Plot: What’s it about?
Leroy Green (Taimak) is known as “Bruce Leroy” around his neighborhood, as he has mastered the martial arts, as well as the art of self control. As with most true masters of the martial arts, Leroy dislikes violence and hates to use his skills in battle, but from time to time, he is forced to do so and each time, he dispatches his opponents with ease. He loves to teach his students the true uses of the arts and he loves kung fu cinema, but his life still lacks in some respects. You see, Leroy is a master of the martial arts to be sure, but he wishes to locate a new master, one to teach him the ways of “the glow,” which will take his skills to the next level. But his search is stalled by a brutal kung fu warrior called Sho’nuff (Julius Carry), also known as the self proclaimed Shogun of Harlem. Sho’nuff tries to entice Leroy into fights all the time, but he refuses and that enrages the bully, which means he tries even harder the next time. As he avoids Sho’nuff and seeks “the glow,” Leroy must also work to help a singer, who has been mistreated by a ruthless record promoter, a tall order even for this martial arts master.
This is one of the films I never thought I’d see on DVD, but I am thrilled to now own it, to say the very least. The Last Dragon is a fun movie in every sense of the word, one I could watch with friends every weekend and never tire of the antics. The storyline is a cool ones and allows for some terrific kung fu tributes, as well as some “live” musical performances. I think the combination of inner city atmosphere with kung fu works out very well, especially when handled as well as it is here, thanks to Michael Shultz’ direction and Louis Venosta’s keen screenplay. The production design is great, from the unique costumes to the set pieces, which are also a treat for the eyes. The movie is colorful and brisk in pace, which suits this material to sheer & utter perfection, if you ask me. Taimak takes the lead in grand style, with such names as Vanity, Christopher Murney, Julius Carry, and even a young William H. Macy on deck. I cannot recommend this great flick enough and since this disc is a solid treatment in all respects, I see no reason fans or first timers shouldn’t be pleased.
The core of this film is Taimak, who plays the lead role very well, both in terms of action and overall persona. As you can imagine, this kind of part doesn’t demand much traditional style performance skills, but Taimak is great here and brings a lot to the character. His martial arts moves are up the task and he seems natural within those scenes, which of course, makes or breaks this entire picture. He is also able to retain a certain composure the rest of the time, which gives his character the needed depth and that’s essential to how well the role works. I’m sure some will find flaws simply because of the nature of the film, but I think Taimak was more than impressive and filled the role very well. You can also see Taimak in such films as Dreamers, The Book of Swords, Nikita’s Blues, and The White Girl. The cast also includes Christopher Murney (Barton Fink, Slap Shot), Faith Prince (Dave, Picture Perfect), Vanity (Action Jackson, Terror Train), and of course, Julius Carry (Moving, Disco Godfather) as Sho’nuff.
Video: How does it look?
The Last Dragon is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. This is a solid transfer that surpassed my expectations, but some age related issues still surface. The print used shows some grain, nicks, and other defects, but not an extreme amount and as such, I won’t complain much. The colors often look bold and true, but sometimes seem a little dated, though flesh tones are natural throughout. The contrast is stable and consistent, offering a solid level of detail and more than ample black hues. I wish this was a cleaner, sharper image, but given the age and nature of the picture, I’m more than pleased as it stands, as I think fans will be also.
Audio: How does it sound?
The kung fu wails of Leroy Green have never sounded so good, thanks to the included 2.0 surround option. The screams, punches, kicks, and other assorted sound effects come across well here, while the ’80s musical soundtrack is also finely presented. The surrounds won’t blow your neighbor’s toupee off, but they’re used often enough to be effective and that’s what counts in the end, right? I never heard any problems with the dialogue either, which sounds clean and sharp from start to finish. This disc also includes audio tracks in French and Portuguese, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Thai, Korean, and Chinese.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, as well as an audio commentary track with director Michael Shultz. I was very excited to see this feature included, although Shultz isn’t too verbose within the session. He does share some interesting comments however, but they’re too few and far between, if you ask me. Even so, this track is very welcome and I hope to hear more tracks from Shultz, as more of his films are released.
