The Last Dragon (1985)

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Directed by Michael Schultz.

Starring Julius J. Carry III, Christopher Murney, Faith Prince, Taimak, Vanity.

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The TV prints of this entertaining melange whittled down the film's original self-serving title (Motown king Berry Gordy was the producer), and settled on merely The Last Dragon. Taimak stars as an African American martial-arts whiz, so devoted to his hobby that he dresses and behaves in what he thinks is true Chinese fashion. Taimak falls in love with sexy veejay Vanity. Gangsters intrude on both their lives when crook Julius J. Carry III tries to promote his talentless protegee into rock stardom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Double features
by leeroy711 in B Movies

hasn't rated it.

"[quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="leeroy711"] I wanna see The Last Dragon followed by Circle of Iron as a double feature. Who's with me? I talking to you SkyPilot. [/quote] leeroy711 you are a madman, and I like it! Have you seen Circle of Iron before? How about The Street Fighter? I think The Last Dragon is obvious in its attempt to be funny, while the thing that links The Street Fighter and Circle of Iron is the bafflement one feels about whether or not the movies are trying to be funny. Especially Circle of Iron, which is one WTF moment after another. I laugh at the Ape Man and Jaguar Man because they make me feel like crying. I forget the name of Terry's sidekick in The Street Fighter--I think he's supposed to be funny. His only line seems to be "Terry!" said in different ways, like in the "Malkovich Malkovich" scene in Being John Malkovich. Here's another DOES HE MEAN TO BE FUNNY? double feature starring DAVID CARRADINE: 1. Death Race 2000 -- obviously meant to be comedic, ... " [More]

Re:Double features
by SkyPilot in B Movies

liked it.

"[quote user="leeroy711"] I wanna see The Last Dragon followed by Circle of Iron as a double feature. Who's with me? I talking to you SkyPilot. [/quote] leeroy711 you are a madman, and I like it! Have you seen Circle of Iron before? How about The Street Fighter? I think The Last Dragon is obvious in its attempt to be funny, while the thing that links The Street Fighter and Circle of Iron is the bafflement one feels about whether or not the movies are trying to be funny. Especially Circle of Iron, which is one WTF moment after another. I laugh at the Ape Man and Jaguar Man because they make me feel like crying. I forget the name of Terry's sidekick in The Street Fighter--I think he's supposed to be funny. His only line seems to be "Terry!" said in different ways, like in the "Malkovich Malkovich" scene in Being John Malkovich. Here's another DOES HE MEAN TO BE FUNNY? double feature starring DAVID CARRADINE: 1. Death Race 2000 -- obviously meant to be comedic, but Carradine is obvious ... " [More]

Re:Double features
by Dr_Gor in B Movies

liked it.

"[quote user="leeroy711"] I wanna see The Last Dragon followed by Circle of Iron as a double feature. Who's with me? I talking to you SkyPilot. [/quote] I actually saw Circle Of Iron as the second half of a matinee double feature with Master Of The Flying Guillotine ! " [More]

Re:Double features
by leeroy711 in B Movies

hasn't rated it.

"I wanna see The Last Dragon followed by Circle of Iron as a double feature. Who's with me? I talking to you SkyPilot. " [More]

Re:Recasting THE LAST DRAGON (1 ...
by lopezdash in Recasting couch

hasn't rated it.

"Paul, is there really no love for the Zac Efron? You're going to make the fangirls mad.Their love is true. It is pure. It is beautiful. But the Paul Dano move was brilliant.Is it just me or does a movie like this need Jason Schwartzman to make it complete? [quote user="paul"]I've waited to recast The Last Dragon myself, since I started this game. But now that a winner is chosen (to be announced on Friday's Filmspotting) I'll weigh in my cast for The Last Dragon remake... " [More]

Re:Recasting THE LAST DRAGON (1 ...
by paul in Recasting couch

loved it.

"I've waited to recast The Last Dragon myself, since I started this game. But now that a winner is chosen (to be announced on Friday's Filmspotting) I'll weigh in my cast for The Last Dragon remake: Paul Dano - Leroy Green Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical girl) - Laura Charles Alec Baldwin- Eddie Arkadian Chris Tucker - Sho'nuff Kim Basinger - Angela Viracco Martin Lawrence - Richie Green Delroy Lindo - Daddy Green Luis Guzman - Johnny Yu Michelle Yeoh - MasterDirected by Brett RatnerSome may find the selection of Paul Dano to break with the original blaxploitation genre of Dragon. But I thought that if Delroy Lindo could pass off being Dano's father whose white wife had split, it would be an appropriate politically correct update that would be necessary for making this movie today. " [More]

Re:Recasting THE LAST DRAGON (1 ...
by lbenschwartz in Recasting couch

hasn't rated it.

"The Last Dragon (New cast) Andre Benjamin ... Leroy GreenMariah Carey ... Laura CharlesBill Nighy ... Eddie ArkadianKevin Brown (dot com on 30 rock) ... Sho'nuff / The Shogun of Harlem (as Julius J. Carry III)Leslie Mann ... Angela ViraccoMalcolm David Kelley (kid on Lost) ... Richie GreenArsenio Hall ... Daddy GreenKen Leung ... Johnny Yu[/quote] " [More]

Recasting THE LAST DRAGON (1985)
by paul in Recasting couch

loved it.

"The Last Dragon (1985) The game is simple. Come up with a kick ass cast for a remake (that will never happen) of cinematic wonder, The Last Dragon (watch the trailer here). *This recasting assignment is a contest announced on Filmspotting and the winner will be announced on Filmspotting April 4, 2008. The Last Dragon (original cast) Taimak ... Leroy Green Vanity ... Laura Charles Christopher Murney ... Eddie Arkadian Julius Carry ... Sho'nuff / The Shogun of Harlem (as Julius J. Carry III) Faith Prince ... Angela ViraccoLeo O'Brien ... Richie GreenJim Moody ... Daddy GreenGlen Eaton ... Johnny Yu " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

lost interest.

This singular mix of kung-fu, blaxploitation, family film, and music video may seem unwieldy in theory but it is actually quite entertaining. Louis Venosta's script periodically overdoses on goofball humor but makes up for this with plenty of imagination and enthusiasm and Michael Schultz's assured direction deftly blends the humor, action, and music with style. The score, supervised by Motown veteran Willie Hutch, occasionally overdoes its '80s production quirks (drum machines, blooping synthesizers, etc.) but delivers plenty of soulful punch in the film's plentiful action set pieces. In terms of performances, Taimak doesn't exactly have the presence of Bruce Lee but his comic timing is solid and Vanity is surprisingly confident and poised as the sexy damsel in distress. However, the scene-stealing work comes from Julius J. Carry III's rip-snorting performance as Sho Nuff (imagine Rick James as a kung-fu expert) and Christopher Murney's scenery-chewing work as frustrated mogul Eddie Arkadian. In the end, The Last Dragon may be a little too dated and squeaky-clean for action enthusiasts, but its period charms and genial humor are guaranteed to entertain those nostalgic for the '80s. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

Tags: motown , self-confidence , cheesy , 80s , shonuff
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