Le Dernier Dragon

This movie is like a guilty pleasure- nobody really talks about it, but every time it comes up in a crowd, within seconds people are using classic lines like "Who's the master?" and "Hey my man, what it look like?" and laughing like maniacs.

This was my favorite movie as a teenager and I've probably seen it 100 times. From the hilarious over-the-top performances to the hybrid karate/comedy/musical genre, it's a movie that kept me laughing the whole way through.

If you like classic movies, then don't waste your time- you'd be better off watching "The Sound of Music" for the 800th time. But if you didn't like this movie, odds are you tried not to.

Lest we forget, this is BERRY GORDY's The Last Dragon. He was the head of Motown Records. It has the look of a music video for a good reason, it was produced and directed by music video people. Made to sell soundtracks like almost every Robert Stigwood movie of the 1970s.

Tiamak play Leroy, often called Bruce LeeRoy in this movie(ouch). It's amazing that he didnt do more in Hollywood than he did, maybe it was a personal choice of his, it certainly does not seem to be because of any lack of talent. He could have been an action hero on the level of a Van Damme in my opinion (with a little acting talent added in...).

Vanity is beautiful, as usual, as the host of a TV video show, remember them? She is very easy on the eyes and the role does not require too much in the way of her acting, so she does very well.

The story line is silly and improbable. All this action and no police ever show up? The movie makers and Tiamak seem to obviously love Bruce Lee movies, and for Lee fans this was a nice way of seeing Bruce back on the big screen after 12 years or so of nothing after his death. The scene where Vanity presents Leroy with a video compilation of some of Bruce's greatest moves is a highlight of this movie.

Worth seeing. Be in a light, silly mood and you will get the most out of it. Be sarcastic and critical and you will have a miserable time. Remember, your children will laugh at your favorite movies as well.

Probably THE most '80s thing I've seen in a long time by way of a Motown/Bruce Lee mashup. Honestly, it's like Miami Vice, The Running Man and Big Trouble in Little China all went into a blender and this is what poured out. Hey, I'm not complaining, that's right up my alley.

Although not the smoothest thing in the world; its draggy in spots and the gangster scenes are unnecessary baggage. But Taimak and Vanity both have youthful charm to spare and the fight scenes are rad. There's a little bit of a dark tonal shift during the final fight, but it yields satisfying results.

And then there's Julius Carry with his million dollar glare, outsizing an already outlandish movie. I got a real kick out of this every time Sho'Nuff made an appearance.

Leroy Green (Taimak) is an avid martial arts enthusiast who has recently completed his master's (Thomas Ikeda) training. Still not having attained "the Glow" a martial arts master is supposed exhibit when attaining the final level, the master tells Leroy the name of a master named "Sum Dum Goy" who is in New York but the master doesn't know where. Leroy's reputation attracts the attention of gang leader Sho'nuff (Julius Carry), the self-proclaimed Shogun of Harlem, who seeks to provoke a fight with Leroy to prove his superiority which Leroy refuses at every turn. Meanwhile video DJ Laura Charles (Vanity) hosts the hottest music video showcase show on TV and attracts the attention of sleazy producer Eddie Arkadian (Christopher Mrney) who responds to Laura's refusal to showcase his prospects by having thugs attempt to intimidate here. A chance encounter with Leroy results in Laura getting saved from the thugs and Laura develops feelings for Leroy.

The Last Dragon was the final film production of Mowtown Productions, the film and TV production arm of Mowtown Records. Following the critical and commercial failure of The Wiz, The Last Dragon was a seemingly risking endeavor for the company as the movie is an homage to blaxploitation and kung-fu films which had fallen out of popularity in the 1980s with paradigm shifts moving away from the films that had once played in the grindhouses of 42nd Street and the availability of home video lead to many films once staples of such grindhouses being released on the home video market. A decent sized success upon release making three times its $10 million budget despite mixed reviews. In the year's since the film's release The Last Dragon has attained a cult following, and deservedly so because it's the best martial-arts, Blaxploitation, romance, musical, parody, homage you could hope to see.

The movie is a strange journey that should be seen to be believed. If you were to mix elements of Bruce Lee movies, Xanadu, some Phantom of the Paradise, and Black Belt Jones, you'd only begin to approach the experience that comes from watching this movie. With its tongue firmly in cheek but not going into full on parody still taking its martial arts plot fairly seriously (to a point) with most of the plot points seen in Bruce Lee's films or the various Shaw Brothers productions proudly on display with a mash-up of 70s attitudes and sounds along with contemporary music of the 80s with a mixture of 70s sounding funk and 80s New Wave making the film a rollercoaster ride through music and martial arts.

Now with that said there's plenty about the film that doesn't work or isn't up to the level of the rest of the film. Taimak was a 19 year old martial artist with no prior acting experience and it shows. Taimak beat out Wesley Snipes, Mario Van Peebles, Laurence Fishburne and even Denzel Washington for the lead role and the fact that Taimak's career never really took off is proof of his lack of stage presence. Now with its mashup tone and homage to 70s martial arts flicks the movie uses Taimak's stilted acting to its advantage by making it fit within its strange world. The movie also has one too many comic relief characters with Leroy's brother Richie played by Leo O'Brien a rather grating presence in the film that could've easily been merged with the other better comic relief character Johnny Yu with little effort. The movie also feels like it's about 15 minutes too long and would've benefitted greatly from a leaner 90 minute runtime.

The Last Dragon is an enjoyable bit of mashup nonsense that pays homage to the bygone days of Blaxploitation and Martial Arts films that had largely died off with the advent of the 1980s. The film is filled with all manner of visual and auditory marvels be it its eclectic soundtrack, it's engaging fight scenes, and fun comedy. The Last Dragon is a movie that needs to seen as words can't really do justice to the playfully silly world it creates. The movie does overdo some comic relief characters and the film could've benefited from a leaner runtime, but as a movie The Last Dragon leaves its mark in a way you won't soon forget.

Needless to say, this movie is incredibly cheesy. But it's also deceptively clever at times, and if you just go with it, it's a lot of fun.

Leads Taimak and Vanity (yes, they each have only one name) are surrounded by a talented and colorful supporting cast, allowing them to do what they do best; look good (and in the case of Taimak) kick a lot of butt.

It's sort of a mash-up of two of the most prominent b-movie genres of the 70s; Blaxploitation and Kung-Fu. But it's the 80s, so there's pop music and it has a happy ending.