- Genre: Martial Arts | Comedy | Fantasy
- Director: Michael Schultz
- Writer: Louis Venosta
- Cast: Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry and Christopher Murney
- MPAA: PG-13
- Summary: A young man embarks on a quest to obtain the final level of martial arts mastery known as “The Glow.” Along the way he must fight an evil martial arts expert and an rescue a beautiful singer from an obsessed music promoter.
- Runtime: 109 min.
When I was a kid I went through a huge phase with martial arts flicks. I devoured everything I could get my hands on: Big Trouble in Little China, Showdown in Little Tokyo, American Ninja, Best of the Best and just about anything Jean Claude Van Dam. I thought JCVD was the bees knees when I was a kid. But there is one little movie that was the spark that caused the massive explosion of interest in martial arts cinema. That movie was Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon.
Leroy Green (Taimak) is a martial artist of intense focus. After passing his master’s final test, Leroy embarks on a quest to find The Master, a martial artist of the highest order who can teach Leroy “The Glow,” the mark of Kung Fu supremacy. Along the way he meets Laura Charles (Vanity) a rising star in the music industry, and it’s love at first sight. With stars in his eyes Leroy, does not realize he’s become a target for Laura’s insanely possessive producer, Eddie Arkadian (Christopher Murney), and Sho’nuff: the Shogun of Harlem (Julius Carry), a rival martial artist who is also in search for The Glow.
As much as I enjoyed this movie as a kid, I appreciate it so much more as an adult. This film is so many things: it’s a martial arts film, it’s a comedy, it’s got a bit of drama, even a few elements of the blaxploitation genre. This movie is so many things at once it could have come off as an incredibly cheesy, hot mess. In fact, when it released in ’85 it was a critical flop. Honestly, I think the critics just didn’t get it. All the the elements of the film are handled with a sense of tongue in cheek that’s incredibly charming.
Taimak is incredibly likable as Leroy Green (sometimes teasingly called Bruce Leroy by his friends). Leroy is so earnest in his obsession with eastern culture and martial arts that he comes off as a bit of an odd duck in the urban New York setting. He wears rice hats, eats popcorn with chopsticks, and speaks English with the precision of someone who has learned it as a second language. His little brother is always giving him a hard time (he basically tells him that he’s not black enough at one point of the movie), and though he’s accepted by his friends, even they don’t take him too seriously. His emulation of the of the passive Asian hero who must rise to the challenge is perfect in every way. His character instantly puts him at odds with the rival martial artist of the flick Sho’nuff. Which brings us to one of the greatest martial arts villains EVER.
Julius Carry who brings life to Sho’nuff: The Shogun of Harlem is hilarious, nasty, and a little scary to suburban white kids who watched this flick back in the day. Sho’nuff is a walking cliché from his name to the faux tiger pelt he drapes over his shoulder. He’s an exaggerated homage to the African American action stars of the 70s such as Isacc Hayes and martial artist Jim Kelly. He works excellently opposite Taimak who is the other side of that coin.
Sho’Nuff and Leroy Face off
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylCvCwn9OG8[/youtube]
The rest of the cast is nicely balanced as well. Vanity is charming enough as a starry-eyed girl who falls in love with our clueless hero. She isn’t winning any Oscars in her performance, but she gets the job done. The movie features some original music performed by her; heavy synthetic 80’s pop stuff mostly. I think this film was supposed to help promote her music career, but in 2011 we can all see that didn’t pan out.
The real fun supporting character in this flick is Eddie Arkadia who is played by (Christopher Murney). Arkadia is the catalyst, the orchestrator behind the final confrontation between Sho’nuff and Leroy. More of a thug with delusions of grandeur than a truly insidious mastermind, Murney’s character also fits the bill as the “white devil” of a blaxploitation flick, only dumber and more over the top (like everyone else in this movie.)
Leroy vs. Sho’Nuff – Final Round: FIGHT!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWVhiIisH30[/youtube]
All of it comes to a head in one of the most epic of 80’s climaxes out there. I dare anyone to find one that rivals it. Sho’nuff discovers The Glow before Leroy, his hands thrumming malevolently with red kung fu energy. The beatdown that follows inevitably leads Leroy to realize that the Master he’s been seeking all along was within himself. He then one-ups Sho’nuff and super-saiyans out in The Golden Glow. Cue comeback beatdown and Title Track. Leroy get’s the girl, get’s his baby bro’s respect, and struts off into the sunset as The Last Dragon. After he thwarts Arkadia by catching a bullet in his TEETH.
The Last Dragon isn’t the best movie of the era, but looking back it’s more than a guilty pleasure. It pays outrageous homage to numerous genres and has a tongue in cheek charm that can’t be denied. Sure, it’s cheesy and kitschy but it’s intentionally so. Because it is so out there, the mood may need to strike you just right to really appreciate it. But if the stars are aligned, appreciate it you will.
I give Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon 4 (of 5) stars.
Add Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon to your retro DVD collection today by clicking the link below.
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