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#518 - The Last Dragon
Michael Schultz, 1985
A young African-American who is training to become a master of martial arts is forced to go up against both an evil white record producer and a villainous gang leader.
The Last Dragon definitely had the potential to be fun. It notably arrived before Big Trouble in Little China wove a bona fide cult classic out of the blending of kung-fu fantasy with typical Hollywood action tropes. The difference is obvious thanks to the fact that the film was produced by Motown mogul Berry Gordy, and so The Last Dragon introduces kung-fu elements to mid-1980s Harlem and soaks the whole thing in an extremely ephemeral MTV aesthetic. It introduces our young hero (Taimak), who is on the way to becoming a martial-arts master when his actions raise the ire of two very different villains. On the one hand, there is the extremely outsized and brilliantly named Shonuff (Julius Carey), the leader of a local kung-fu gang who swears vengeance against Taimak for perceived slights; on the other hand, there is the middle-aged white record producer (Christopher Murney) whose evil plan extends to him trying to kidnap the host (Vanity) of a popular music video show in order to get the videos he produces played on air. Yes, really. The plot then becomes an excuse for Taimak to hone his abilities by fighting off some incredibly tough enemies.
I can definitely grant that the makers' hearts are in the right place as they attempt to do right by their influences. The most obvious target of homages is none other than Bruce Lee, whether it's something as big as a scene taking place in a crowded movie theatre that's screening Enter the Dragon or something as small as Taimak wearing the iconic black-and-yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death, which are all nice touches due to how sincere they feel. To this end, it's also amusing that the true villain of the piece ends up being a white man who can't grasp why nobody will buy into his incredibly hollow attempts to create hit music videos. Some of the humour doesn't fly quite so well, such as the trio of Asian characters who act out a number of black stereotypes in direct contrast to Taimak, even going so far as to mock his appreciation of Asian culture by speaking to him in exaggerated Chinese accents. The same clunkiness extends to Taimak's extremely annoying kid brother. If anything, it says a lot that the normally ancillary and clichéd romantic sub-plot still feels oddly sincere in a film that is built upon comical levels of artifice.
As far as the actual action goes...well, it leaves a little to be desired. The dedication to name-checking Bruce Lee and his abilities (as well as my decision to watch this immediately after seeing The Way of the Dragon) may be a reverent decision, but it also means that any actual action gets shown up pretty severely. The nun-chucks come out, enemies attack the hero one at a time, etc. A major problem seems to be the film's gaudy aesthetic. What made Lee's fighting great was how it was captured fairly simplistically and was always the focus of a viewer's attention. As a result, the attempt to graft on extra touches becomes something of a hindrance; fight scenes become rather muddled due to the presence of too many players fighting it out against some incredibly garish backdrops while some generally mediocre funk songs play in the background (though, to be fair, the main theme is a pretty decent song). The clashing of styles only serves to undercut the film so much so that I can barely remember whether or not any of the fighting was actually any good. As it is, I do reckon that The Last Dragon deserves credit for trying to combine two disparate cinematic worlds into one memorably entertaining movie, but such a bold move only pays off so much. The sheer '80s weirdness ends up leaving an impression that vastly overshadows the actual performance of martial arts, which is definitely a detriment to a film that wants to pay reverent homage to classic martial arts films.
Michael Schultz, 1985
A young African-American who is training to become a master of martial arts is forced to go up against both an evil white record producer and a villainous gang leader.
The Last Dragon definitely had the potential to be fun. It notably arrived before Big Trouble in Little China wove a bona fide cult classic out of the blending of kung-fu fantasy with typical Hollywood action tropes. The difference is obvious thanks to the fact that the film was produced by Motown mogul Berry Gordy, and so The Last Dragon introduces kung-fu elements to mid-1980s Harlem and soaks the whole thing in an extremely ephemeral MTV aesthetic. It introduces our young hero (Taimak), who is on the way to becoming a martial-arts master when his actions raise the ire of two very different villains. On the one hand, there is the extremely outsized and brilliantly named Shonuff (Julius Carey), the leader of a local kung-fu gang who swears vengeance against Taimak for perceived slights; on the other hand, there is the middle-aged white record producer (Christopher Murney) whose evil plan extends to him trying to kidnap the host (Vanity) of a popular music video show in order to get the videos he produces played on air. Yes, really. The plot then becomes an excuse for Taimak to hone his abilities by fighting off some incredibly tough enemies.
I can definitely grant that the makers' hearts are in the right place as they attempt to do right by their influences. The most obvious target of homages is none other than Bruce Lee, whether it's something as big as a scene taking place in a crowded movie theatre that's screening Enter the Dragon or something as small as Taimak wearing the iconic black-and-yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death, which are all nice touches due to how sincere they feel. To this end, it's also amusing that the true villain of the piece ends up being a white man who can't grasp why nobody will buy into his incredibly hollow attempts to create hit music videos. Some of the humour doesn't fly quite so well, such as the trio of Asian characters who act out a number of black stereotypes in direct contrast to Taimak, even going so far as to mock his appreciation of Asian culture by speaking to him in exaggerated Chinese accents. The same clunkiness extends to Taimak's extremely annoying kid brother. If anything, it says a lot that the normally ancillary and clichéd romantic sub-plot still feels oddly sincere in a film that is built upon comical levels of artifice.
As far as the actual action goes...well, it leaves a little to be desired. The dedication to name-checking Bruce Lee and his abilities (as well as my decision to watch this immediately after seeing The Way of the Dragon) may be a reverent decision, but it also means that any actual action gets shown up pretty severely. The nun-chucks come out, enemies attack the hero one at a time, etc. A major problem seems to be the film's gaudy aesthetic. What made Lee's fighting great was how it was captured fairly simplistically and was always the focus of a viewer's attention. As a result, the attempt to graft on extra touches becomes something of a hindrance; fight scenes become rather muddled due to the presence of too many players fighting it out against some incredibly garish backdrops while some generally mediocre funk songs play in the background (though, to be fair, the main theme is a pretty decent song). The clashing of styles only serves to undercut the film so much so that I can barely remember whether or not any of the fighting was actually any good. As it is, I do reckon that The Last Dragon deserves credit for trying to combine two disparate cinematic worlds into one memorably entertaining movie, but such a bold move only pays off so much. The sheer '80s weirdness ends up leaving an impression that vastly overshadows the actual performance of martial arts, which is definitely a detriment to a film that wants to pay reverent homage to classic martial arts films.