SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Animenter There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

Smoreni Zmaj Average crusader cop movie, worth watching if you don't expect more than some action fun to kill few hours.For those who watched it or will do, censorship forced them to replace the very last line of Mickey Rourke: "Well, I guess if you fight a war long enough, you end up marrying the enemy", with: "You were right and I was wrong. Sorry, I'd like to be a nice guy. I would, but I just don't know how to be nice."Lame.....................................................................

Comeuppance Reviews Stanley White (Rourke) is a Cop On The Edge (and Vietnam vet) in New York City. Assigned to Chinatown, he discovers the area is rife with gangs demanding protection money from shopkeepers, illegal gambling, and other activities that are against the law - U.S. law. When White confronts the leaders of the community, he is informed that their traditions are thousands of years old, and he can't just waltz in and change things. But then the violence spins out of control and the murder rate rises. The headstrong Stanley just won't tolerate their growing domination. Meanwhile, Stanley finds himself growing apart not just from his colleagues on the police force, but from his wife Connie (Kava). He develops a relationship with Asian TV reporter Tracy Tzu, and when she gets caught in the middle between Stanley and his growing sense of vengeance to crime leader Joey Tai (Lone), fireworks - literally - occur. Will Stanley clean up the streets of Chinatown? Find out today! Michael Cimino is one of the only currently-living masters of American cinema, and with a screenplay co-written by him and Oliver Stone, in a movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis, you know you're going to get a high-quality production. It's an expertly-shot and acted film as well, and with some of the themes it deals with, it was ahead of its time in 1985. It's filled with intense moments, and its length and pace bespeak its status as an epic crime drama, which would make sense as the novel it's based from was written by Robert Daley of Prince of the City (1981) fame. So we applaud that it did not cave in to the trend of "MTV editing", and it comes out smelling like a rose in the 21st century.Mickey Rourke was the ideal choice to play Stanley. This was at the height of his initial fame in the 80's, and he's looking young and trim. Stanley, despite appearing, on the surface, like a brash, insensitive, politically-incorrect brute, actually has a highly sensitive soul and a powerful and overriding sense of morality. But he's caught up in a corrupt world so he deals with it the best he can. Rourke, one of the most talented actors currently working today, can expertly play that subtlety and complexity. Plus not only does he have cool hair, he has a cool hat, and when he's not wearing his cool hat, the coolness of his hair can shine, and his hair seems to get cooler as the movie goes along.On top of the cultural knowledge and references in the movie, not just of Asian culture but biblical as well (could Stanley's shot in the middle of his hand with its blood be a reference to the stigmata of Jesus?) , it's important to recognize that this was the 80's, after all, and we get the disco scene we all love, and arcade games Pac-Man, Galaga and Defender can be seen. This movie truly has it all.So for a serious-minded, extremely professional cop/crime drama that has all the hallmarks that we know and love, plus a lot more, it's hard to beat Year of the Dragon.

Leofwine_draca Quite a few of these east-meets-west thrillers have been made over the years, from the good (the likes of THE YAKUZA and RISING SUN) to the bad (Ridley Scott's ridiculously over-stylised BLACK RAIN). YEAR OF THE DRAGON is a particularly unknown one, despite being a lengthy, sometimes epic-feeling production starring one of the decade's hottest stars, written by Oliver Stone, and directed by THE GODFATHER's Michael Cimino.It turns out to be a strong and eventful movie, one that's expertly directed and packed with sudden outbursts of gritty violence that really shock the senses. Despite his dodgily-coloured hair, Mickey Rourke gives a career-best turn as the detective attempting to clean up Chinatown. What ensues is never less than gripping, highly watchable and completely entertaining.The Asian cast members give solid performances, from the criminally underrated John Lone as the bad guy to the virtually unknown Ariane as the love interest. Stone's tough dialogue zings with malice and intrigue, and there are relatively low levels of contrivance and coincidence; the characters come first in this movie, and it's all the better for it. I loved every minute of it.

cracker Say what you will about this film, watch it, then watch a current equivalent. It will be a stretch to find one, maybe "The Departed" or "The Good Shepherd" are close. Three days later, betcha you will remember this movie and the characters and will have absolutely forgotten the current equivalent, and this is no dig on either of those fine movies, but rather a testament to the compelling nature of "Year of the Dragon." Yes, the film has many flaws, but I believe it rises above them successfully to achieve greatness. "White Powder Ma," wiretapping nuns, real Chinatown in its beauty and strangeness, The "voicebox" mafioso, are among the many compelling images contained herein.Despite all the nitpicking about technical elements, I believe what annoys people most about this movie is its moral ambiguity. The white and black hat pablum of spoon-fed Hollywood mediocrity is absent. Would that more ambiguous movies were produced challenging us to wrestle with the issues portrayed instead of preaching to us. Also, contemporary audiences just don't have enough patience to appreciate thorough character studies. For example, witness how many IMDb reviewers pan "Deer Hunter" for developing the characters fully before getting to "the action." This is a movie that contends favorably with many others when one is looking for something to review, it presents a new revelation with every viewing, and few movies, especially current movies measure up in this respect. Yes, it can be a jumble at times, and much needed flavor was obviously left on the cutting room floor, but still it is an excellent movie. I crave a "director's cut" of this film.They just don't' make em like this any more.