Inspired by Bruce
Lee and Infused with Motown, the Glow is Still Strong Three Decades
Later
By Chris Sabga
 |
Release Date:
March 22, 1985 – U.S.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action,
Comedy, Drama
Running Time:
109 minutes
Director:
Michael Schultz
Writer: Louis
Venosta
Cast: Taimak,
Vanity,
Christopher Murney,
Julius J. Carry III,
Faith Prince, Leo
O'Brien,
Mike Starr
|
With the timing and
impact of a well-placed kung fu kick to the head, Berry Gordy's "The
Last Dragon" flips all stereotypes, expectations, and
preconceived notions upside down. A black teenager is a martial arts
master, his parents run an Italian pizzeria, and Chinese kids are hip
hop experts.
A project this grand,
bold, and quite frankly weird
could only
have been
made in the 1980s.
Following
in the footsteps of Bruce Lee, Leroy
(Taimak) embarks
on a quest to become a kung
fu master himself and find his "golden glow." Standing in
his way is Sho Nuff (Julius J. Carry III), a Harlem street fighter
with fancy footwork of his own. Unlike the honorable but naive Leroy,
Sho has no problem breaking both laws and bones if it
suits his purposes.
It's
the classic tale of an underdog overcoming adversity vs. a bully.
That could be why, thirty
years later, "The Last Dragon" still lives on. Despite
being an obvious product of the '80s, the movie's main message – to
always be yourself – will resonate with any
generation.
There's
also a wacky subplot involving a singer, Laura Charles (the always
gorgeous Vanity), who hosts her own
show.
A corrupt executive, Eddie
Arkadian (Christopher
Murney), wants his girlfriend's
music video to appear on Laura's
program
– and he'll do anything
to make that happen for his
"beloved" Angela (Faith Prince).
It isn't long, of course,
before a chance meeting occurs and Leroy is forced to use his feet
and fists to protect Laura from Arkadian's gang of goons.
Taimak
projects the perfect
combination of innocence and fighting
spirit as Leroy. Notice the name Leroy: it has to be a sly reference
to the character's hero, Bruce Lee.
(There is a treasure trove of Bruce Lee footage featured in the
film.) Julius Carry is
equally hilarious and menacing as the
villainous Sho Nuff. But one
of the best – and most underrated – performances comes from Leo
O'Brien, who plays Leroy's streetwise younger brother. He grounds the
film in a reality it wouldn't otherwise have.
One
of the fun bonuses of an older movie like this is seeing future stars
pop up in smaller roles: I spotted William H. Macy, an almost
unrecognizable Chazz Palminteri ("A Bronx Tale"), a very
young Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy, "The Cosby Show"), and
Mike Starr (Frenchy, "Goodfellas").
I
was smiling from ear to ear during "The Last Dragon" – it
seems impossible not to. This is the kind of movie you can watch and
your worries will melt away – for a couple of hours, at least. A
unique style, great fight scenes, catchy
dialogue, cool New York
backdrops, classic '80s special effects, and
memorable Motown music all
make this
an incredibly fun
experience.
