A police detective cracks down on organized crime in Chinatown after the murders of Triad and Mafia leaders.A police detective cracks down on organized crime in Chinatown after the murders of Triad and Mafia leaders.A police detective cracks down on organized crime in Chinatown after the murders of Triad and Mafia leaders.
- Director
- Writers
- Robert Daley(novel)
- Oliver Stone(screenplay)
- Michael Cimino(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Robert Daley(novel)
- Oliver Stone(screenplay)
- Michael Cimino(screenplay)
- Stars
- Awards
- 1 win & 10 nominations
Raymond J. Barry
- Louis Bukowski
- (as Ray Barry)
Hon-Lam Pau
- Fred Hung
- (as Pao Han Lin)
- Director
- Writers
- Robert Daley(novel)
- Oliver Stone(screenplay)
- Michael Cimino(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMichael Cimino was officially allowed final cut of the film, but was forced to make one change to the ending. "The only change they asked me to make, which to this day I still find inexplicable because I think it sums up the movie, was to the very last line. At the end of the movie, there's another fight that breaks out on Mott Street, during a funeral parade. Mickey is in the middle of the mêlée, Tracy runs in and picks him up off the ground, they both look like survivors of a war. The camera closes in. If you look closely, you can see that they're not saying the line that you're hearing. The last line of the movie was, Stanley looks at her and says, 'Well, I guess if you fight a war long enough, you end up marrying the enemy.' Oliver Stone himself is married to a Vietnamese girl right now. I'm sure you'll see American's with Iraqi women at some point. For reasons that I can't understand, that line was not acceptable, so I took a line from some other place in the movie and I slipped it in and it doesn't make any sense at all. But that line, that sums up the whole movie."
- GoofsThe first time Stanley is shown on screen his hair is gray and white all over. The next time Stanley is shown in the police station his hair is brown with gray only visible on his temples. In other scenes of the film his hair changes color from gray/white to brown with graying at the temples.
- Quotes
Tracy Tzu: You're acting like a child.
Stanley White: Well, a great man is one who in manhood still keeps the heart of a child.
- Crazy creditsThe end credits roll over a image of the Chinese woman restaurant-singer crooning a Chinese easy-listening ditty.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Slaying the Dragon (1988)
- SoundtracksDream Dance (Tian Mi Mi)
Composed by Lucia Hwong
Performed and arranged by Yukio Tsuji and Lucia Hwong
Recording engineering by Gene Ricciardi (as Gene Ricardi)
Review
Featured review
One of the more realistic films about Chinese Americans
When "Year of the Dragon" was released in 1985, it was ripped to pieces by Chinese anti-defamation organizations as being a very racist film. The film was likewise given lot of bad reviews by critics, who probably wanted to be politically correct.
Being a Chinese American who was raised in Boston's Chinatown, I had expected bad things about this film. Even though "The Deer Hunter" is a great film, the depictions of Vietnamese and Chinese in that film are truly horrendous (no, Chinese DID NOT engage in Russian Roulette!!) I expected the same with "Year of the Dragon." I was totally shocked after I saw the film at how realistic the film was about Chinatown. I do understand many Chinese Americans do not want themselves portrayed as drug dealers, gang members, etc. However, I don't think there has been any film in Hollywood history who portrayed the dark side of Chinatown as accurately as this film. I know because I grew up in the area when there lot of Chinese street gangs and mafia activity.
The sad thing is after this film was released, depictions of Chinese Americans has gotten a LOT worse; they are depicted as chopsocky kung fu gangsters (now isn't that ironic!!) in Jet Li and Jackie Chan movies, or as baby killers, rapists, or domineering bigots in "The Joy Luck Club" (by the way, this film is truly truly AWFUL in it's portrayals of Chinese; the ignorant critics however gave this movie great reviews.) Strangely, Chinese anti-defamation leagues has been very silent during these years.
"Year of the Dragon" is Cimino's unappreciated gem. According to my view, it's his second best film. I understand this film has flaws but Cimino was brilliant in showing the side of Chinese Americans that few Americans know. Not all of us Chinese went to CalTech or MIT and became successful software engineers or research scientists.
Being a Chinese American who was raised in Boston's Chinatown, I had expected bad things about this film. Even though "The Deer Hunter" is a great film, the depictions of Vietnamese and Chinese in that film are truly horrendous (no, Chinese DID NOT engage in Russian Roulette!!) I expected the same with "Year of the Dragon." I was totally shocked after I saw the film at how realistic the film was about Chinatown. I do understand many Chinese Americans do not want themselves portrayed as drug dealers, gang members, etc. However, I don't think there has been any film in Hollywood history who portrayed the dark side of Chinatown as accurately as this film. I know because I grew up in the area when there lot of Chinese street gangs and mafia activity.
The sad thing is after this film was released, depictions of Chinese Americans has gotten a LOT worse; they are depicted as chopsocky kung fu gangsters (now isn't that ironic!!) in Jet Li and Jackie Chan movies, or as baby killers, rapists, or domineering bigots in "The Joy Luck Club" (by the way, this film is truly truly AWFUL in it's portrayals of Chinese; the ignorant critics however gave this movie great reviews.) Strangely, Chinese anti-defamation leagues has been very silent during these years.
"Year of the Dragon" is Cimino's unappreciated gem. According to my view, it's his second best film. I understand this film has flaws but Cimino was brilliant in showing the side of Chinese Americans that few Americans know. Not all of us Chinese went to CalTech or MIT and became successful software engineers or research scientists.
helpful•5717
- 2004RedSox
- Aug 17, 2003
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Lohikäärmeen vuosi
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $24,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $18,707,466
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,093,079
- Aug 18, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $18,707,466
- Runtime2 hours 14 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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