The Last Dragon (1985)

Very disappointing...

One of my all time favorites.

i must have seen a different film!!

good back-story, and good acting

In New York City, Leroy Green (Taimak) is given Bruce Lee's medallion by his teacher. He is to seek out the Master to reach the final level. Sho'nuff (Julius J. Carry III), The Shogun of Harlem, is also after the final level and sees Leroy as his only competition. Meanwhile, video arcade king Eddie Arkadian (Chris Murney) is desperate to get his girlfriend Angela Viracco (Faith Prince)'s music on Laura Charles (Vanity)'s show. He threatens her manager JJ (William H. Macy). When she rejects him, he sends his henchmen to kidnap her only to be defeated by Leroy. In the chaos, Leroy loses his medallion and Laura picks it up. Eddie sends former fighter great white hope Rock (Mike Starr).This is exceedingly stupid and cheesy but it's loads of fun. It's basically a spoof but it undoubtedly loves the old Kung Fu movies. At its core, there is a sweet charm to Leroy. The stereotype switcharoo is hilarious. While the Master reveal has some fun, it should be more to teach him a lesson. If he actually fought his teacher, it might be a lesson on him being his own man. It does run on too long. It struggles to maintain the tension once the comedy runs out of steam. The final fight simply goes on too long.

For some dumb reason or another I never watched this flick. Not only that, I never even heard of it. I guess you are what you watch, really. My friends, my family, they were all Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Mortal Kombat, Van Damme fans, so I'm guessing saturating ourselves in that action was enough for us to keep a blind eye towards any other films on the video racks. But the sweet thing, it gave me a chance. And now I'm the baddest! But not as bad as the Harlem Shogun. No way.'Bruce' Leroy Green is a student of the martial arts variety. But his arch nemesis, Sho'nuff, is a student the badass variety! And he's also the self-proclaimed Shogun of Harlem! If I was Leroy I would've packed suit and got the hell outta Dodge! Dodge-Harlem, that is. Anyways, Leroy's got more testicular fortitude than your boy, so he continues on his self-improving journey, which unfortunately gets his family in trouble along the way. And to make matters worse, some flirty, eye-lash batting, cutey-pants, TV singing, dancer star is having problems with some greedy, evil bigwig! And of course, it's only up to Bruce Leroy to put an end to that as well. But can he? He can't glow if he can't find Sum Dumb Gai. If you're a little confused about what I'm trying to tell you...you should be. You should also be ashamed in yourself that you haven't seen this movie yet. Sho'nuff!! The Last Dragon is absolutely, without a doubt, sho'nuff, a classic 80's flick. It's got the cheese, which is almost carried entirely by our lead actor who plays Bruce Leroy Green. It's got the martial arts action, the dazzling dance moves, the bodacious beats, and of course, ya got the Shogun of Harlem himself being the baddest mofo around! If you have a difficult time finding the entertainment in this flick, you're a fool! A damn fool! Sho'nuff!!

I love this film, and although I haven't seen it in years it is one of my all time favourites. Sho'nuff was great and Leroy outstanding, both delivering tongue in cheek performances that make this movie what it is, a comedy kung fu classic! I will watch the remake if they do actually go ahead with it, I will enjoy it of that I am sure, but re-makes rarely capture the essence of the original, maybe because of flashy modern effects that the original didn't rely on or big stars who want to put their own stamp on the role. Hopefully they are after re-making it for other reasons than just making money from a loyal fan base. PS Is anyone else just a little gutted that Sho'nuff actor Julius Carry has passed away!!

This martial arts movie is a true gem of the 80's. Lot's of magic, moves, and music to go along in the movie. The 70's was big with blaxportation. If you think "Black Belt Jones" was bad, you haven't seen anything, yet. In the movie "The Last Dragon", "Bruce" Leroy Green(Taimak) was a real bad cat. He idolizes Bruce Lee aka "The Dragon". He is so into his art that he pays little attention to the world. He would later help out a DJ named Laura Charles(Vanity) whom his brother has a thing for her. The one thing getting in his way of find the glow is a bully black belt named Sho'nuff(Julius Carry, 1952-2008). This martial artist is all bully and brawn and very little brain. He thinks he's all bad. But he's really all mouth! Another problem is is this shady promoter named Eddie Arkadian(Christopher Murney). He likes to give people opportunity, but the real deal is himself. The fight scenes are cool, the dancing everyone does is hot, and the videos are something else: DeBarge's "Rhythm of the Night" is tops. Great movie, great plot, Berry Gordy's film is a real gem! 4 out of 5 stars!