Year of the Dragon (1985)

Using unprecedented degrees of violence, young Joey Tai becomes the head of Chinese mafia in New York and undisputed leader of the Chinese community. Stanley White, the most decorated cop ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writers:

Robert Daley (novel), Oliver Stone (screenplay),

Stars:

Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mickey Rourke	...	Stanley White
John Lone	...	Joey Tai
Ariane	...	Tracy Tzu
Leonard Termo	...	Angelo Rizzo
Raymond J. Barry	...	Louis Bukowski (as Ray Barry)
Caroline Kava	...	Connie White
Eddie Jones	...	William McKenna
Joey Chin	...	Ronnie Chang
Victor Wong	...	Harry Yung
K. Dock Yip	...	Milton Bin
Hon-Lam Pau	...	Fred Hung (as Pao Han Lin)
Way Dong Woo	...	Elder
Jimmy Sun	...	Elder
Daniel Davin	...	Francis Kearney
Mark Hammer	...	Commissioner Sullivan

Storyline

Using unprecedented degrees of violence, young Joey Tai becomes the head of Chinese mafia in New York and undisputed leader of the Chinese community. Stanley White, the most decorated cop in New York, who hates Asian people since his service in Vietnam, is put in charge of Chinatown. Both men are prone to breaking long-established rules and both men are unlikely to make compromises with each other, which leads to unavoidable and bloody conflict.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam | violence | chinese mafia | heroin smuggling | tv dinner | 

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Taglines:

It isn't the Bronx or Brooklyn. It isn't even New York. It's Chinatown...and it's about to explode.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

Mandarin English Cantonese Vietnamese Polish

Release Date:

16 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Manhattan Sur

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$24,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$18,700,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Mickey Rourke, the part of Stanley White was written for Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman who both turned the role down.

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Goofs

Scene in Stanley's kitchen, where the sink pipe bursts and water spouts on Stanley - water also gets on the camera lens.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tracy Tzu: Captain McKenna, any leads in the murder of Jackie Wong?
William McKenna: Nothing at this time.
Tracy Tzu: Do you think this killing means there's some kind of war going on in the Chinatown Tongs?
William McKenna: No, I don't. This is basically a situation where the youth gangs are lashing out at the establishment. The community is cooperating. The situation's under control.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits roll over a squeezed image of the Chinese woman restaurant-singer crooning a Chinese easy-listening ditty.

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Connections

Referenced in Rush Hour 2 (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Resurrection Symphony #2 (Fifth Movement)"
Written by Gustav Mahler (uncredited)
By Bernard Haitink and The Concertgebouw Orchestra
Courtesy of PolyGram Special Projects, a division of PolyGram Records, Inc.

User Reviews

When Mickey Rourke dominated Hollywood

In the mid eighties Mickey Rourke was considered a cult figure in Hollywood (he still is, only at that time we was a promising one). This movie truly reflects all of his talent in the role of a police officer and Vietnam veteran, who tries to clean up China Town. It's easy to realize that Oliver Stone wrote the script, and it's probably Stone's personal opinions that come out of Rourke's mouth.

It's still good after all these years and although it's no masterpiece, it's quite entertaining.