Green Dragon (2001)

The story of some Vietnamese refugees as they first arrive at Camp Pendleton in the United States as the Vietnam war ends in 1975.

Director:

Timothy Linh Bui

Writers:

Timothy Linh Bui (screenplay), Timothy Linh Bui (story),

Stars:

Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker, Duong Don

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Swayze	...	Gunnery Sergeant Jim Lance
Forest Whitaker	...	Addie
Duong Don	...	Tai Tran
Hiep Thi Le	...	Thuy Hoa
Billinjer C. Tran	...	Duc (as Billinjer Tran)
Kathleen Luong	...	Second Wife
Phuoc Quan Nguyen	...	Loi
Long Nguyen	...	Quang Hai
Catherine Ai	...	Hien
Phu Cuong	...	Old Man
Kieu Chinh	...	Kieu
Trung Nguyen	...	Minh
Jennifer Tran	...	Anh
Linda Tran	...	Thuy Hoa's Sister
Tuan Tran	...	Tuan

Storyline

A tale about Vietnamese refugees sent to an orientation camp on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base in California, 'Green Dragon' focuses on a young boy and his sister. Set in 1975, the film chronicles the stories told to the two children by other refugees in the camp and of Tai Tran, who dares to introduce himself to Sergeant Jim Lance. In developing a relationship with Lance, Tran is able to improve conditions and communication for all in the refugee camp.

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Plot Keywords:

refugee camp | vietnam war | polygamy | u.s. marine corps | vietnam era | 

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Taglines:

A story from a war that had been forgotten

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some disturbing situations, nudity and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

23 April 2004 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Puff the Magic Dragon

Filming Locations:

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Oceanside, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franchise Classics, Franchise Pictures, Rickshaw FIlms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Near the beginning of the movie, Minh (the young boy) walks the length of the darkened Quonset hut. He goes to the end and looks through the set of double doors. The very next scene switches to the exterior. He is now exiting a single door, because he has come out on the side of the building.

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Crazy Credits

Second Unit (The Love Unit)

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Connections

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

User Reviews

WATCH IT

I would recommend this movie to anyone who would like an accurate perspective of the South Vietnamese people. Unlike the previous critic, I will leave any misinformed politics aside. Although the war was highly political, and the movie does comment on the war, the film is not based on any political agenda like the previous critic leads you to believe. Instead, I believe the movie's focus is on the human stories of people struggling to forge a new life after their country was taken away from them. What is refreshing and what gives the movie credibility is that the director and most of the actors are Vietnamese, many of whom went through similar experiences as depicted in the movie after the war. In that sense, the movie is real, not just some form of propaganda "intended for the not-too-bright oversentimental without-a-dose of a history-lesson or critical thought Americans." It is a movie for Americans, Vietnamese immigrants such as myself, and people who dare regard the United States as the great and imperfect hope that it is.