Year of the Dragon (1985)

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writers:

Robert Daley (novel)
Oliver Stone (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 August 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

It isn't the Bronx or Brooklyn. It isn't even New York. It's Chinatown...and it's about to explode.

Plot:

Using unprecedented degrees of violence, young Joey Tai becomes the head of Chinese mafia in New York and undisputed leader of the Chinese community...

Plot Keywords:

New York | Violence | Chinese Mafia | Vietnam | Drug Cartel

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Mickey Rourke	...	Capt. Stanley White
John Lone	...	Joey Tai
Ariane	...	Tracy Tzu
Leonard Termo	...	Angelo Rizzo
Raymond J. Barry	...	Louis Bukowski (as Ray Barry)
Caroline Kava	...	Connie White
Eddie Jones	...	William McKenna
Joey Chin	...	Ronnie Chang
Victor Wong	...	Harry Yung
K. Dock Yip	...	Milton Bin
Hon Lam Bau	...	Fred Hung (as Pao Han Lin)
Way Dong Woo	...	Elder
Jimmy Sun	...	Elder
Daniel Davin	...	Francis Kearney
Mark Hammer	...	Commissioner Brendon S. Sullivan

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Mandarin | English | Cantonese | Vietnamese | Polish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Brazil:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Trivia:

For this movie, co-writer/director Michael Cimino drew considerably on star Mickey Rourke's real-life boxing prowess. But at first, Rourke didn't take his physical training seriously. So Cimino hired a real-life Hell's Angel to be Rourke's trainer, and the biker (according to Cimino) worked wonders with the once-reluctant Rourke.

Goofs:

Continuity: The first time Stanley is shown on screen his hair is gray and white all over. The next time Stanley is shown in the police station his hair is brown with gray only visible on his temples. In other scenes of the film his hair changes color from gray/white to brown with graying at the temples.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tracy Tzu: Captain McKenna, any leads in the murder of Jackie Wong?
William McKenna: Nothing at this time.
Tracy Tzu: Do you think this killing means there's some kind of war going on in the Chinatown Tongs?
William McKenna: No, I don't. This is basically a situation where the youth gangs are lashing out at the establishment. The community is cooperating. The situation's under control.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Soundtrack:

Resurrection Symphony n°2 (Fifth Movement)

Underrated Cop Thriller By Cimino

I bought the Warner DVD release of this film and was actually surprised to witness a very entertaining film. Looking at it, one can see glimpses of the skill of Cimino that was celebrated in the Deer Hunter--but by this time Cimino was very much reviled and lambasted and this movie went under the radar very quickly with negative reviews. That's very unfortunate, because this really is a good film--with nice cinematography, music and some nice action scenes. Yes, it's content can be very offensive and violent, but I felt it added to the authenticity of the ambiance--if it was watered down like many of today's movies, it would lose half it's effect. Speaking of the acting, Mickey Rourke delivers one of his finest performances as the tough cop Stanley White--and he steals every scene, he's so good that it confuses me why he isn't regarded along with Pacino, Deniro as the one the best living actors. But the movie sometimes feel disjointed, and the pace suffers as an effect. The ending seemed a little bit hokey when considering the tone of the build-up, yet overall I would give it a 7.5/10. Don't pass up the chance to see this movie, regardless of Cimino's reputation (Heaven's Gate) by this time in the mid 80's. Give it a chance, you might really like it!