on HBO. The Last Dragon is one of those movies you see as a child, and you remember it for years into the future. I don't quite know what it is about this film, but it certainly is memorable. I agree 100% with the other viewer that said movies in the 80's had a certain quality about them that you just don't get anymore.

The Last Dragon is as charasmatic as it comes. Part martial arts beat-em-up, part drama, part comedy, and part romantic love story; the formula sounds like a disaster on paper but The Last Dragon pulls it off nicely in an all-around enjoyable film.

I take the film to also be, at least in part, a social satire as well. The cast of characters includes people from a wide variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds, and the movie itself abounds in stereotypes. However, there is a major dose of role reversal, as the stereotypes are moved around and attached to different groups. Thus, we have a black martial arts hero who constantly utters "wise old man" proverbs and a black shogun wannabe who serves as one of the key villains. The neighborhood pizza parlor is operated by an African-American family, while a trio of Chinese males shoot craps, smoke weed, and constantly engage in the dozens. The tongue-in-cheek approach is part of what gives The Last Dragon its drive.

The only reason I give this DVD four stars instead of five is because the disc contains barely any extras. You have the director's commentary and that's it. I get annoyed when films that are classics go light on the extra features. Other than that, I highly recommend The Last Dragon. The actual digital quality of the movie is outstanding. The picture quality of the disc is great, with one of the best quality transfers from VHS to DVD of any movie I know of. Also, the soundtrack has been digitally remastered as sounds great on your TV.

The Last Dragon is both a quality film and a high quality disc.

This movie was AWESOME! The plot was simple: Sho-nuff just wants to hear it from Bruce Leroy's mouth that he, Sho-Nuff, is "The Master" of Harlem, but Bruce is a tough nut to crack. The final battle scene had you gasping, and included a bonus kung-fu feat by our hero (the gleam from his smile lit us up). If you are in the mood for a good clean family karate flick with lots of drama I highly recommend the last dragon.