Revenge of the Green Dragons (2014)

Two best friends rise through the ranks of New York's Chinese underworld in the 1980s.

Directors:

Andrew Lau Wai-Keung (as Andrew Lau), Andrew Loo

Writers:

Fredric Dannen (based upon an article by), Michael Di Jiacomo

Stars:

Justin Chon, Kevin Wu, Harry Shum Jr.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Justin Chon	...	Sonny
Kevin Wu	...	Steven
Harry Shum Jr.	...	Paul
Eugenia Yuan	...	Snakehead Mama
Leonard Wu	...	Ah Chung
Jin Au-Yeung	...	Detective Tang (as Jin Auyeung)
Jon Kit Lee	...	Teddy
Shuya Chang	...	Tina
Alex Fox	...	Little Sonny
Michael Gregory Fung	...	Little Steven
Celia Au	...	Bobo
Ron Yuan	...	Born to Kill Dai Lo
Billy Magnussen	...	Detective Boyer
Geoff Pierson	...	FBI Director Sam Higgins
Ray Liotta	...	Michael Bloom

Storyline

REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS follows two immigrant brothers Sonny (Justin Chon) and Steven (Kevin Wu) who survive the impoverished despair of New York in the 1980s by joining Chinatown gang "The Green Dragons". The brothers quickly rise up the ranks, drawing the unwanted attention of hard-boiled city cops. After an ill- fated love affair pits Sonny against his own brother, he sets out for revenge on the very gang who made him who he is.

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Plot Keywords:

chinese mafia | shot in the head | new york | immigrant | chinatown | 

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Taglines:

The American dream isn't free

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, pervasive language, some drug use and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Hong Kong USA

Language:

English Chinese

Release Date:

11 September 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Vingança dos Dragões Verdes

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

IM Global, The 7th Floor, Initial A Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Wu is widely known for his success on YouTube, having over 3 million subscribers. Many people know him as KevJumba.

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Goofs

In the beginning of the movie its supposed to be 1983, however they show a big pile of modern US currency spilling on table with the current large President's head on the bills.

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Connections

Features New York Chinatown (1982)

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Soundtracks

Need of Love
Written by L. Stuart
Performed by Soul Patrol
Courtesy of Gravelpit Music
By arrangement with Lee Silver Productions

User Reviews

Shows Initial Spark, then Meanders Along, then Rushes Towards the Climax, and Finally Fizzles at the End

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Andrew Lau's "Infernal Affairs" trilogy became the best-known import in the early 2000s from the storied Hong Kong film industry, supplying Martin Scorsese with material for his Academy Award- winning film "The Departed". But while Mr. Lau's latest, "Revenge of the Green Dragons," leaps forth with a flurry of montage, attitude, and action, it loses its way as a drama.

This film — a crime yarn directed jointly by Lau and Andrew Loo, and set in Queens during the Chinese immigration wave of the 1980s — begins by sketching out the hungry desperation of the era, and how Chinese gangs took hold of two schoolmates, Sonny and Steven, and never let go. Violence and cynicism abound, as the story ratchets forward to track the hotheaded Steven and the more prudent Sonny through gangland intrigue, shootings, and blowbacks. The violence is savage and the torture, graphic. The victims are true-to-life: women, children and the elderly. There are also a few mind games - coupled with a neat albeit unconvincing twist at the end - as there are straight-up acts of brutality. Sadly, the rest of the mayhem that's fueled by drugs, human trafficking, and an unconvincing, supposedly ill-fated romance seem hurriedly patched together, and contribute little towards making this gangster flick as engaging and fresh as it's ruthless and stylish.

Inspired by a 1992 article in The New Yorker, "Green Dragons" gets a certain vigor out of it's prideful battles for power, turf control, and respect in a world where only the murders of whites seem to matter. Yet the busy plotting shoves past the characters, and Justin Chon as Sonny, and Kevin Wu as Steven, can't keep up. A smuggler's speech about America's basis in hatred won't find many buyers, nor will a frozen-faced Ray Liotta referentially cast as a detective benefiting from the efforts of a Chinese-American colleague (Jin Auyeung).

"Revenge of the Green Dragons" starts with promise, but soon becomes predictable, filled with clichés that do little in terms of engagement or spinning a novel, fresh story from an interesting, untouched plot. What initially feels like brash energy peters out until what's left mainly evokes some pretty run-off-the-mill gangster lore.