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IMDbPro

Year of the Dragon

  • 19851985
  • K-16K-16
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,170
1,085
Mickey Rourke in Year of the Dragon (1985)
Trailer for Year of the Dragon
Play trailer2:07
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeDrama

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.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,170
1,085
  • Director
    • Michael Cimino
  • Writers
    • Robert Daley(novel)
    • Oliver Stone(screenplay)
    • Michael Cimino(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Mickey Rourke
    • John Lone
    • Ariane
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael Cimino
  • Writers
    • Robert Daley(novel)
    • Oliver Stone(screenplay)
    • Michael Cimino(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Mickey Rourke
    • John Lone
    • Ariane
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 100User reviews
    • 71Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    Year of the Dragon
    Trailer 2:07
    Year of the Dragon

    Photos101

    Hannah Kozak on Year of the Dragon
    Hannah Kozak on Year of the Dragon
    (L-R) Paul J.Q. Lee, Ariane
    14" x 22" movie poster
    Mickey Rourke in Year of the Dragon (1985)
    Year of the Dragon (1985)
    Mickey Rourke and John Lone in Year of the Dragon (1985)
    Caroline Kava in Year of the Dragon (1985)
    Mei Sheng Fan in Year of the Dragon (1985)
    Daniel Davin in Year of the Dragon (1985)
    Ming C. Lee in Year of the Dragon (1985)
    Caroline Kava in Year of the Dragon (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mickey Rourke
    Mickey Rourke
    • Stanley White
    John Lone
    John Lone
    • Joey Tai
    Ariane
    Ariane
    • Tracy Tzu
    Leonard Termo
    Leonard Termo
    • Angelo Rizzo
    Raymond J. Barry
    Raymond J. Barry
    • Louis Bukowski
    • (as Ray Barry)
    Caroline Kava
    Caroline Kava
    • Connie White
    Eddie Jones
    Eddie Jones
    • William McKenna
    Joey Chin
    • Ronnie Chang
    Victor Wong
    Victor Wong
    • Harry Yung
    K. Dock Yip
    • Milton Bin
    Hon-Lam Pau
    Hon-Lam Pau
    • Fred Hung
    • (as Pao Han Lin)
    Way Dong Woo
    • Elder
    Jimmy Sun
    • Elder
    Daniel Davin
    • Francis Kearney
    Mark Hammer
    • Commissioner Sullivan
    Dennis Dun
    Dennis Dun
    • Herbert Kwong
    Jack Kehler
    Jack Kehler
    • Alan Perez
    Steven Chen
    • Tony Ho
    • Director
      • Michael Cimino
    • Writers
      • Robert Daley(novel)
      • Oliver Stone(screenplay)
      • Michael Cimino(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Michael 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."
    • Goofs
      The 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 credits
      The end credits roll over a image of the Chinese woman restaurant-singer crooning a Chinese easy-listening ditty.
    • Connections
      Featured in Slaying the Dragon (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Dream 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)

    User reviews100

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    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.
    helpful•57
    17
    • 2004RedSox
    • Aug 17, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 10, 1986 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • Mandarin
      • English
      • Cantonese
      • Vietnamese
      • Polish
    • Also known as
      • Lohikäärmeen vuosi
    • Filming locations
      • 1 Main St #16, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Dino De Laurentiis Company
      • AMLF
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • 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
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 14 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

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