The Last Dragon (1985)

A young man searches for the "master" 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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Schultz

Writer:

Louis Venosta

Stars:

Taimak, Vanity, Christopher Murney

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Taimak	...	Leroy Green
Vanity	...	Laura Charles
Christopher Murney	...	Eddie Arkadian (as Chris Murney)
Julius Carry	...	Sho'nuff / The Shogun of Harlem (as Julius J. Carry III)
Faith Prince	...	Angela Viracco
Leo O'Brien	...	Richie Green
Mike Starr	...	Rock
Jim Moody	...	Daddy Green
Glen Eaton	...	Johnny Yu
Ernie Reyes Jr.	...	Tai
Roger Campbell	...	Announcer
Esther Marrow	...	Mama Green
Keshia Knight Pulliam	...	Sophia (as Keshia Knight)
Jamal Mason	...	Roy
B.J. Barie	...	Jackie

Storyline

A young man searches for the "master" 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.

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Plot Keywords:

martial arts | new york city | harlem manhattan new york city | catching a bullet in one's teeth | cult film | 

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Taglines:

He's a martial arts master who refuses to fight. He's a Bruce Lee fan who's so sure he's Oriental that he eats popcorn with chopsticks. his friends think he's too serious. His family thinks he's crazy. His enemies think he's no challenges. But she knows he's THE LAST DRAGON.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$33,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Delphi III Productions, Motown Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1997, Busta Rhymes parodied the character Sho Nuff in his music video for "Dangerous". In the video, the music cuts off, and Busta proclaims, "Yo Leroy! Am I not the baddest . . ." and replicates the first on-screen speech of Sho Nuff in this movie.

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Goofs

The position of the blonde girl during Sho'nuff's entrance in the movie theater.

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Quotes

Eddie Arcadian: I applaud you, Leroy. That was a great finish. Not quite the ending I had in mind, but it was a great finish. You see a .45 will put an end to all this kung fu crap. All it takes is one little bullet. So take your final bow, scum sucker.
[Leroy's eyes widen anticipating the shot]
Eddie Arcadian: [Arcadian fires]

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Connections

Remade as The Last Dragon

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Soundtracks

"The Glow"
Performed by Willie Hutch
Written by Willie Hutch
Produced by Willie Hutch

User Reviews

Does this movie rock? Sho'NUFF!

If you occasionally get nostalgic for break dancing, too much hairspray, De Barge, and Cyndi Lauper-style hair extensions, then this movie will give you an awesome blast from the past! I watched it on a Saturday morning and it made me feel like a kid again.

As many of the naysayers have already posted here, this ain't no bona fide martial arts flick. But it does make Tarantino-esque allusions to kung-fu pop culture- namely, Bruce Lee's films- that will be appreciated by 'true' kung-fu fans. And the fight scenes were co-choreographed by Ernie Reyes, Sr., so that gives them some credence.

In my opinion, the "worst" parts of this movie are actually the best because of their kitsch value: Prince protégé Vanity performs a ridiculously bad song and dance number; Leroy finds his inner "glow"; Sho'Nuff and his gang interrupt a screening of ENTER THE DRAGON; the list goes on. I think I'll watch it again next Saturday!